makin'miles

...and as we suspected all along, the SNA issues came down to the hotel not understanding how to manage their inventory. A property can be forgiven for that, sure, but blaming others for this (Marriott, the guest) was too much.

MSPeconomist

IMO parts of the hotel itself, such as the pool (at least if we ignore the poles and wires) look nice, although I wouldn't call the rooms especially luxurious. However, the pictures of the parking lot and the general appearance of an unfinished building or construction zone IMO aren't acceptable for a hotel of this level or price point. I expect nicely landscaped grounds and attractive surroundings in a luxury resort. OTOH, when I've been in Greece, I have noticed the prevalence of apparently unfinished buildings that can appear in this state for years without any apparent progress toward completion while the dry climate and general soil conditions seem to preclude lush green gardens in many places.

VickiSoCal

Yes. I have said this a couple of times, but if you go to Santa Marina, you can walk from your room, to the beach, or to pick up your car through nicely landscaped pedestrian paths. I do not expect to worry about whether the rental car will bottom out or get a flat in the dirt parking lot, or step over muddy rivulets in the dirt road while going to the beach at a "Luxury Beach Resort" that charges what they do. Fundamentally while you can certainly enjoy a stay there, they are not delivering what their website says they are.

ncSam

IIRC, lucky used a mix of points and cash bookings, 2 nights points and 2 cash. The hotel is normally 50k points per night.

ncSam

On this fantastic recommendation, we had dinner at L'aragosta this evening. We don't have a rental car, so we walked the 2km both ways, which wasn't too bad (the island is pretty empty, so traffic is light).

The food and service were outstanding, making this our favorite meal in Greece by far. The views were great and the prices were reasonable considering the quality and location. We had a bottle of recommended wine, an app, two smaller mains, and two deserts (one being the spectacular Nutella and mascarpone calzone that was highly recommended), and our total was about €100. Though we were the only table for our ~2 hr dinner, the restaurant was set beautifully and the food was incredibly fresh, homemade, and better than many meals we've had in Italy. IMO, when staying at the Aegon, visiting this restaurant is a must, as it adds to the value proposition of staying on this side of the island.

WasKnown

@Kacee How is the hotel issuing an apology a response from Marriott corporate? Lol that’s a stretch. A response from Marriott corporate would come from corporate lol

Again, hotel guests are not the customer of Marriott, Hilton, or even Hyatt.

Edit: And anyway, I think we all agreed that a statement from Marriott corporate was likely (but still hasn’t occurred) but no meaningful action would result. Where is the meaningful change here? Marriott only cares about guests insofar as they fuel the Marriott marketing machine. Nothing else matters. People are really overestimating the relevance of this very niche community.

What is Marriott’s metric for financial success that their IR team and contracted placement agents push to institutional investors? Top line rev? Unique guests welcomed each year? No, it’s number of rooms (not properties) in pipeline. Why rooms? Take a look at Marriott’s franchise fee structure for any flag. I think that speaks for itself. When the situation comes where the interests of a guest and hotel are in direct opposition with one another, Marriott will always side with the hotel. The guest only matters when these interests are aligned.

makin'miles

Vicki: one quick question... I saw earlier reports that the Aegon didn't accept Amex - odd, as they issue Marriott-branded cards. Do you happen to know if that's changed?

DELee

Did you let them know that the couple from California sent you?

David

UA-NYC

As a long time blogger who has integrity and hasn’t sold out a la TPG, Ben has engendered trust and has developed a very loyal following. Has likely made himself fairly well off as a result.

Trying to get back a few hundred bucks worth of diminished Marriott points isn’t his goal. Pretty clueless to suggest otherwise.

VickiSoCal

I did not but I would email them if you are planning to. We used points and Chase Marriot Visa for room charges.

ncSam

Yep, sure did! They were appreciative of the referral.

We are also using a Chase card, but heard something interesting about Amex here in Greece. One of the restaurants told us that most (or all?) restaurants are required to take major credit cards aside from Amex, since Amex doesn't have a similar deal with the government. This was the first time I had heard of this regulation, so I don't know the full story of this or whether it applies to hotels too. Either way, I found it interesting, but couldn't validate through Googling.

yhlao11

By the by, I may be late in the game but has anyone noticed that the google and TA reviews for the past two weeks have all been deleted?

VickiSoCal

FYI the manager of this hotel reached out to me by email and we have had a good exchange. I let him know that we were not seeking any compensation and he has acknowledged the failures on their part with regards to our stay. In my opinion he is chalking a little too much up to new opening/growing pains, but he seems to be making a sincere effort to rectify the problems.

PETERPNYC

I have been coming to MYKNOS since 1972.

Most regular Greeks can’t afford to come to Mykonos. It is something extraordinary that most people under 50 years old would love
to see once in their lives . And people in their 80 stil love it .

I am presently here after avoiding my wife’s requests for the last 10 years .

it’s a little too lively for me but to experience the
MYKONOS VIBE is something one should do IMO,

Nothing ordinary Greek about the Island , it was the Playground for wealthy Greek, Arabs and Wealthy Americans years ago and was the most accepting Island of do your own thing , before it was fashionable or even LEGAL !!

On any given day , you can see multiple 150 million plus yachts in the Harbour .

I am here at the Aegon Hotel and I have received a Double Upgrade to a Suite with a Pool.

As a new hotel it has its share of problems ,the AC is not perfect, have to hand over control to maintenance and request change of temperature when I want . Not a big Deal.

They had a priest here to Commemorate the opening of the Hotel and all the staff received blessings .

Greece is still a Religious Country, hypocritical or not !

I have made friends with PAVLOS GM , Lucy , KOSTAS , SILIA , Theodore , NICKOS and a few more I can’t remember .

The hotel has growing pains , and has endured
Bureaucratic problems with their beach club plans.

After spending $1,000 yesterday at Panormos beach for 4 chairs,three snacks and a light dinner, you have to remember this is MYKONOS .
And this is considered a moderate beach and restaurant.

There is a Heliport on the hill in view of the Hotel Pool and choppers Come and go all day .

When I saw the MARRIOT RATE FOR this space I thought it was nuts .

50 K gets you a RC in Yonkers NY for Gods Sake with out breakfast !

As my equitation instructor told me, anger and aggression ,will be met by anger and aggression !

PETERPNYC

WOW. Both Beautiful Islands but entirely
Different Animals .

Enjoy the Castle /Fortress