Dmitri Sh
Google
The worst place I have ever stayed
If you are a foreigner and want to have a nice holiday, stay away from this place! My wife and I stayed at Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel for five nights and regret it so badly. They charge for everything, even €5 for bringing empty bowls to our room. For a “5-star” hotel, that’s ridiculous.
The room was not what they advertised—small, limited storage, and nothing like the photos. The rooftop pool they heavily advertise is only for “VIP clients” and the water is freezing. Breakfast was okay, but the buffet was limited and à la carte dishes came in tiny portions.
There is no daily free water or anything you would expect from a typical 5-star hotel.
The spa area is very small and you can only spend 80 minutes there.
Parking is €20 per day, no valet, and the garage is so cramped it took 15–20 minutes to park.
This hotel is basically a cash grab place with a lot of hidden charges. They treat guests like walking credit cards.
On the first day, I had an accident with the parking barrier and immediately informed reception. Days later, the guest manager called me in—not to discuss or resolve—but to threaten me with the police if I didn’t pay. Never have I been treated like this at a 5-star hotel. They even claimed to have fixed the barrier, but they hadn’t which they acknowledged only later.
The staff try their best, but poor management—especially from the deputy general manager and guest experience manager—completely ruins the place. Unsympathetic, unprofessional, arrogant and with no service mindset at all. They were lecturing us in the lobby in front of all other guests.
They were treating us not like guests but rather as a burden. The worst experience I ever had in my life, I got a much better service at 3-star hotels.
It’s a shame because the building is beautiful, but management destroys the experience. There are much better places in Gran Canaria. Avoid this hotel at any cost if you want a peaceful and relaxing holiday!
Sämsta stället vi har någonsin varit på! Undvik detta hotell om ni vill ha en bra semester. De försöker ta betalt för allting även de små sakerna. Plus management är riktigt arroganta och otrevliga och behandlar kunderna på uselt sätt.
My additional answer:
Now I have received a very generic response from the hotel saying that my review is not objective and they did nothing wrong. This so-called 5-star hotel still insists that their treatment was fair and they did nothing wrong. Of course, I did inform the reception the very first day about the incident with the barrier and I certainly stopped at the reception to pay for parking before leaving the hotel. I waited for over 10 minutes to pay for the parking. But at the end I just left since no one was there to accept the payment and later on my credit card got charged for parking.
Avoid this place at any cost, especially if you expect to be treated as a dear and welcomed guest.