Guest Report

[Marsha Eli]

My family and I have been going to the Conrado for holidays since 2003 which we have always enjoyed very much, the service, the people, the food and most of all the location. This January was our 8th stay and the hotel had changed management. We got off to a bad start when we arrived at the airport and there was no taxi to meet us when it had been pre-paid. Then on our arrival we usually enjoy complimentary drinks as described in the package we always arrange through sportif. So we went to sit on the verander after a long plane flight and enjoy a light bar snack only to find the prices had quadrupled and we ended up paying £55 for the five of us to have a salad and chips each. The standard had not changed. It is good food but you dont have to pay those sort of prices even at the best restaurants and they dont make you sit at plastic tables and chairs. It was £45 for a meal with lobster. Needless to say we did not see many diners throughout our stay and we had to make the journey each night to eat elsewhere. The standard of service had not changed either. The breakfasts were poached egg, boiled egg or omelette. Very repetitive and one morning there was no tea bags at all and the water ran out in the urn, we asked 4 times for it to be refilled before it actually was. The waitresses were rude but most of all we were dissapointed with the fact that the friendliest person of all who has been working there for ten years had been sacked. Poor Travis kept the Conrado alive and now we feel really sad that it has all changed and we will be finding somewhere else to stay next year.

[Steve Wooler]

I have been asked to post the following response to Marsha Eli's report by Maria Gomez, the General Manager of the Conrado Beach Resort:

Dear Ms. Eli,

I read you report and am deeply saddened to learn of your experience. I am also quite taken aback by the nature of your complaint in light of the fact that we have done so much over the last 18 months to improve the level of guest comfort and service. In fact, many of our guests who come year after year like you and your family, have expressed appreciation and commendation for the improvements we have made thus far. They also are quite intrigued to see what new additions we have the following year. I am nevertheless extremely concerned when I read such a report that all of these things happened to you at the hotel and not once did you highlight your concern to the tour operator representative or to me especially since I spoke to you and your family each day save and except on my time off from the hotel. Neither were your concerns raised with the staff some of who you know quite well from the times you have been here. The utilization of a forum such as this to air your concerns seems somewhat brusque given our long standing amicable relationship.

The complaints that you have made are quite serious ones that must be investigated by any accommodation / food service operation worth its salt. The Management and Staff of this Hotel aim for the highest levels of guest satisfaction each day within the relaxed and informal atmosphere we try to maintain here. Thus we are justly concerned when statements such as these are made; casting aspersions on us in such an acerbic manner that would lead one to believe that our entire method of operation is rooted in bad service and failing to deliver on pre-made arrangements, which is decidedly not so. My staff and I are quite hurt and disappointed by the nature of your comments which came as a terrible shock to us all.

In regard to your comment about the menu prices, please note, we have our snack menu available from 12 Noon to 6:30 pm after which the dinner menu is presented between 7: 30 pm to 10:00 pm. Other guests who were at the hotel had an early dinner from the snack menu which is cheaper than the dinner menu. Perhaps why you thought the menu items were expensive given the difference between the pricing structures between both menus. The dinner menu has about 30 different items on it, but you chose to comment on the price of the lobster which by the way were generally 4 pounds and over and thus would cost more than just a half of tail that you would get at most restaurants. Additionally, if the staff were getting ready to serve breakfast at 7:30 am, is it too much to wait so that everything is ready for the benefit of all our guests rather than making demands way before 7:30 am? It does throw the flow off when you are trying to meet a deadline and then having to address other issues in the process. Our menu is not limited to eggs in various styles with bacon or ham, we have pancakes available as well as a local breakfast that comes with coconut bread. We are always quite happy to accommodate special requests when given a fair amount of notice.

In response to what actually happened with your airport transfer, the tour operator has a representative that meets arriving guests at the airport and then places them in a taxi. The taxi arrives at our location and we pay for the fare from our front desk. I was not at the airport and do not know what transpired as your flight was delayed by one day and there was mad chaos at both the hotel and at the airport to get persons in and out given the delay. If you did pay for the transfer due to the haste the taxi had to return to the airport, we would me more than happy to reimburse you as money is left at the front desk to cater for transfers from your tour operator.

In closing, please let me reiterate my deep empathy as it relates to your perception of the service and standards of the hotel and trust that you will be able to find an accommodation option that would better suit your needs in the future.

Kindest regards

Maria Ruiz
Manager