Steve C.
Yelp
This establishment is either dealing with some serious logistical issues or they're just downright discriminatory. You be the judge, but either way, you've been warned.
We booked some rooms at the Montage this past weekend to celebrate a family friend's 40th birthday. Aside from an odd flex we witnessed where some apparent VIP asked some children to be relocated away from their seats by the pool, everything was going well until day 2.
Waking up and gathering our two families of four, we headed down to the hotel's only restaurant, The Loft. The couple in front of us apparently were upset about not being able to be seated on the balcony as they'd requested, but the hostess took their names and numbers and promised to make things right. Then, it was our turn:
"Do you have reservations?"
"No, sorry."
"How many in your party?"
"Eight." [Looking past the birthday girl and myself and realizing our spouses and children were part of the package.]
"Sorry, we can't accommodate you."
"Umm...what if we split into two groups of four or...?"
"--Sorry, we can't accommodate you."
There was no "It's looking like a wait of X minutes..." or "We're busy today, but you can always order room service or try _______ instead." Just a fancy *GTFO* a la that boutique scene from Pretty Woman.
We politely took the L and embarked on an absolute odyssey to find some food for our kids and learned the following:
-The bar by the pool apparently doesn't serve food until 11am.
-A nearby place called "the Light House" that may be recommended to you by someone in the elevators either does not actually exist or is not within walking distance.
-This hotel complex is secluded (maybe the draw for some)--it is built into the bluffs facing the ocean and away from the village where restaurants and cafes are located.
-The coffee cart back in the hotel lobby can't feed you either. Sorry.
It was only in inquiring with a member of the hotel staff about the coffee cart that this situation was fortuitously resolved. When they suggested that we try The Loft, we explained that they were full. The hotel's GM happened to be standing within earshot and upon hearing the exchange--to her credit--marched us all back to The Loft, where we were immediately seated.
I tried to rationalize this off-putting encounter in multiple ways:
a. Perhaps the guests from the wedding party the night before had swamped the restaurant?
--Nope. My wife pointed out that the wedding party had a separate buffet set-up outside the restaurant. And we noted several open tables all around for the duration of our meal.
b. Maybe they just didn't prefer seating a party with four kids ages 5 to 8, because they were worried that things could get noisy?
--To the extent that that would be a valid reason to turn away hotel guests, there were plenty of other kids in the restaurant, including a toddler that was crying the entire time. (Maybe she had an issue with the lousy service?)
c. Maybe a bunch of guests really had called in with reservations, but had just no-showed, unbeknownst to the hostess?
--If this is the case, you have two serious logistical issues: (1) you operate a secluded resort hotel with only one restaurant serving breakfast, which does not have enough capacity to feed the hotel's own guests and/or (2) your reservation system is completely dysfunctional.
d. Or perhaps...we were treated differently because we look different. I hate to go there and we literally marched four hungry children around in pointless circles like fools to avoid having to even think this terrible thought, but it became increasingly difficult to ignore this possibility as the saga wore on. I'd like to think that we and our friends represent, in our own little way, the best of what's possible in this melting pot of a country. But maybe two mixed (Chinese-Indian, Mexican-Greek) families choosing to further mix it up with each other in an old money hotel in a city that is a veritable time capsule was just a bridge too far for these guys.
Maybe it wasn't even the fault of the hostess; maybe she's just trying her best to cater to the ridiculous demands of the hotel regulars, who themselves don't prefer having children and/or different-looking families sharing their air when they're just trying to soak up the last dying rays of some fading cultural sunset that I'm not capable of grasping. Who knows? All I know is that something is seriously wrong with this place, and unless you're a VIP/regular, there is a distinct likelihood that you're going to be made to feel like an outsider.
I hate leaving negative reviews, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be one of the rare negative reviews that is embraced both by those outsiders who have now been warned and the insiders who are more than happy to keep this place exactly how it is.
+1 star for the hotel GM and our server Fabiana, whose warmth and service were greatly appreciated.
