The Loren - Bermuda
Jun 13, 2017, 6:12 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 861
The Loren - Bermuda
Hotel selection in Bermuda has always been tricky for me, as we have never found the right combination of hard product, service and beach. As a result, we rarely visit this beautiful island.
We learned of the recently opened Loren at the old Pink Beach location and decided to give it a go. While there were some very strong positives, the weaknesses and overall vibe overwhelmed them, and it is off our list in the future. I have linked a detailed TA advisor below, but what we found:
-comfortable rooms and spectacular balconies, hanging over the beach. Very
nice views abound.
-an uncertain identity, with many nods to Las Vegas and Miami: cabanas (unused), house music in the background and attempts at pool parties, etc. Yet the pricing (our minimum room was $900 rack) and existence of a kids' club (did not seem to be functioning) says they aren't quite sure of which way to go.
-a very tight fit on the plot, giving guests few places to go. The library was always in use by the staff for meetings and the pool could be amazing (lots of chairs and comfort) but was occasionally taken over by loud, heaving drinking cigar smokers. This is always an issue with small hotels, as one group can totally dominate an experience.
-the weakness here is staff training. Pretty much getting anything
done was painful, and we had issues re: transportation, a pre-arranged tour
and not a very caring response to a leak in a room that required a move.
Restaurants had beautiful settings but service, particularly in the casual venue, was very slow.
-breakfast menu disappointing, with no oatmeal, yogurt, fruit or any basic light
options. They did, however, have lobster has and veal and broccoli rabe
sausage??
-no chairs on the beach. One of the reasons we selected this hotel was because of the beach - it isn't very large but it is beautiful. It is possible that
the seasonal arrival of Portuguese Man of War might be a reason, but my hunch is that chairs will not typically be there. The pool area is very nice, however, and, save for obnoxious guests, it serves the lounging tick mark well.
It must be noted that the staff was absolutely lovely - they wanted to do the right thing, but weren't trained properly to do it smoothly. For a weekend trip,
spending so much time hanging around the front desk as things were sorted out became exhausting.
I do expect that things will improve on the service front over time, so then the question will be whether the atmosphere of the hotel will suit. If they continue
down the Miami/Las Vegas cool vibe road, it might be work for younger people.
For us, the offerings felt too limited and spending too much time there would
become almost claustrophobic.
We joined another couple for a weekend at The Loren. I have always found Bermuda difficult in terms of hotel trade offs and this time, because we wanted to be on the beach, we decided to try the new Loren,
knowing that some early kinks might still be in place. We were right.
This is a hotel that has, in general, excellent hard product, but the service, while sweet, is generally no where close to where it needs to be for a hotel at this price point. As well, its identify is unclear -
it feels like a hotel that wants to set off a Miami/Las Vegas vibe, but then again, it has a kids club. We are definitely not looking for that, so we will pass on the house music blasting and, sometimes,
cigar smokers around the pool in the future.
As well, the hotel is “tight”, with few places to go, so I’d would not enjoy an extended stay here. This will be a long review, as it might benefit people who know nothing of this new offering.
SETTING/BEACH/POOL
This hotel is located on the old Pink Beach property. They really built it out to the max, so there seems to be no “air” around the hotel. The beach is not particularly long, but it is very pretty.
However, there were no beach chairs on the beach during our stay and my hunch is there rarely are. It could be the (seasonal?) arrival of Portuguese Man of War, which washed up every
morning and probably should have been picked up by the staff earlier than they were. We saw dozens. As such, while a few people went into the water, it did not seem safe to us. We did, however,
enjoy short walks on it.
There are two pools, one very small and one much larger. There were plentiful lounge chairs that were comfortable and 4 cabanas. The cabanas seemed a poorly executed nod to Las Vegas and we never saw
one person use them. The pool area can be fabulous or irritating, depending on who else is there. We had some glorious hours there and terrible ones, when a number of cigar smoking, drinking guests
simply took over. That is always a problem at a small hotel - one group can dominate and dramatically impact one’s experience.
There were no great areas to hang out in poor weather. The “library” was always in use by staff members for their meetings, so one felt awkward even walking in to grab a nespresso.
ROOMS
We were in rooms on the arrival floor, paying full boat at $900. They were large, well fitted and comfortable. The website photos are quite accurate. However, the thermostat situation wasn’t ideal - we couldn’t get our room warmed up
without going to the front desk as they seemed to control it, despite the thermostat. As well, there is some kind of air flow situation that causes the bathroom mirror to fog up regularly. There was a nespresso
maker, one bottle of water per guest (never replenished) and Malin & Goetz amenities. The balcony of these rooms is spectacular, one of the best we have seen. It is large, with a full size sofa and two chairs,
protected from the elements so it’s possible to be outside on hot or rainy days. The views are also very special, perched right above the water.
RESTAURANTS
They were fine for us for a short stay, but we would have been bored to tears if we had to depend on these for more than a few days. The settings on the water were lovely and the staff was very
sweet. However, the service in the casual venue was painfully slow. As well, the breakfast menu is very weak - they have no oatmeal, fruit or yogurt, but they do have lobster hash and veal and broccoli rabe sausage?
SERVICE
Here is the rub. The manager is a hotel opener and it is very clear that they are working to get their act together, but the attention to detail is very weak.
ROOMS - we never had turn down service once; our companions had half hearted turn downs. We had one bottle of water each that was NEVER replaced. As well, our nespresso pods were not
replaced, nor was water ever put into the machine for us. The uneaten welcome fruit was left to smell up the room our entire stay. There was not one plastic bag, a must in beach locations for taking
wet clothing home.
Our companions had a large leak in their room and had to be moved. While it did no damage, it is a nuisance to be moved and they received absolutely nothing for this, including any sort of apology.
Finally, and this is a minor thing, but fit in well with the weekend: none of our keys worked and had to be replaced upon arrival.
TAXI
Transport proved the bane of our stay….we paid $50 for pre-reserved transfers and would have been far better off just grabbing a cab at the airport and calling on departure day, because we were paying almost
double for nothing. When we arrived, there was no sign for us so we had to find someone who could help, which took 10 minutes. We actually would have been at the hotel earlier and at half the price had
we just taken one of the waiting cabs. We then reserved a taxi for 11 AM for sightseeing and it didn’t come until nearly 11:50. We had asked for one who could tour us around for three hours, but this gentleman
could not. Rather than wait again, we took it and changed our plans. Finally, on departure day we confirmed three or four times our 10 AM departure and that didn’t happen either. The hotel admits that they
need to find a more reliable taxi provider, but it is frustrating to be paying an uncharge for transfers. So don’t!
CONCIERGE
Again, lovely people at the front desk, particularly Demi and Hannah who worked on booking and through our issues. Still, we had nothing but issues. We had a pre-booked private boat trip which should have been
easy to execute, but the details somehow got lost in the shuffle, including the location (!), so another 20 minutes was spent waiting for it to be worked out. Even printing out a boarding pass was not the simple thing
it should have been. Much of our trip, as you can surmise, was spent troubleshooting at the front desk.
The manager never seemed to want to actually tackle problems in real time - she’d ask and I’d start to talk and she would smile, say “great” and walk away. Only at check out did she engage at all in wanting to
know our feelings and, by then, it was too late. I did not ask for anything, but she did comp a taxi ($26 or so net to them and breakfast $50?). That’s not nothing, but we did pay $900/night for two rooms for a total
of five nights, so it was rather a rounding error. I don’t really care about getting something back - I’d always prefer a genuine apology and sense that our issues were understood. As well, guests being forced to
vacate a room due to a hotel issue should be given some courtesy or even an upgrade.
SPA/GYM - we didn’t use either. The gym looked very nice and we were not really aware of the spa until we stumbled on to it. There were no brochures about the spa services in our room, which would have
been a win/win for both the hotel and the guest.
All that said, some people might really like this hotel. I am still confused by the identify it is trying to create but if house music and a modern vibe is what one is looking for, it does have a lovely setting
and very nice rooms. Service has nowhere to go but up, and we would have had a much better opinion had our particular set of circumstances not arisen. It feels too claustrophobic for us to even reconsider going back but we are certainly not the target group.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser..._Bermuda.html#
We learned of the recently opened Loren at the old Pink Beach location and decided to give it a go. While there were some very strong positives, the weaknesses and overall vibe overwhelmed them, and it is off our list in the future. I have linked a detailed TA advisor below, but what we found:
-comfortable rooms and spectacular balconies, hanging over the beach. Very
nice views abound.
-an uncertain identity, with many nods to Las Vegas and Miami: cabanas (unused), house music in the background and attempts at pool parties, etc. Yet the pricing (our minimum room was $900 rack) and existence of a kids' club (did not seem to be functioning) says they aren't quite sure of which way to go.
-a very tight fit on the plot, giving guests few places to go. The library was always in use by the staff for meetings and the pool could be amazing (lots of chairs and comfort) but was occasionally taken over by loud, heaving drinking cigar smokers. This is always an issue with small hotels, as one group can totally dominate an experience.
-the weakness here is staff training. Pretty much getting anything
done was painful, and we had issues re: transportation, a pre-arranged tour
and not a very caring response to a leak in a room that required a move.
Restaurants had beautiful settings but service, particularly in the casual venue, was very slow.
-breakfast menu disappointing, with no oatmeal, yogurt, fruit or any basic light
options. They did, however, have lobster has and veal and broccoli rabe
sausage??
-no chairs on the beach. One of the reasons we selected this hotel was because of the beach - it isn't very large but it is beautiful. It is possible that
the seasonal arrival of Portuguese Man of War might be a reason, but my hunch is that chairs will not typically be there. The pool area is very nice, however, and, save for obnoxious guests, it serves the lounging tick mark well.
It must be noted that the staff was absolutely lovely - they wanted to do the right thing, but weren't trained properly to do it smoothly. For a weekend trip,
spending so much time hanging around the front desk as things were sorted out became exhausting.
I do expect that things will improve on the service front over time, so then the question will be whether the atmosphere of the hotel will suit. If they continue
down the Miami/Las Vegas cool vibe road, it might be work for younger people.
For us, the offerings felt too limited and spending too much time there would
become almost claustrophobic.
We joined another couple for a weekend at The Loren. I have always found Bermuda difficult in terms of hotel trade offs and this time, because we wanted to be on the beach, we decided to try the new Loren,
knowing that some early kinks might still be in place. We were right.
This is a hotel that has, in general, excellent hard product, but the service, while sweet, is generally no where close to where it needs to be for a hotel at this price point. As well, its identify is unclear -
it feels like a hotel that wants to set off a Miami/Las Vegas vibe, but then again, it has a kids club. We are definitely not looking for that, so we will pass on the house music blasting and, sometimes,
cigar smokers around the pool in the future.
As well, the hotel is “tight”, with few places to go, so I’d would not enjoy an extended stay here. This will be a long review, as it might benefit people who know nothing of this new offering.
SETTING/BEACH/POOL
This hotel is located on the old Pink Beach property. They really built it out to the max, so there seems to be no “air” around the hotel. The beach is not particularly long, but it is very pretty.
However, there were no beach chairs on the beach during our stay and my hunch is there rarely are. It could be the (seasonal?) arrival of Portuguese Man of War, which washed up every
morning and probably should have been picked up by the staff earlier than they were. We saw dozens. As such, while a few people went into the water, it did not seem safe to us. We did, however,
enjoy short walks on it.
There are two pools, one very small and one much larger. There were plentiful lounge chairs that were comfortable and 4 cabanas. The cabanas seemed a poorly executed nod to Las Vegas and we never saw
one person use them. The pool area can be fabulous or irritating, depending on who else is there. We had some glorious hours there and terrible ones, when a number of cigar smoking, drinking guests
simply took over. That is always a problem at a small hotel - one group can dominate and dramatically impact one’s experience.
There were no great areas to hang out in poor weather. The “library” was always in use by staff members for their meetings, so one felt awkward even walking in to grab a nespresso.
ROOMS
We were in rooms on the arrival floor, paying full boat at $900. They were large, well fitted and comfortable. The website photos are quite accurate. However, the thermostat situation wasn’t ideal - we couldn’t get our room warmed up
without going to the front desk as they seemed to control it, despite the thermostat. As well, there is some kind of air flow situation that causes the bathroom mirror to fog up regularly. There was a nespresso
maker, one bottle of water per guest (never replenished) and Malin & Goetz amenities. The balcony of these rooms is spectacular, one of the best we have seen. It is large, with a full size sofa and two chairs,
protected from the elements so it’s possible to be outside on hot or rainy days. The views are also very special, perched right above the water.
RESTAURANTS
They were fine for us for a short stay, but we would have been bored to tears if we had to depend on these for more than a few days. The settings on the water were lovely and the staff was very
sweet. However, the service in the casual venue was painfully slow. As well, the breakfast menu is very weak - they have no oatmeal, fruit or yogurt, but they do have lobster hash and veal and broccoli rabe sausage?
SERVICE
Here is the rub. The manager is a hotel opener and it is very clear that they are working to get their act together, but the attention to detail is very weak.
ROOMS - we never had turn down service once; our companions had half hearted turn downs. We had one bottle of water each that was NEVER replaced. As well, our nespresso pods were not
replaced, nor was water ever put into the machine for us. The uneaten welcome fruit was left to smell up the room our entire stay. There was not one plastic bag, a must in beach locations for taking
wet clothing home.
Our companions had a large leak in their room and had to be moved. While it did no damage, it is a nuisance to be moved and they received absolutely nothing for this, including any sort of apology.
Finally, and this is a minor thing, but fit in well with the weekend: none of our keys worked and had to be replaced upon arrival.
TAXI
Transport proved the bane of our stay….we paid $50 for pre-reserved transfers and would have been far better off just grabbing a cab at the airport and calling on departure day, because we were paying almost
double for nothing. When we arrived, there was no sign for us so we had to find someone who could help, which took 10 minutes. We actually would have been at the hotel earlier and at half the price had
we just taken one of the waiting cabs. We then reserved a taxi for 11 AM for sightseeing and it didn’t come until nearly 11:50. We had asked for one who could tour us around for three hours, but this gentleman
could not. Rather than wait again, we took it and changed our plans. Finally, on departure day we confirmed three or four times our 10 AM departure and that didn’t happen either. The hotel admits that they
need to find a more reliable taxi provider, but it is frustrating to be paying an uncharge for transfers. So don’t!
CONCIERGE
Again, lovely people at the front desk, particularly Demi and Hannah who worked on booking and through our issues. Still, we had nothing but issues. We had a pre-booked private boat trip which should have been
easy to execute, but the details somehow got lost in the shuffle, including the location (!), so another 20 minutes was spent waiting for it to be worked out. Even printing out a boarding pass was not the simple thing
it should have been. Much of our trip, as you can surmise, was spent troubleshooting at the front desk.
The manager never seemed to want to actually tackle problems in real time - she’d ask and I’d start to talk and she would smile, say “great” and walk away. Only at check out did she engage at all in wanting to
know our feelings and, by then, it was too late. I did not ask for anything, but she did comp a taxi ($26 or so net to them and breakfast $50?). That’s not nothing, but we did pay $900/night for two rooms for a total
of five nights, so it was rather a rounding error. I don’t really care about getting something back - I’d always prefer a genuine apology and sense that our issues were understood. As well, guests being forced to
vacate a room due to a hotel issue should be given some courtesy or even an upgrade.
SPA/GYM - we didn’t use either. The gym looked very nice and we were not really aware of the spa until we stumbled on to it. There were no brochures about the spa services in our room, which would have
been a win/win for both the hotel and the guest.
All that said, some people might really like this hotel. I am still confused by the identify it is trying to create but if house music and a modern vibe is what one is looking for, it does have a lovely setting
and very nice rooms. Service has nowhere to go but up, and we would have had a much better opinion had our particular set of circumstances not arisen. It feels too claustrophobic for us to even reconsider going back but we are certainly not the target group.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser..._Bermuda.html#
Jun 13, 2017, 6:38 am
#2
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,151
Thanks for the detailed review!
When I first saw this hotel, I was intrigued by the beautiful views, but I'm glad we didn't bite.
Their website reads like it was written by a Generic Luxury Branding Copy Generator(TM).
Your notes on both ambience and management seem to be echoed by a number of the TA reviews ("Miami in Bermuda!", "Management a mess") and reflect exactly the kind of places that I try to avoid.
Like you said, it seems like it could be a good fit for the right person, but I appreciate you taking the time to post this, because it makes it clear that the right person isn't me.
When I first saw this hotel, I was intrigued by the beautiful views, but I'm glad we didn't bite.
Their website reads like it was written by a Generic Luxury Branding Copy Generator(TM).
Your notes on both ambience and management seem to be echoed by a number of the TA reviews ("Miami in Bermuda!", "Management a mess") and reflect exactly the kind of places that I try to avoid.
Like you said, it seems like it could be a good fit for the right person, but I appreciate you taking the time to post this, because it makes it clear that the right person isn't me.
Sep 1, 2017, 8:07 pm
#3
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Toronto
Posts: 426
I stayed at the Loren recently.
-The rooms are amazing. Brand new, huge, and with large, furnished patios that have unobstructed sea views. The bathrooms are very large and luxurious as well.
-The beach sucks. It is tiny and the water is rough. Bermuda is blessed with dozens of beautiful beaches, but you'll have to take taxis if you want to swim in them. Taxi rides to some of the more popular beaches are about 35 - 45 minutes away.
-There are two restaurants, and both have beautiful views, but the menus are rather small. The fine dining one is not open every day, and the other one has the same menu, both for lunch and dinner, day in and day out. If you're staying there for more than a few days, you're going to get really sick of the food.
-The pool has a great view and a nice scene, but I find it too small. It's more of a wading pool than anything.
-Service is top notch. Everyone is very friendly and I didn't encounter any service issues during my stay.
Bermuda as a whole is a lovely country with lovely people, except for the taxi drivers. They operate a duopoly and the taxi system makes no sense to me. You never know when your cab will arrive (many times, "maybe 5 minutes" would end up being 45 minutes) and the cab drivers are generally pretty surly. The one suggestion I would make is for the hotel to have their own house car.
The Loren is expensive (I paid $1300 per room per night) but so is the rest of Bermuda.
The only other hotel in Bermuda I would consider would be the Rosewood. Don't bother with the Fairmonts.
-The rooms are amazing. Brand new, huge, and with large, furnished patios that have unobstructed sea views. The bathrooms are very large and luxurious as well.
-The beach sucks. It is tiny and the water is rough. Bermuda is blessed with dozens of beautiful beaches, but you'll have to take taxis if you want to swim in them. Taxi rides to some of the more popular beaches are about 35 - 45 minutes away.
-There are two restaurants, and both have beautiful views, but the menus are rather small. The fine dining one is not open every day, and the other one has the same menu, both for lunch and dinner, day in and day out. If you're staying there for more than a few days, you're going to get really sick of the food.
-The pool has a great view and a nice scene, but I find it too small. It's more of a wading pool than anything.
-Service is top notch. Everyone is very friendly and I didn't encounter any service issues during my stay.
Bermuda as a whole is a lovely country with lovely people, except for the taxi drivers. They operate a duopoly and the taxi system makes no sense to me. You never know when your cab will arrive (many times, "maybe 5 minutes" would end up being 45 minutes) and the cab drivers are generally pretty surly. The one suggestion I would make is for the hotel to have their own house car.
The Loren is expensive (I paid $1300 per room per night) but so is the rest of Bermuda.
The only other hotel in Bermuda I would consider would be the Rosewood. Don't bother with the Fairmonts.