Christie H.
Yelp
I got married at the Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar 15 years ago. My husband and I have been coming back every year, and now we bring our children. This has been such a special place to us where we have cherished many memories together over the years. We chose to come and stay for the entire week of Thanksgiving this year and celebrate our anniversary along with the holiday. Unfortunately, this visit was much different than our stays in the past. It is clear that with the Marriott take-over, costs are being cut wherever possible. Here are just a few examples:
- Staffing: There was only 1 person at reception every time we needed assistance. I waited in line for 30 minutes and then was told to return to my room and a manager would call me. I waited 90 minutes without a call. There went 2 hours on one of the only sunny days we were there. The staff members themselves are very helpful and kind, but I recommend increasing your levels, especially during peak times.
- Room provisions: The coffee makers have been removed, as have the robes. I was told these are available only upon guest request, but how would anyone know to request this? Clearly the goal is for guests to spend money at the coffee shop. This is a little thing, but something my kids always looked forward to- you used to do turn-down service and leave a little Ande's mint on each pillow. This isn't happening anymore. I was so happy to see that you started providing water machines, as is standard in most nice hotels now. But, when I found out you have to pay for this I was very disappointed. Clean water is a necessity in Mexico and I can't understand why this would be exploited.
- Maintenance: Our shower was clogged. There were ants in our bathroom. Our floors were not cleaned before we arrived (this is actually something I noticed at all of my previous stays but it never bothered me too much since everything else was fabulous). The main spa only had one working jet. The Delphines spa was not heated at all (day or night). The elevator was broken on the one rainy day we had. I noticed areas of deferred maintenance on the buildings and common areas. Landscape, however, looks as beautiful as ever and the ground were always clean.
- Restaurant issues: I called ahead to inquire about the Tomato's buffet/ theme nights and was told they would "have something every night". There was nothing any of the nights except Thanksgiving. Pitahayas staff were incredible! But, again, not enough staffing. One night we waited literally 60 minutes for our food from the time we ordered, and then 45 minutes for our bill after asking for it. Not easy with 2 little ones. The food was very good though. El Cortez: After dinner one night we thought we'd have dessert and a cocktail at El Cortez. We went over at about 8:15pm, and noticed lots of open seating. I asked to be seated and was told I could not enter because I didn't have a reservation. What? Do you not want to make money? Confusing business model.
Check-Out: Again, stood in line for 20+ minutes. Finally got helped and the (very nice) lady couldn't see in the system that I had prepaid. The bill was $1100 over what it should have been and she kept wanting me to sign it. She said she would get it fixed but didn't have time to do so.
I must tell you that I voiced all of my concerns (aside from the restaurant issues as we didn't encounter these until later in the evening) with the manager on duty, Carmen. SHE IS INCREDIBLE. I know how hard it is to try to nicely justify the changes resulting from a change in ownership, and although she never bad-mouthed Marriott she was understanding and compassionate. After my conversation with her, she added complimentary breakfast to our room every day, sent a bottle of wine to our room for us to celebrate our anniversary, and gave us the VIP treatment in our turn-down service- chocolates, towel animals, robes, and a coffee maker! Thank you to Carmen for helping to offset the issues we encountered. Unfortunately, because of this experience we probably will close the "Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar" chapter in our lives while we still have great memories. I urge you to re-evaluate your practices and restore the hotelas the 5-star, incredible experience it once was. Thank you for listening and again, my deepest gratitude to Carmen!