leeky

Dependent upon checkin availability, your MR status and potentially who you know at this property.

Breakfast is acceptable for a resort that offers no other options.

sammyindc

Contact them and ask for an upgrade ahead of time. The pool villa are really worth it.

Breakfast was great.

Tiojelly

Was staying at the Renaissance Phuket last week. Pleased as a plat for a villa upgrade, but also surprised to learn that breakfast is no longer included as a benefit. They did offer a 30% discount however. Looks like the JW/Ren have both reduced benefits for Plat/Gold members.

Still a great hotel with good service, but now we need to consider whether the added cost of breakfast in an area with not many other options is worth staying at the property.

MileageGoblin

Will be there in 2 weeks. It seemed when I booked a couple of months ago that all reservation options had breakfast included.

BTW, does this hotel do laundry by the kg/lb? Need to do laundry either here or in Bangkok (staying at REN), and don't want to pay $5 usd for a pair of underwear! Wife and I will have 7+ days of clothes to launder. I've heard there are plenty of places in BK for wash n' fold.

Tiojelly

I am not sure if they have an option for laundry by weight. For sure the per piece is standard in room per the laundry check list. If you are in BKK for enough time to drop at a local laundry it may be a better option as I do not recall any close laundry shops to the Ren on HKT.

If you are at the Renaissance longer perhaps you can make friends with someone staying at the Marriott Vacation villas and drop it in their machine ... or take a timeshare tour and make using a machine one of your "gifts".

Cachris69

I had breakfast included in my room rate, but it looks like it is no longer free for gold/platinum members. I asked the desk what the platinum perks where, and they said 30% off breakfast and 20% off buffet dinner. This is huge benefit to lose. Thankfully I found a LNF rate with breakfast so I booked it.

On a positive note; I was upgraded to the ocean front pool villa. Second time staying in this room, and it is awesome. I stayed in the ocean from pool villa at the Renaissance Phuket earlier this year, and I have to say I prefer the JW. The outside space is much bigger.

hungarianhc

Hi All,

I'm really upset. I stayed at the JW Khao Lak in December, and I loved it. I loved the platinum benefits like free breakfast and happy hour. In fact, I pitched my family on the resort based on that. I mean okay not fully based on that, but that was a big perk. My parents just checked in a few hours ago, and they were not happy to report to me back in the states that there is no free breakfast and there is no happy hour. ...? They booked the reservation back when those were assumed benefits, and I think it's really unfair for the resort to change benefits without a notification e-mail. UGH. Any advice here? Or should my lifetime platinum member father just take the downgrade in services and try to enjoy things?

Thanks

apodo77

Pretty simple and clear answer to me. They are in Thailand. Tell them to forget about it and enjoy themselves. Reduced benefits (while disappointing) is never going to ruin one of my vacations.

Maybe a quick chat with the manager expressing disappointment is in order (maybe they will make it right) but would move along quickly after that if nothing is offered.

hungarianhc

Thanks. Without your advice to tell them to enjoy their vacation, I don't think they ever would... Really good call!

I think they're having a chat with the manager, and they may get an exception on breakfast.

leeky

As a resort this property never had to offer comp breakfast to anyone.

Assumptions aside, this change was due to corporate policy not the properties choice.

If your father will only stay at a Thai resort that will continue to offer comp breakfast have him stay at the Pattaya Marriott.

elva

Nonsense.

soy

Very disappointing to see the slashing of plat/gold benefits at JW Khao Lak.

lhs323

And it doesn't really make sense to see a devaluation in benefits at Asian Marriott properties considering the terms and conditions explicitly allow for suite upgrades at Marriott properties in Asia. On the one hand Marriott is motioning toward greater expected benefits in Asia, yet some properties are taking breakfast away as a perk.

The double whammy of no free breakfast at resorts and at Courtyards is really untenable and uncompetitive with Marriott's competitors. Some will argue that Marriott doesn't have to be as generous because it's so much bigger than Hyatt and SPG, but I just don't get this...

MileageGoblin

Was in Phuket last week. Check-in confirmed that there was an Asian market policy change removing breakfast benefits for elites at Asian resorts. Didn't affect wife and I as my rate included breakfast (all the rates seemed to include breakfast when I booked).

As for the property. AMAZING property and service. Upgraded to Villa. Changed to Oceanfront villa + bottle of wine when A/C broke morning of second day. Breakfast buffet was top notch (get blue crab egg benedict). Solid spa. Only downside was the mosquitoes the first day and we somehow got terribly burnt being in the sun and pool only 15 minutes before 9am on second day. Your also terribly far (1 hour) from the elephants if you want to do that.

Wife and I took the tram to JW Marriott. Not impressed at all. Two companies had corporate outings there and the place didn't seem to have a pulse compared to REN. Seemed like your typical North American FS property = standardized JW design and service.

sim510

Has anyone stayed at both of these fine Phuket properties? I'd like to get opinions from those who would help me make up my mind. We are not time share owners, but have managed to stay at Phuket Beach Club and absolutely LOVED it, over the New Year period for the past couple of years. We like that it is next to the J W with options for restaurants/breakfast pastries, pools, etc, although we do walk over to the Turtle Village and the Anatara for other food choices as well. We also rent a car so can get around the island of Phuket as needed.

This year I am seeing availability using points at the Mai Khao Beach Resort for our dates, but no special deals on PBC are on the horizon. I have never taken the time to have a look at the MKBR property. I am assuming it is similar in furnishings to the PBC condo we are so pleased to call "home" for a week every Dec/Jan.

Would you suggest we try the MKBR property this time around? I like that it is close to Turtle Village. I'm not a big "beach" person so the extra walking time to get to the sand is no big deal. I really like the PBC's tropical grounds with all the palm trees and birds, etc, and LOVE spending time on my "secluded" balcony. Will I feel that way at MKBR? In the photos I don't see that tropical setting. Maybe I'm missing it.

What would you suggest? I guess I can wait it out, and maybe, just maybe, find a good deal on PBC, or I can go ahead and book the MKBR and give it a try. My fellow travellers are saying that the decision is mine to make!

Your opinions would be much appreciated. To book MKBR or NOT to book MKBR. That is the question.