N Z.
Yelp
The hotel has a relatively contemporary look, a laid-back coastal feel. And when you walk in, you feel that you're going to have a great time.
However, for the price, the overall experience falls terribly short.
There was ONLY ONE WORKING ELEVATOR in the south tower during our stay -- and the hotel was sold out and had a large wedding. The average wait time for the elevator was +15 minutes (we were on the fifth floor). Whenwe checked why this was the case, we were told that both the staff and guest elevators had been down FOR OVER A MONTH. They've had this issue for over a month!!! Meanwhile, each time we needed to go up/down, it was a ridiculous wait. Also, the elevator is hot and stinky (imagine, both guests and room service and housekeeping using the same un-airconditioned elevator all day). This was a huge frustration and most guests were really irritated about it. Three different guests we were huddled with on different trips said they had gotten stuck in the broken elevator (that didn't have an 'out of order' sign on it).
We attempted to instead take the stairs, but they lead to the basement. If you want to take them to the lobby, you have to hope you find a staff person to help you, because there isn't a direct lobby entrance; you have to cut through the kitchen and boiler room in order to get there. We got lost as did other guests. I don't think I've ever experienced confusing emergency exit stairs previously.
The staff isn't very pleasant. They seem bothered and blunt. They do not have good customer care at all and definitely not good front-of-house people.
The hotel DOESN'T OFFER BEACHSIDE SUPPORT OF ANY KIND. The beach is across the street and is public. So, if you want chairs and umbrellas, you have to rent them from a service: $16/hr or $64/day for two chairs and one umbrella. We paid $64 for full-day use (but it rained more than half the day). The hotel's website doesn't mention anything about having to rent chairs/umbrellas. Even something like "sold separately" on the website would've been helpful. The information on the website makes it sound like they're offering those amenities for free. We took the Brightline, because we thought we didn't need to bring our chairs and tent; had we known those amenities weren't included, we would've driven and brought our own.
We were given a wrong room number and key upon arrival, so we had to go back downstairs (remember the elevator delays?!?) and get new ones. Then, when we got the correct key to the room, the toilet was leaking. They sent an engineer up who said we needed to switch rooms. So back downstairs (and the long elevator wait) to get the new keys. They did provide free breakfast for us the next day, unprompted, which we appreciated.
Oh, and we were charged $62 for someone else's order (it was charged to the broken toilet room that we were in for less than 10 mins, so it was most definitely not our charge). When I called to have this charge reversed, I was told I had to speak with accounting when they're back in the office. Translation: My problem. Not theirs, even though the incorrect charge is their error.
The spa is very expensive. A 60-minute massage with gratuity automatically included is $225.
My sister forgot her toothbrush. She called down to see if they had any, and they said they'd bring it up. Thirty-five minutes later having not yet received the toothbrush, she called down again, and was told "sorry, we're too busy, you need to come down and get this yourself." No follow up call, nothing, and again, remember: the elevator story....
My favorite anecdote, however, is that they have door attendants who graciously open the door for you as you approach the front and back exits -- which gives the experience of luxury and attentiveness. HOWEVER, IT WOULD'VE BEEN FAR MORE HELPFUL TO STAFF THE STAIRWELL DOORS SO THAT GUESTS CAN MAKE THEIR WAY TO/FROM THE FLOORS TO THE LOBBY VIA THE STAIRS instead of getting lost in the boiler rooms.
This hotel is terribly over-priced! And suuuuuuper disorganized. It feels like a fake-out: like the staff knows all of the issues and they know that guests are being dupped, but they pretend it's all ok, like a big "nothing to see here, folks."
We paid a lot of money for a good experience, but I've had a better overall value proposition at a Holiday Inn. Mostly, we stayed in the rooms, because of the issues with the elevatory, the rain and the overcrowded pool.
For all the kinks we experienced this weekend, the staff seems to be unbothered by all of it. The RSVPs keep coming in and they keep charging full rates, regardless of the poor quality of service, lack of amenities and bad, bad, really bad elevators. And, of course, ZERO communication with guests ahead of arrival advising them of what to expect.
There isn't anything Grand about this hotel AT ALL. Like, literally.
(PS: I've never written a review like this, that's how irritated I am)