tony67
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 22, 2003
I agree with much of what the author said..
It is very similar to my experiences over the years - but I gave up a few years before they did
I have said Disney runs theirs hotels as a place to store guests and not as hotels.
I spend a lot of times at hotels - I have top tear status at several including lifetime at Marriott - so I know how hotels react to issues - they happen all the time.
At Disney their response to issues is always poor - even at the GF and even back in "the good old days" - even getting to speak to a manager about an issue is difficult at best. you make a request and it can be hours before they get back to you.
Just one example - I stayed at the GF with a cruise package. I came back to my room the day before I was meant to check out and they had people packing my bags and putting them in the hallway because they had me marked as checking out that day. Beyond unbelievable. It took a bit of time to clear it up and no manager was available. Several hours later I was able to speak to a manager and he really did not care. They did absolutely nothing for me. I think we got a plate of cookies. I wrote to Disney afterwards and they also ignored me and responded with a canned response. They dont care.
In contrast at the Swan, also on property but run by Starwood, I had a robe in the room that had a brown stain on it (you get what I am saying I'm sure) - the manager was in my room in 5 minutes and could not apologize enough. He credited me back 50% of the 5 night stay, upgraded me to a a suite, sent me a bottle of wine and desserts. No attitude, no hesitation - a professional hotel manager.
Similarly Universal Hotels are run by an actual hotel chain and not Universal - so they treat the guests as customers and not cattle.
My last stay at Aventura - which is a business class hotel IMO and only costs 135 a night - I had an issue with the superstar shuttle - this has nothing to do with the hotel - but it made me late enough that my room was given away and I had to stay in a different room for one night and then move.
Defeats the whole purpose of arriving at 1AM the day before so you can just get up and go. The manger understood and credited me for the night - no question at all - even though the issues was Universal and not the hotel.
The lack of customer service at Disney hotels just boggles my mind - and the lack of caring.
I've stayed at all the deluxes and on club level and I have never been impressed.
Only last example - I had a castle view club level room at the Contemporary.
In the lounge most of the glasses had lipstick stains on them for some reason.
I pointed this out and was looked at liek I was crazy and I was basically ignored.
I went to the glasses and picked through hem to get a clean one - placing the one s with lipstick on the tray of dirty ones.
They looked at me like I was the issue. The glasses came back and still had stains.
At the price they charge per night for that is unacceptable - and speaking to a manger was a total joke.
So now I only go to Universal - and I am a lot happier.
I dont have to book rides in advance or meals 6 months in advance.
I dont have to accept the poor service.
I dont have to accept very average standardized overpriced food because of the DDP.
It is very similar to my experiences over the years - but I gave up a few years before they did
I have said Disney runs theirs hotels as a place to store guests and not as hotels.
I spend a lot of times at hotels - I have top tear status at several including lifetime at Marriott - so I know how hotels react to issues - they happen all the time.
At Disney their response to issues is always poor - even at the GF and even back in "the good old days" - even getting to speak to a manager about an issue is difficult at best. you make a request and it can be hours before they get back to you.
Just one example - I stayed at the GF with a cruise package. I came back to my room the day before I was meant to check out and they had people packing my bags and putting them in the hallway because they had me marked as checking out that day. Beyond unbelievable. It took a bit of time to clear it up and no manager was available. Several hours later I was able to speak to a manager and he really did not care. They did absolutely nothing for me. I think we got a plate of cookies. I wrote to Disney afterwards and they also ignored me and responded with a canned response. They dont care.
In contrast at the Swan, also on property but run by Starwood, I had a robe in the room that had a brown stain on it (you get what I am saying I'm sure) - the manager was in my room in 5 minutes and could not apologize enough. He credited me back 50% of the 5 night stay, upgraded me to a a suite, sent me a bottle of wine and desserts. No attitude, no hesitation - a professional hotel manager.
Similarly Universal Hotels are run by an actual hotel chain and not Universal - so they treat the guests as customers and not cattle.
My last stay at Aventura - which is a business class hotel IMO and only costs 135 a night - I had an issue with the superstar shuttle - this has nothing to do with the hotel - but it made me late enough that my room was given away and I had to stay in a different room for one night and then move.
Defeats the whole purpose of arriving at 1AM the day before so you can just get up and go. The manger understood and credited me for the night - no question at all - even though the issues was Universal and not the hotel.
The lack of customer service at Disney hotels just boggles my mind - and the lack of caring.
I've stayed at all the deluxes and on club level and I have never been impressed.
Only last example - I had a castle view club level room at the Contemporary.
In the lounge most of the glasses had lipstick stains on them for some reason.
I pointed this out and was looked at liek I was crazy and I was basically ignored.
I went to the glasses and picked through hem to get a clean one - placing the one s with lipstick on the tray of dirty ones.
They looked at me like I was the issue. The glasses came back and still had stains.
At the price they charge per night for that is unacceptable - and speaking to a manger was a total joke.
So now I only go to Universal - and I am a lot happier.
I dont have to book rides in advance or meals 6 months in advance.
I dont have to accept the poor service.
I dont have to accept very average standardized overpriced food because of the DDP.