"We recently stayed at Wyndham Garden Lara in Antalya for a 6-day family holiday as a group of seven (six adults and one child). Unfortunately, despite the hotel having good facilities, our overall experience fell well below our expectations due to repeated issues with customer service and communication.
Firstly, staff members were often rude, dismissive and made us feel as though we were inconveniencing them whenever we asked for assistance. What made this particularly upsetting was that we consistently observed the same staff members treating white guests with significantly more warmth, patience and friendliness than they showed towards our family. This was especially noticeable amongst several reception staff throughout our stay.
The buffet restaurant offered a good variety of food, and the waiting staff were generally willing to help. However, the service was incredibly slow. Every single day we would be asked what drinks we wanted, yet we would routinely wait well over 10 minutes without receiving them. On every occasion, I eventually had to leave the table and chase someone for our drinks, which became a daily frustration and took away from what should have been a relaxing dining experience.
One of the most unpleasant experiences occurred during check-out. A member of the housekeeping staff unexpectedly swore at members of our family who had stayed in the family suite. This happened without any clear explanation or provocation and left us completely shocked. It was an unacceptable way to end our holiday.
The hotel facilities themselves were generally of a good standard. The spa was clean and well presented, and I had booked a massage treatment. However, despite specifically requesting a male masseur for my own comfort, my original appointment at 9:30am was delayed and rescheduled to 1:00pm. Whilst I understand that unforeseen circumstances can happen, this significantly disrupted the plans for the rest of my day.
For Muslim families considering this hotel, it is worth noting that many guests walk freely throughout the hotel in swimwear, including inside communal areas. Whilst we fully respect that everyone has different customs and holiday preferences, this was different from what we had personally expected and made some members of our family feel less comfortable in certain areas of the hotel, and was not something we had anticipated based on our understanding of Turkey as a Muslim-friendly destination. Families with similar values may wish to be aware of this before booking.
Our experience with the bar staff was equally disappointing. We only discovered on our final day that a wider range of drinks, including alcohol-free cocktails, as well as ice cream, were included as part of the all-inclusive package. None of this had been explained during check-in, meaning we missed out on facilities that we had paid for throughout almost our entire stay.
When we finally decided to make use of the bar on our last day, we queued for over ten minutes before ordering seven alcohol-free mojitos for our family. The member of bar staff visibly rolled her eyes and looked at us with obvious frustration, making it very clear that she felt we were inconveniencing her. Again, we did not observe the same attitude being shown towards other guests who were ordering drinks before or after us.
Another disappointment related to the hotel’s à la carte restaurants. During check-in we were informed that we would be able to dine at either the Asian or Mexican restaurant during our stay. However, when we later tried to make a reservation, we were informed that guests staying fewer than seven nights were not eligible. As our holiday was only six nights, just one day short of the requirement, we were disappointed that there was no flexibility, goodwill gesture or attempt to accommodate us, particularly as we had been given incorrect information when we arrived.
Overall, whilst Wyndham Garden Lara offers good facilities, clean accommodation and decent food, the attitude and professionalism of many members of staff significantly impacted our holiday. A hotel can have excellent amenities, but customer service ultimately shapes the guest experience, and unfortunately ours was overwhelmingly negative.
I would not return to this hotel, nor would I recommend it to friends or family, primarily because of the consistently poor customer service we experienced. I hope management takes genuine steps to improve staff training, communication with guests and the overall standard of hospitality, as the hotel itself has the potential to offer a much better experience than the one we received."
