Westin Siray Bay, Phuket, Thailand (Rebranding to an RC in 2025)[Master Thread]
May 30, 2014, 9:46 pm
#227
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP (OWE), VA PLAT, EY GLD, SPG PLAT, Hyatt DIA, Hilton DIA, Hertz PC
Posts: 8,522
I suspect it's this http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUs...ECK_RATES_CONT
Paying for the local taxi mafia = rape? Hmmm.
Why not use the hotel cars?
Paying for the local taxi mafia = rape? Hmmm.
Why not use the hotel cars?
May 30, 2014, 10:39 pm
#228
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Liftime Titanium Elite Marriott
Posts: 1,752
I will post my comments from Spg.com once it shows up on the page. I mean as a lifetime plat this really was a miss. I can really only blame management. I mean a buffet breakfast in a tropical environment where the full extent of the fruit selection consists of green grapes, purple grapes and papaya. Many of the food items were either raw or overcooked. Including soggy bacon, soaked fried noodles, raw breakfast potatoes, raw fried tomatoes. I would fire the F&B manager on the spot. How can this be remotely acceptable at any property?
May 31, 2014, 11:37 pm
#229
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Liftime Titanium Elite Marriott
Posts: 1,752
This was my spg.com review. Harsh but IMHO warranted:
Downhill. Never again
May 29, 2014
I am a lifetime plat and have stayed at resorts worldwide. I usually stay once and only return if I am super impressed. This was my Second stay. First stay a year ago was amazing. Second stay right now is bad. Two major pet peeves. Inconsistent housekeeping and a terrible breakfast.
This morning I went to the front desk to check my charges. I told the guy three times the breakfast needs work. He completely ignored me. We are in phuket and this morning we had a fruit choice of grapes and papaya. c'mon son. After our first day we went to the supermarket to buy fruits and instant noodles. As a frequent traveller that is a last resort desperate measure.Breakfast potatoes and roasted tomatoes were raw. It was saw bad we came back to our room to eat mama noodles. That says a lot.
he spa is massively overpriced. When I get handed twice during a five day stay a 40% discount card. Ummmm maybe lower your prices?
This resort is off the beaten track and is great for those who want to getaway. It is beautiful and the rooms are in good shape. The wifi is fast and consistent. The upkeep of the property is top notch. Lots of beautiful fruit trees but sadly the fruit never makes it to the table.
I
suggest anyone coming to this region to check out all the comments of other guest experiences before booking. Management at this property needs to wake up. Literally
Downhill. Never again
May 29, 2014
I am a lifetime plat and have stayed at resorts worldwide. I usually stay once and only return if I am super impressed. This was my Second stay. First stay a year ago was amazing. Second stay right now is bad. Two major pet peeves. Inconsistent housekeeping and a terrible breakfast.
This morning I went to the front desk to check my charges. I told the guy three times the breakfast needs work. He completely ignored me. We are in phuket and this morning we had a fruit choice of grapes and papaya. c'mon son. After our first day we went to the supermarket to buy fruits and instant noodles. As a frequent traveller that is a last resort desperate measure.Breakfast potatoes and roasted tomatoes were raw. It was saw bad we came back to our room to eat mama noodles. That says a lot.
he spa is massively overpriced. When I get handed twice during a five day stay a 40% discount card. Ummmm maybe lower your prices?
This resort is off the beaten track and is great for those who want to getaway. It is beautiful and the rooms are in good shape. The wifi is fast and consistent. The upkeep of the property is top notch. Lots of beautiful fruit trees but sadly the fruit never makes it to the table.
I
suggest anyone coming to this region to check out all the comments of other guest experiences before booking. Management at this property needs to wake up. Literally
May 31, 2014, 11:43 pm
#230
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP (OWE), VA PLAT, EY GLD, SPG PLAT, Hyatt DIA, Hilton DIA, Hertz PC
Posts: 8,522
I'm confused. There are chefs who cook eggs to order, also Asian dim sum and noodles.
Another chef prepares crepes, pancakes etc. to order.
Did you arrive at breakfast after they had closed? The entire back of the restaurant is a wall of fresh fruit and cheese options. They also have pastries, cereals, and loads of yoghurts.
Sorry, but this doesn't make any sense.
Another chef prepares crepes, pancakes etc. to order.
Did you arrive at breakfast after they had closed? The entire back of the restaurant is a wall of fresh fruit and cheese options. They also have pastries, cereals, and loads of yoghurts.
Sorry, but this doesn't make any sense.
Jun 1, 2014, 2:51 am
#231
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Liftime Titanium Elite Marriott
Posts: 1,752
Yes it doesn't make sense. The Asian chef makes soup noodles. The fried noodles were in a container already prepared. Sadly, it was soggy wet slop. The fruits were at the back of the restaurant. In total they had three trays one of green grapes, one of purple grapes and one plate of papaya. We arrived at 7am well into breakfast. The saddest part of all is when I complained about this to the front desk person, they completely ignored me. I said it three times and nothing. It was like talking to a tree.
Jun 1, 2014, 2:54 am
#232
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP (OWE), VA PLAT, EY GLD, SPG PLAT, Hyatt DIA, Hilton DIA, Hertz PC
Posts: 8,522
Why didn't you ask the F&B Manager or the Duty Manager?
We have visited this resort several years in a row and have seen the property decline, but in our experience the breakfast has remained the same.
We have visited this resort several years in a row and have seen the property decline, but in our experience the breakfast has remained the same.
Aug 11, 2014, 12:17 pm
#233
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: HHonorsGold, MarriottPlat, BAEC Gold, FlyingBlue Silver
Posts: 111
Anyone tried to use SNAs here? Have a 5-night booking on points and sufficient SNAs in my account, but can't seem to request them on this booking. Anyone had similar issues?
Aug 11, 2014, 12:25 pm
#234
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
If not, send us your SPG account number and we'll be glad to look into it further.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Aug 21, 2014, 2:44 pm
#235
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Marriott Titanium, National EE
Posts: 538
Understand the beach at this property isn't the best but are there nicer beaches within short driving distance? Will be staying in Phuket for a few days and while we definitive will spend some time enjoying the beach, we probably will be primary doing other things.
Aug 25, 2014, 8:01 am
#236
formerly known as 2lovelife
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: ORF : UA_Premier_Gold4Life, Bonvoy_titanium, Accor_Plat
Posts: 6,952
One of the nicest beaches is Nai Harn on the south west side of the island. That will be a 45 minute drive. Not a big deal really. There's another half dozen beaches, but mostly on the west side.
As for the hotel, I'm a beach viewer, not a beach swimmer. In this case the hotel's beach is just fine for that. Sit in a lounger and grab some sun while overlooking the ocean. It's set up perfect for sunset too, IIRC. Then when it's time to swim in the ocean... make a morning or afternoon trip of the west coast and you're all set.
Oct 13, 2014, 7:03 am
#237
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Sydney, Australia
Programs: QF Plat, HH Diamond, IHG Platinum, JAL JGC Sapphire
Posts: 42
Disappointing stay, hotel needs a complete change in management
Stayed as an SPG gold member. On an overall level, while the hotel provides for stunning view and nice facilities in general, the service was just appalling and absolutely do not stand up to the standards of a Westin.
Room - Booked a 2 bed-room villa, with a private plunge pool and roof top terrace. Room was well appointed but upon entering the bathroom I was shocked to find that the bath tub was extremely dirty. Water turned yellow when I filled up the bath tub and it was appalling - I had to release the water, scrub the tub before being able to use it - this is terrible for a 5 star hotel.
Service - Upon arrival to the hotel, all the staff were interested to do, other than getting me into the room, was to sell me to sign up to the breakfast package. The staff were extremely aggressive to selling the package and it made me felt uncomfortable (appears to the a common theme from other reports that I have read about this hotel online). Not a great first impression while arriving into the hotel. Hotel staff also all have very different information - tried to enquire for water sports activity at the beach and was told that it would be suitable for us to utilise the facilities at 2:30pm, but when we returned at 2:30pm the new shift denied that the facilities to be available and they appear to be giving different information depending on who you ask.
As this trip was to celebrate my mother's birthday, I have arranged for a birthday cake to be prepared and sent to my room for my mother - specifically the e-mail request stated that it was for my mother and was confirmed by the hotel. On the first day of arrival the staff brought over the cake - only for us to discover that the cake had my name written over it - not to mention that it came wrapped in plastic and looked extremely unappealing. While it did not spoil the celebration, it was obvious that the hotel lacked attention to detail and desire of service.
Privacy - One of the reasons why I decided to book the stay at the 2 bedroom villa is for the privacy which the hotel advertises. However the understanding of privacy seem to be lacking for the staff. The villas have windows and pool facing the ocean and guests are supposed to be able to enjoy privacy at the villa without people wondering around the villa. Whilst we were enjoying the pool on the first day, a staff member came across to approach us in front of the pool to deliver the birthday cake. For the hotel that boosts its privacy for a premium room type this was just completely NOT acceptable.
Location - Hotel is approximately an hour away from Phuket International Airport, 10-15 minutes drive from Phuket Town and 45 minutes drive from Patong town, with no shops or convenience stores within the vicinity of the hotel. Hotel only provides very limited number of shuttle bus services (at a fee). It may sometimes be easier to get a taxi back to the hotel after heading out.
Food and beverage - for a hotel that is situated away from town, the food and beverage options are relatively limited with quality of food average at best. Cleanliness at the breakfast buffet was terrible, where all the food remains on the bottom of my table not being cleaned up prior to us being seated. A number of outlets seem to be closed during the stay, not sure if this was due to low season.
Overall the stay was less enjoyable in comparison to the price paid. Compared with my previous visits to Phuket this stay was relatively pricey with really poor service level. Not recommended for future stays.
Room - Booked a 2 bed-room villa, with a private plunge pool and roof top terrace. Room was well appointed but upon entering the bathroom I was shocked to find that the bath tub was extremely dirty. Water turned yellow when I filled up the bath tub and it was appalling - I had to release the water, scrub the tub before being able to use it - this is terrible for a 5 star hotel.
Service - Upon arrival to the hotel, all the staff were interested to do, other than getting me into the room, was to sell me to sign up to the breakfast package. The staff were extremely aggressive to selling the package and it made me felt uncomfortable (appears to the a common theme from other reports that I have read about this hotel online). Not a great first impression while arriving into the hotel. Hotel staff also all have very different information - tried to enquire for water sports activity at the beach and was told that it would be suitable for us to utilise the facilities at 2:30pm, but when we returned at 2:30pm the new shift denied that the facilities to be available and they appear to be giving different information depending on who you ask.
As this trip was to celebrate my mother's birthday, I have arranged for a birthday cake to be prepared and sent to my room for my mother - specifically the e-mail request stated that it was for my mother and was confirmed by the hotel. On the first day of arrival the staff brought over the cake - only for us to discover that the cake had my name written over it - not to mention that it came wrapped in plastic and looked extremely unappealing. While it did not spoil the celebration, it was obvious that the hotel lacked attention to detail and desire of service.
Privacy - One of the reasons why I decided to book the stay at the 2 bedroom villa is for the privacy which the hotel advertises. However the understanding of privacy seem to be lacking for the staff. The villas have windows and pool facing the ocean and guests are supposed to be able to enjoy privacy at the villa without people wondering around the villa. Whilst we were enjoying the pool on the first day, a staff member came across to approach us in front of the pool to deliver the birthday cake. For the hotel that boosts its privacy for a premium room type this was just completely NOT acceptable.
Location - Hotel is approximately an hour away from Phuket International Airport, 10-15 minutes drive from Phuket Town and 45 minutes drive from Patong town, with no shops or convenience stores within the vicinity of the hotel. Hotel only provides very limited number of shuttle bus services (at a fee). It may sometimes be easier to get a taxi back to the hotel after heading out.
Food and beverage - for a hotel that is situated away from town, the food and beverage options are relatively limited with quality of food average at best. Cleanliness at the breakfast buffet was terrible, where all the food remains on the bottom of my table not being cleaned up prior to us being seated. A number of outlets seem to be closed during the stay, not sure if this was due to low season.
Overall the stay was less enjoyable in comparison to the price paid. Compared with my previous visits to Phuket this stay was relatively pricey with really poor service level. Not recommended for future stays.
Mar 3, 2015, 7:26 am
#239
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: SE Asia
Posts: 1,274
OK what are the chances PLT will get an upgrade to a room with a splash pool? I looked at using my SNA but only two suites were offered none of which offered a pool.
I'm still undecided on LM or even the Hyatt but got the westin on a BRG sub $100 for a 4 day weekend in May. I got Hyatt for 110 but can't use any DSU's.
Submitted a BRG for LM which should result in a rate of low 100.
Of note I will be staying with kids and need connecting rooms.
Mohamed- like to get your take since I would venture to guess you have stayed at SPG and Hyatt properties as DIA and PLT.
I'm still undecided on LM or even the Hyatt but got the westin on a BRG sub $100 for a 4 day weekend in May. I got Hyatt for 110 but can't use any DSU's.
Submitted a BRG for LM which should result in a rate of low 100.
Of note I will be staying with kids and need connecting rooms.
Mohamed- like to get your take since I would venture to guess you have stayed at SPG and Hyatt properties as DIA and PLT.
Mar 3, 2015, 7:58 am
#240
formerly known as 2lovelife
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: ORF : UA_Premier_Gold4Life, Bonvoy_titanium, Accor_Plat
Posts: 6,952
We stayed here recently, got a Platinum upgrade, but not with a pool.
The room was great. The view awesome. Didn't need the pool. But, I wouldn't wait on the Suite Upgrades if you wanted one...
The room was great. The view awesome. Didn't need the pool. But, I wouldn't wait on the Suite Upgrades if you wanted one...