"The X is a beautiful hotel where basic promises to guests are worth nothing. The disappointment that crossed out the desire to return.
I rarely write such negative reviews, but in this case, I just can't stay silent.
My husband came to The X for only three days with a friend. After a difficult period at work, he wanted to rest a bit, change the scenery, and regain his strength. We specifically chose this hotel because we already knew it and expected a corresponding level of service. Moreover, we were seriously considering the possibility of booking a full family vacation here for the season, already with our little daughter.
Now, after what happened, we have no desire to go back.
And the most outrageous thing about this situation is that it's not about any special requirements, expensive services, or guest whims. It is about elementary respect for a person who paid for a vacation in a five-star hotel.
Today a Guest Relations employee called my husband to ask how satisfied he was with the vacation and to ask what he was missing and what could be additionally arranged to increase comfort.
The husband is staying in a 16+ room with a private access to the pool. He politely asked to add some non-alcoholic drinks to the minibar—coke, Fanta, juice, or something similar. The logic is absolutely clear: when you have your own access to the pool, you want to be able to grab a drink from your room in the morning or evening and sit by the water peacefully, instead of having to go to the bar every time.
He didn't ask for alcohol, didn't demand any expensive drinks, and didn't make any special requests. Just some non-alcoholic drinks.
Additionally, he asked for a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a shower sponge, as he did not bring them with him, counting on the amenities of a five-star hotel.
The employee assured him that everything would be organized and delivered to the room.
It seemed like a normal conversation, a normal request, a normal promise from the staff.
But what was promised in the room was not there. Nothing at all.
After the evening foam party, her husband returned to the room to take a shower before dinner. And found that there was no toothbrush, no paste, no sponge. The drinks he specifically agreed upon with the employee were also not provided.
After the shower, he contacted Guest Relations again to sort out the situation. And here the most interesting thing begins.
Today another employee was working, who told him completely different information: it turns out that the extra amenities are paid, and everything he asked for was supposedly already put in the room.
Excuse me, but if the things were really put down, where are they? They are not in the room. They couldn't evaporate. The guest is not obliged to prove the obvious or to justify not receiving what was promised.
And the situation with drinks looks especially wonderful: one employee herself offers the guest to express wishes, promises to organize everything, and another later reports that it is an additional paid service. So why couldn't you just honestly explain the terms right away? Why couldn't the cost be reported during the phone call? Why is it generally perceived that a guest's request has been accepted and will be fulfilled, when in reality no one is going to do anything?
Why do you conduct guest satisfaction surveys if your promises after these surveys mean nothing?
Why call, ask about impressions, ask what is missing in the room, create expectations for a person, if basic communication between employees is absent?
Do you want to get a positive rating or do you really want to make the guest's stay better? Because right now it looks like a formal questionnaire for show, after which the guest's words are simply forgotten.
A separate question - room cleaning.
At my husband's request, an employee was sent for an additional, as we were told, detailed cleaning. I cannot objectively assess the quality of the work done, but the employee's attitude made a very unpleasant impression.
My husband is a person who respects other people's work. In Turkey, he always tells the employees "Kolay gelsin" — a common polite wish for easy work. This is not a request for special attention and not an attempt to get a service. This is elementary human courtesy.
In response, the employee didn't even bother to react, just looked at him and continued working with an expression as if her personal duties had been insulted.
As a result, the guest felt that he did not come to the hotel to relax, but somehow interfered with the staff with his presence.
And you know what the most unpleasant thing is? All of this is happening at the end of the season, when it is difficult to explain such an attitude with extreme workload. We didn't ask for the impossible. They did not require round-the-clock individual service. They didn't raise dozens of claims. We were counting on a normal, respectful attitude and the fulfillment of what was promised.
Instead, the second day of paid vacation turns into pure irritation. The person who came to relax after a difficult work period is now so disappointed that they are seriously thinking about packing their things, getting in the car, and going home. I don't want to go to dinner, I don't want to use the hotel's facilities, I don't want anything at all. Because when you are ignored repeatedly, your requests are devalued, and you are made to feel guilty for perfectly normal questions, rest stops being rest.
And it's not just a few ruined hours. This is a lost trust in a place we previously considered for a family vacation with a small child.
Imagine: we were going to choose The X again, for a whole family vacation. But after such an experience, a completely logical question arises: if we are now facing a similar attitude towards simple requests from two adult guests, what should we expect during a full family vacation?
A five-star hotel is not just about beautiful interiors, pools, food, and photos for advertising. It is first and foremost service, respect for guests, staff professionalism, and the ability of employees to keep promises. If you cannot provide a certain service for free, you must say so right away. If an employee promised to organize something, they must either fulfill the promise or inform the guest why it is impossible. If an error occurred, it needs to be corrected, not pretend that the guest invented everything.
The guest should not chase the staff, find out who promised what, and prove that the items that were supposedly put in his room are actually missing.
We paid for a vacation, not for the need to demand basic attention.
I really want the management of The X to finally pay attention not to the beautiful guest satisfaction reports, but to what is actually happening after the phone surveys. Because it is these situations that destroy a hotel's reputation. It is not the absence of one bottle of juice or a toothbrush in itself, but the attitude in which promises are worthless, employees contradict each other, and the guest is left alone with their problem.
The impression of the service at the moment is extremely negative. We arrived with trust in the hotel and plans to return, but now instead of wanting to repeat the vacation, we feel only disappointment.
X, you should remember: a satisfied guest can return and bring their family. A disappointed guest may never return—and can completely justify telling others about their experience.
We were counting on five-star service. We received inconsistencies, unfulfilled promises, and a feeling that our requests are of no interest to anyone.
And after that, do you really want guests to recommend your hotel?
There is nothing to recommend here for now.
Number 2010!"
