Psychiatrist

Reason given to me: you’re a single traveller. They’re a couple. So they get to go first.

5DMarkIIguy

Wow, what a complete change of tune. Hope they will do the right thing in the end, but this is not cool.

Pseudo Nim

That's absolute and total bs. I get that a couple will spend more money and they "prefer" them, but what stops them from saying your clothing doesn't look up to snuff so you get to go last, or your well-offedness is otherwise in question, or you're on points and hence lower priority, etc.

That's actually something I'd take up hard with SPG. If anything, it borders on discrimination.

Psychiatrist

Well, I have no status (lowest level SPG) and booked on SPG website on a Summer in Paradise rate with $100 credit.

Also told them I don’t drink alcohol - another reason for my low spending making me undesirable?

I was at the lounge at 9am on the first day and many people came after me - but most got on the sea plane.

Land-of-Miles

That would be my starting point. What a shame you didn't get a better and longer experience. I think the strong point of this resort is the accommodation the rest can be a little unpolished but if there only for a short time and wit transport issues you get the worst of all possible worlds.

what was the domestic flight like?

LovetoTravel83

Coming from this property, I expect a better response. I wouldn't lay down with that response.

bhrubin

Which part of the StR or any other resort has no power over the schedule or policies of the seaplane charter company isn’t everyone understanding? It was the seaplane charter company that somehow chose to push a couple ahead of a single traveler. It wasn’t the StR.

All of the information sent in advance of any booking and stay at the StR or any other distant (not close to Male) resort in the Maldives makes clear that everyone is subject to the mercy of the charter airline company.

So everyone should stop whining that the StR is somehow responsible for the schedule or choices made by the charter plane company.

If your flight to Hawaii was canceled by the airline because of bad weather, the airline isn’t responsible. And the hotel at which you are staying isn’t responsible. If your flight to Hawaii has a crazy policy that allows one passenger to go ahead of another, the airline is responsible for that choice...not the hotel in Hawaii. So stop trying to make this about the StR.

Circumstances like these are why everyone knows there is travel insurance. If you choose to not buy travel insurance and save money and increase your risk, then you have to suck it up when your risk comes due. If you don’t like that, then don’t go.

5DMarkIIguy

Lol. Was expecting this kind of response from the apologist.

LovetoTravel83

+1

Pseudo Nim

Yup. Lol.

MaldivesFreak

I guess TMA had 2 seats left on a flight, you were next in line but they chose not to split a couple up and send you with one of a couple and certainly didn't want to take the other option of sending you only and leave a seat unoccupied on the plane. At the end of the day money is all that matters to them. That response also was probably conveyed verbatim to you from TMA via your host at Vommuli.

bhrubin

Exactly. It was all about TMA and had nothing to do at all with the StR. The StR lounge staff was just the unfortunate bearer of bad news. But it’s easier and more satisfying to scapegoat the StR rather than accept the facts.

Land-of-Miles

I thought the hotels scheduled who went on which flights not TMA as they line up guests with available rooms, connecting flight schedules etc, TMA just do as they are asked don't they?

MaldivesFreak

That couldn't be further from the truth. I think most people assume that hotels have control over it and it somehow becomes fact.

bhrubin

I think that those of us familiar with the TMA seaplane transfers in the Maldives are aware of their monopoly and that they control their schedules and arrangements. The average consumer seems to mistakenly believe that the St. Regis or any of the many luxury 5 star resorts somehow exert some sort of influence on the seaplane charters—they don’t. The StR has as little control over what TMA does as the Cheval Blanc Randheli, the two FS properties, the PH, the One&Only, Velaa, Soneva Jani, or any of the many other luxury resorts it serves.

Perhaps it it would be wise to revise the wiki above to include information reminding everyone that the hotel does not in any way control the scheduling or arrangements of seaplane flights. The hotel only books the flights and assists StR guests with the StR lounge at the seaplane terminal at Male.

Of course, some consider the StR lounge at the seaplane terminal as the nicest of all the hotels:

https://theluxurytravelexpert.com/20...sfer-maldives/

Small consolation, but it could be worse!