Mozzarella

I've been here 5 times now and 4 of the 5 times I've been early only to find that my room wasn't ready yet. They took my particulars and stored my luggage and told me to enjoy the resort - but the room wasn't yet ready until mid-afternoon. The only challenge is without a room key you can't charge anything to a room.

That said, I'm normally here during a busy time (e.g. New Years) so it may well be an occupancy issue.

Last week I arrived in the evening so not an issue.

jsl_313

Thanks. If it comes down to having to use the lobby bathroom to change and go hang out on the beach for a couple of hours that's not a big deal. I'd just rather get in at 11am rather than 6pm so that I can enjoy an extra 1/2 day there.

RafKa

Correct - both cases were in June, so perhaps lower occupancy. In any case I definitely don't see why they wouldn't let you enjoy the pool/beach if no rooms are immediately available.

flying junkie

Was also a recent guest (checked out last weekend). Points stay, 5th night free, had to use points at the time of reservation to get a room in the RBC wing. Upon check-in, they specifically stated no further upgrades (to a suite) was available as the hotel was sold out anyways, but they did address it. Half a dozen macaroons in the room upon entering. The RBC breakfast was good/solid - couple of hot Mexican dishes (pork/beans/etc), usually some sort of potatoes, eggs, selection of cereals, pastries and breads, fruits, juices etc. It was enough to reasonably take my family there each morning for a week without complaint. Service very attentive and helpful. We never went to the RBC in the afternoons.

As for the one comment about the pools, frankly I think we liked the main pool better regardless. If anything, the weather was cooler than usual last week and the RBC pool is unheated, so very rarely was anyone in it. The main pool is heated though, so much more comfortable, and much more used, but never crowded. For poolside/beachside service, you might have trouble getting service the first time, but once they know you're interested in ordering something, service was good thereafter. I was glad they weren't bothering people that weren't interested in ordering.

The hotel is at the end of the strip, so you're not walking many places. KM 19.5 had great food, though the service was overwhelmed and very slow (people would walk out).

Literally the only real complaint I had was that the tope was too tall for our rental car (VW Jetta) and it was scraping bottom, so we wound up parking in the garage under the main lobby, which was a long walk to the room. I know they would have driven us to the room in a golf cart if we had asked though.

All in all, while this isn't a Westin I would get overly excited about, the service was very good, the points redemption was a great value (40,000 pts/room for 6 nights for RBC ocean front), and the construction seems nearly complete.

reubenfairbird

Review:
We stayed at this hotel on new years eve and knew it had just finished (or hoped they were finished) renovations. We spent extra points to upgrade our room to ocean front. We were extremely disappointed. This hotel doesn't come close to meeting SPG'S high standards. The outside renovation is beautiful with lots of stone but I don't think they touched the pool- very old style looking and doesn't go with the modern look of the outside. Beach was wonderful, though being east and with the height of the building you lose the sun very early. Food in the restaurant was very good and presentation was beautiful but service has no follow through. I had to go into the bar myself to get what I was waiting for. The real problem is on the inside. Hallway carpets are water stained and filthy. Our room had a yellow stained refrigerator inside. The housekeeper was nearby when we arrived so she tried to clean but was unable to. Drawers were difficult to open or didn't shut properly. Bulb was burnt out by entry door. The bathroom had most of the problems. Every seam in the bathroom had loads of white caulking, a bad patch job. Our faucet moved from side to side and was not attached to the counter. Toilet paper holder was broken. Hinges on the shower door was rusted and decaying looking. Our vanity mirror was also rusted. Bathroom door was damaged. The rest of the room looked fine- just old. The bed was "heavenly". Not everyone who works there is on the same page though- our bellman told us we could have 2 bottles of complementary water (with gold status) but housekeeping didn't want to give us another bottle but to her credit she did because she didn't want to disappoint me-I think she felt bad about the frig. We arrived in the afternoon and went to the beach, there were no towels available but so many used towels laying on all the chairs. At the end of the day we were able to get 2 clean ones and took them up to our room to ensure we would have towels for the next day. I tweeted SPG assist because of my disappointment with my room, towels, and to request late check out because I couldn't get the front desk to answer after numerous attempts. They reach out to hotel management. The manager contacted us in the lobby later that evening and apologized for the condition of our room and promised compensation in points refund. I couldn't understand how much but it didn't happen anyway. Will not return until inside is renovated.

ajamieson

Hmm, this is disappointing to hear as I have a reservation for March. Did you get an unrenovated room, or a badly-renovated room?

ILuvParis

Not a Starwood person here, so forgive me if I should have posted this elsewhere. (I see a promo thread that's closed.) I am the recipient of a promotion for this hotel from Starwood/AA. Four nights at the RBC for $269 total, including daily buffet breakfast, nightly cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and 5K bonus miles. Granted, we'll have to sit through up to two hours of a Westin Vacation Club promotion, but it seems like a decent deal as we're already planning a trip to the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen later in the year. We thought we would just tack this on. Thoughts?

RafKa

Sean Hanley

DO IT! The breakfast buffet is fantastic and if you make a panini sandwich to go you can enjoy it on the beach it is practically an all inclusive! A word of warning though, as someone who has gone to the time share presentation TWICE for the points, the second time we ended up "buying" a timeshare. I was very excited until I googled the resort and learned you can buy someone out of their timeshare for a fraction of the price. Luckily we were in the cancellation window period and cancelled the deal. Do your homework before you go to the presentation so you won't be tempted. It's a terrible deal: Sell Timeshare | Find Timeshare Sales & Rentals | SellMyTimeshareNOW

ILuvParis

Thanks for the responses.

We have a condo in HI.. No way we'll get roped into a time share.

mhdena

I got this Five day Four nights at the RBC for $269 total, including daily buffet breakfast, nightly cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and 5K bonus miles.

I am a Starwood person and will be Platinum in March. Will that get me upgraded?

I was in Cancun last June at the Hyatt Zilara and had a great time there. How comparable is this?

ILuvParis

Not according to the offer letter.

RafKa

It looks like they sneaked in some more renovations! Was supposed to be all done by March 2018, but now will go on till July 2nd. I have a booking for July 7th, so hopefully all done and dusted by then! Surely they'll want to finish ahead of 4th of July & summer vacations.


Guest Room Renovations Until end of March 2018
Until March 2018, 50 guest rooms are being converted into villas in Tower A of the main building. Guest should expect occasionally moderate noise level during the day from 8 AM till 8 PM. Please contact the resort for additional information.

Resort Renovations from April 9th till July 2nd
The resort will be undergoing renovation work in the following areas: Restaurant El Palmar and its surrounding triangular swimming pools as well as the Heavenly Spa and the Westin Workout. Construction areas will be fully surrounded by fencing. Work will occur from 8am to 8pm daily. Guests should expect moderate noise during this construction work. Please contact the resort for additional information.

tomasdev

I also got the 269 promo. Doubting whether to go or not. A lot of mixed reviews, happy people and angry people.
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steveholt

Here on the 269 promo now. Not sure if this is true for everyone, but my offer was the same (269, 5k points, free breakfast, etc) with no obligation to go see the Timeshare. Went to go see the concierge about getting points on Day 1 and was offered 20% off food and spa and 7.5k more points to go to a 90-minute presentation. Declined and was offered 10k points and said I would think about it. No intention of going for less than 30k.

Have been here before and I got more than I paid for, but not by much. Was given a room with two Queens instead of one King despite being a single traveler and requesting a King, and no availability to switch. No MAGC option in my room. Safe was broken, electrical outlet by the desk didn't work, and shower's cold water faucet did not have any water pressure. Took two calls and then 75 minutes in the room to fix.