Wrapping up put three night stay at The Tasman.

I boked a Heritage Suite via my TA on Mariott STARS. Average room rate was $1,200 a night as was willing to splurge for a special occasion. We didn't get an upgrade and I didn't expect one as the hotel was 100% occupied and I was happy with the room I booked.

I’m really conflicted about how I feel.

Service

A month prior to arrival I asked the Chief Concierge, who they promote heavily as a Clefs d’Or, for restaurant recommondations specifically stating we don't really eat Seafood and one of us has a Crustacea allergy. I receieved a copy and paste list, saying they might do exceptions... except most of them have set menus and clearly state they only do vegan or normal.

I ended up choosing the restaurants myself and asking them to do the booking. Upon confirming the reservations via text I found that they also failed to tell a restaurant it was a milestone birthday and the restaurant confirmed they have many issues with the hotel's bookings. The hotel respodned saying they notify restuarants on the day, but I believe this was just to save face.

It wasn't a great start.

Apart from that, all of the staff we encountered (and I didn't see the Chief Concerige once, perhaps he's hiding from us) have been delightful. To be fair, I asked for some balloons to be delivered within 1.5 hours while we were out and they did, so points for that.

Room

I did OLCI and my TA specifically requested: A quiet suite, not overlooking the restaurant and with a good view. The first room we were allocated was directly overlooking the restaurant and we could hear furniture being dragged all night until 1AM and then again from 6AM. We could also hear people through the vents. I was furious. I had to take sleeping tablets just to get through the night.

I rang the next morning and asked what was above us and they said the bar is immediately below. As it turned out, the sound were bar stools being cosntantly moved which resnoates through the old sandstone. My TA called the GM and they found a suite one floor up after initially saying they were sold out.

The hotel, however is quite beautiful. It's steeped in history with three historic buildings and two new modern glass wings that have Water views. Oddly enough our suite could actually be described as partial water view.

The first suite was much bigger with a huge hallway and bathroom running the length of the room, but the second room was good. The main thing was it was quiet.

There is no door between the bedroom and living room, but everything is of a high quality and done in Australiana style. One irritation is the digital controls never worked properly. The first room's fireplace wouldn't turn on and in the second room several of the buttons are inoperable.

Dining

The food is all extremely high quality, locally sourced and organic. Breakfast is wonderful with an a la carte menu. The welcome amenity of Champagne is a decent bottle, though when we asked for it to be iced on the second day as we didn't open it that night, they just put it in an empty bucket.

We went to the bar and had cocktails last night which were great. Having eaten so much fancy food we craved a good Burger and the bartender initally said it's only on room service, but I suspect given we boked via STARS and the original issues, they made it happen. So they can and do go above and beyond.

Overall

Overall, unsure how to feel.

It wasn't a cheap stay, but had the two intial failures not happened, it would have been really good.

So, in short, it seems the Concierge and Rooms Division Manager failed at simple requests that had a negative start, yet all of the other staff are friendly and welcoming.

The only comperable rooms were MONA Pavillions or the top suite at the Crown Plaza, but this does feel far more lux.

Following a less than satisfactory stay in November and in much part thanks to my incredible TA @sojournsOf we returned to The Tasman on a fully comped stay in the Pavillion Suite.

We were offered breakfast, complimentary parking and airport transfers if required.

We had flown into Launceston and spent a few days at a highly underrated boutique hotel, The Verge, before taking the 2.5 hour scenic drive and stopping at some of Australia's oldest towns and settlements along the way.

Check In

We arrived at the hotel at 2:30PM and immediately met by Bell Desk staff who took the car and escorted us to check in. We were immediately served and offered local Sparkling Wine with a sit down check in.

While we were checked in the GM came to meet us. He apologised for the last stay, said he had made changes across many departments and was looking forward to hearing our feedback at the end of the stay. I was very impressed with his genuine nature and we spoke for a good 30 mins before being escorted to our room by the Guest Relations Manager.

Room

There are two Pavillion Suites, only second to the Aurora Suite and as soon as the door opened our mouths dropped. Located in the Pavillion Wing, these three suites are at the very front of the hotel with views of the water. It reminded me of the Bow Suites at the Hilton AKL.

Every aspect of the room's design elements, like the hotel, are locally sourced including Huon Pine. The room opens up into a large triangular shape bar area, dining area for six, sitting area and a little alcove at the very point where you can sit and watch the ships come and go.

Clearly, the room is intended for guests who wish to make use of it and there were at least twelve different types of glassware at the bar for use.

There was a half guest bathroom near the entrance and a full bathroom with double sinks, a bathtub beyond the bedroom.

We knew the room would be special and it certainly felt very luxurious. As we had spent a lot of time exploring sights and towns outside Hobart when we were in the room we rarely left.

The room is bathed in light with floor to ceiling windows which makes the glass Pavillion rooms and suites much more attractive than the Heritage rooms. It does, however mean that people outside can equally see in and there is little privacy without the sheer or blackout curtains.

One negative was that the windows did not appear to be soundproofed. We could hear conversations outside on the street in the living and bedroom. It may not be as much of an issue on levels two and three, however if I was paying the full $4k rate I would have asked to move to the high level. I am a light sleeper and managed to sleep through it. Perhaps because it was a stay during weekdays. The area is very busy as people walk to and from the waterfront.

The room next door, while not connecting, can be closed off with an exterior door with Pavillion Suite written on it closing off the corridor to both rooms. I imagine this would be useful for families so you could close the exterior door, but have booth room doors open at the same time.

Service

I primarily communicated with the hotel via Bonvoy chat and drinking ice, extra drinks and cocktails from the mini bar were delivered promptly.

I suspect all of the staff were prebriefed and knew exactly who we were. There are lots of young staff who are friendly and eager while maintaining a professional manner.

One slightly odd interaction was when a staff member referred to me by name, having not met them before, and also referring to my partner by name. I know it's a small issue, but the key to true luxury is not letting the guest know that you already know who they are and probably have a photo out the back. The proper method is to introduce onself rather than simply tell a guest that you know who they are. Again, a minor negative.

Dining

I won't review dinign extensively other than to say just like on our last stay, and is the norm in Hobart, the food is exceptional.

Breakfast was solid with staff remembering egg and coffee orders from the previous day and the hash brown rectangles are still the best I've ever had.

The mini bar does offer large bottels of locally sourced Vodka, Whiskey and Gin, however there were also premade Negronis, Espresso Martinisi, Margheritas and Mai Tais. These were delicious and we chose to drink these instead of hitting the bar.

The Beef Burger with Whiskey BBQ sauce remains our favourite burger to date. Tiramisu was divine and they have a local selection of ice creams which we ordered from room service.

Location

As before, the hotel's location makes it right across from the Piers and Salamanca Markets. While not on the water like Macq01 it means you are walking distance to much of Hobart. I would, however, always rent a car so you can explore further outside.

The hotel is beside Tasmanian Parliament and the attached office building appear to be State and Local Government offices.

We did have a hire care for part of the stay but not for our departure. The hotel has an Audi 4WD with LUX100 number plates which whisked us back to the airport in 20 mins.

Overall

Overall, the stay certainly impressed me. I can tell when a GM is genuinely interested or not and Stephen took all of our initial feedback on board and certainly delivered. Some mornings he would serving and clearing plates at breakfast showing that he leads by example. He also now plans to bring housekeeping in house which apparenly is uncommon within Mariott.

The hotel does have a uniquely Tasmanian feel, not just the heritage or history of the property but the design, food, beverage and most of all the staff who seem proud to work there.

The property was at 100% and yet it didn't feel busy and we certainly didn't have any delay in requests.

I realise this was an atypical stay and we were very highly managed, however I believe the previous service issues across departments have been overcome.

For those looking to visit, I would suggest the Pavillion rooms or Water view rooms over the Heritage section. It makes a significant difference with the view and natural light.

We probably won't return to Tasmania anytime soon, but if we do we will return to The Tasman.