I don’t expect in a "Historical Building” "the none plus ultra” the kind of Infrastructure New Hotels may have to offer, one reason why at times I like to stay in small Historical Boutique Hotels even than when these do not have multiple Star’s to show, but than again there are the kind of Experience that do end in a “BUT"
This Hotel for sure has many BUT’s to answer for, most of which have very little to do with Realaste Infrastructure, however lots with Supervision and “MOST" of all with “Cleaning- and
Hygiene Management”!
Upton today a Resort located in Puerto Vallarta was the leader in my Reviews from behind, with all kinds of cleaning issues at hands, from dirty and unclean Bed- and Bathrooms to small and mid size Insects in the Bed, however this resort at least managed to keep the Resort Lobby and Public Areas clean, was not the case in this property.
It is for that reason why I “crown it as the most undesirable of all the Hotels" that I have so far
visited on a "Private or Business Trip”!
There is simply NO Value Proposition at all that I could point out in this specific Hotel, never mind the rate level (it was due to the Holiday Season not low) missing hygiene and cleaning can not be wiped clean by any discount or “Statement of Sorry” whichever took place either !
To make it clear here as well, I am not willing to blame the Employees who in my view did try their very best, with limited to not supervision and most likely limited training. There is noway that Senior Management or Ownership is keeping a close eye on the operation and does not understand what is happening in front of their “eyes”
On the other hand as in Puerto Vallarta, I am simply astonished by the fact/question how hotel or resort operations of any category gets passed Government Inspections. For as much as it is a Owner and/or Senior Management issue, it is also an issue that should be addressed by the proper Government Agency, in order to do “just” to the many Hospitality Operations big or small who do their best to showcase the great Hospitality that Mexico has to offer !
The Hotel Logo outside over the Entrance is the “First Indicator” the something was going to go truly wrong! If Hotel Management fails to keep the Hotel Logo (It is the Brand Reflection) of any given property shape one gets a clear first hand impression of what comes next.
We arrived after a long drive of 7h in the early evening, the first problem that we encountered, no car space or area where to park the car, quite an issue in a City Center and Historical District, it would have been nice to be advised before hand as a matter of courtesy so to say.
Than the first of many first impressions:
The Lobby Area and the Reception area, to name it politely were both in a terrible bad state, uncleaned the way it looked for days, both lobby toilets in the most horrible condition, the seating and table arrangement were also in bad shape.
Expecting a courtesy of helping with the luggage of a number of people proved to be a wrong assumption, in other words “be our guest and do it yourself” !
Once we arrived in our Rooms, we were greeted by broken lamps, hanging light bulbs on wire, a nice looking but not connected flat screen TV, dirty hand was sink and very dirty bath room and shower area. If the shower floor is marked by dark areas while other parts of the same flooring is brighter we talk about dirty floorings.
In addition, even though I am not a big fan from “mass fumigations” I would strongly recommend at least once in a while room fumigations to limit smaller insects that were present in our room.
I did specifically ask if high speed Internet would be available in the hotel and was given the guaranty by the Reception Manager or Leader that such is the case. Long story short it was not.
The 3rd floor Breakfast area has similar issues in terms of cleaning standards, with toys all over the place, the balcony partly with a veranda while other parts did not offer such a security standard.
Hair brush in the kitchen shelf, empty bottles and more, having said all this, the fridge was spotless inside and the metal tables cleaned as well. The breakfast served was ok noting to win a award with but for sure not as bad as the rest of the hotel.
I like to high-light here again, I am sure that given the proper tools, training and materials to work with, the employees could actually perform by far much better. I would for no less at least start by offering a good uniform to all employees to enhance their personal profile and the Brand Image at least partly.
Employees Performance are a clear and distinct reflection of Senior Hotel Management, their “Supervision skills” willingness or capability to train and educate their staff, while at the same time offer best tools to get the job done. In this very specific case we could not see any of these important "Management Skills and Abilities” being show cased.
Most of the Employees (kitchen- & housekeeping staff) were very friendly and indeed dd try their best to be helpful in their limited way. I am sure that the Employees of this Hotel being better supervised, trained and properly motivated, could help to turn the place around at least in the areas of cleaning and hygiene, and yes the employees are not from any great Hospitality School and left school most likely very early to earn a living, one reason more why for no less the Hotel Owners should insist at “On the Job Training” each and every day!
As I always say: There are no BAD Employees only Managers without vision or intellect to lead and great well defined Leadership is the base of any Success in any given Company!
I specifically liked the recommendation to leave a message for the owner on a piece of paper when I asked for the e-mail address of such, "smart try just not smart enough” but than again that is exactly the reason why Social Media is so helpful to make the voice of the Costumer come forward !
Photos available upon request !
