Easier said than done Curt, booking a package deal on orbitz that had a promo code to the resort saved big $$$ over TTR, from what was being described by management on here it was an easy decision to try. We would love to cancel and book TTR. But now the rate to cancel and change to TTR went from our best value for a week in Mexico to the worst value (most expensive) in the past 4 years. Make sense? were kinda stuck.
My impression from watching Sara in action at GOV is that she is a one woman show, tasked with making this transition. No way for one person to entertain nearly 1,000 guest. They need more ECs. You can't run an event AND mingle amongst the crowd trying to entice participation. She obviously needs help and maybe that is the root of her frustration and she just expressed it in the wrong way. Respect,
Okay I'm really disappointed with what is happening here, many of the complaints... well okay some of the complaints that I'm reading I've seen at TTR. People complain about food, drinks, front desk, entertainment staff, loungers, cold pool, bad rooms ... I think what is really bothering me is everyone is getting upset about how slow the changes are happening at the GOV, really its only been a little over a month since they did their change, and we are talking about Mexico, everything is slower in Mexico any of us that have been a number of times should understand that. Also we all were aware this is going to take time and I find it discouraging that people are slamming the place before giving it the time required. We're going to be there the first week of May and I'm sure by then they will have a few kinks worked out, but honestly I figure a year for the whole concept to be working. And please give Sara a break, it sounds to me like she has taken this on and not really getting any support from us, she is in a difficult spot, she's trying, and I can imagine how frustrated she is getting, she has the pressure from her employer and it doesn't sound like she is getting much support from us.. Let's give this place a break and time to get everything together.. as someone else said Rome wasn't built in a day. Cheers
Hello First of all I would like to clarify that the fact that I´m not responding each comment as I was doing before is because there is lot of work to do and I posted and let you know about it a couple of weeks ago, also I informed that a representative from Social Media will be helping us in order to provide more information as we move forward with all the improvements. It´s not because I don´t accept negative reviews or suggestions. On the other hand, I also want to let you know, and I know it sounds repetitive, that all the staff is working real hard to have things ready as soon as posible. I´m being very pushy with some suggestions that I picked up in this forum, as an example "The Foam Party" which is now a weekly event. I´m now trying to do my best about the "coyote bar" Schedule, which I totally agree is now closing too early. The main reason that is closing at that time is because of the location, is too close to many rooms, and if you try to sleep is very complicated, you can really feel your room is part of the night club. However, during this week, we´re trying different alternatives with the sound system. Also, regarding the entertainment during the day, is the owner that wants to have a more relaxing atmosphere by the pool, which doesn´t mean there is nothing to do. There is an activities Schedule with different things to do. What we want you to know is that is not going to be a copy of TTR, we are not going to have the same kind of activities, or entertainers yelling at the mic, not because I don´t like it, it´s just because is what THE OWNER wants. As you all know, I´m trying to take care of every request, I pass on your room needs, reservations for Pirate Cruise etc, that you are aware is not easy to guarantee due to high season, however, we do our best. Please, if I don´t answer you right away send me a second email and I´ll do my best to fulfill your expectations. But please, do not come looking for a second TTR because it will never be. Thank you all for your understanding
Valentina, just wanted to say I was thinking about that just moments ago, we understand that you must be very busy, plus I noted many of the questions you have already answered people just need to take the time to read through the threads. We are looking forward to our stay in May.
Thank you Valentina for being there for us...we greatly appreciate this. We are not personally looking for GOV to be like TTR, if we did then we would have book there instead. I am excited to try something new and I am very excited for our vacation at GOV. We do realize that this is a new concept and it will take awhile to get things going...but with that being said we are looking for an Adult , sexy vibe and hope GOV will have some of the bugs worked out by April. Also one of the main reasons we booked GOV was because of the beautiful rooms and pics that we seen and I will personally be very disappointed if we end up with one of the older rooms that were posted the other day...I know it is just a room but I look forward to a little luxury...it's my inner princess !!! Thanks again for all that you do and we look forward to meeting you in April...Cheers
Sounds like Sarah69 is between the proverbial rock and the hard place. Also feels like Valentina is stuck in there with her. Being in the middle of it, she is part of the entertainment STAFF (not management), comes here and to Facebook to chat with like-minded peeps and potential customers. I have no clue if this is part of her job or she just wanted to be close to the TTR folks she had worked with when at TTR. Either way she was here and another link to the hotel that we are here to discuss...good or bad. On one side you have "the rock"...Management and their thoughts: "Lets take things slow and get rolling a bit at a time". A lot of "no we can't do that yet", "don't let that happen by the pool, it's too soon", "we can't have the bars open past 1, there's not enough people here that would stay out", "late night food what's that", "we still shut off the lights off at 1am, don't we?", "change the dinner sign-up routine, but we've always done it this way", "They don't really mind waiting in line to eat do they...really?". This goes on all day long on the management side of things. It's probably worse than that...it is Mexico and remember they're on Mexico time not USA time. And we all know how that works. Changes happen Slooow. Management and Ownership have to work to keep making a profit and don't want to spend more money than they have to. We don't really know the Oasis business model. Each hotel may have to hold it's own money wise. Or they may pool their profits. Point is we don't know management or ownership and the business they run. But to be sure...it's a tough way to make a buck. How many hotels are there in the hotel zone now? So they have to keep what they see is the budget in check and watch for a reaction in the amount of bookings. They have to keep pressure on anyone within Oasis to hold down the fort while they make some changes. Putting staff in the middle (Sarah69, Valentina & many others). Tough place to have to work I'd guess. On the other side there's all of US "the hard place"! We all know what we want and we want it now...LOL me too of course. And when we don't see the changes WE envisioned happening fast enough we panic and start asking questions. Innocent enough at first I'd guess. So management says Valentina go and answer some their questions. As we get more trip reports back we don't see what we were expecting to see. The questions get more pointed and maybe not well thought out. Not taking into consideration Mexican time and management mentioned above. So we start pressing Valentina and Sarah69 for better answers, which, by the way they can't respond to because they have to answer to management first then us. They need their jobs and can't take a chance of saying something that might endanger them. And we keep poking and pushing for change that these 2 can't give us right now or maybe ever, depending on the extent of the changes Oasis decides to make to the resort. As the questions get tougher Valentina and Sarah69 try to get answers from their management, probably hitting a brick wall at some point. Looks like Valentina has stepped back a bit from her daily answers and now Sarah69 (after being badgered, touched and having a lot of expectations she's unable to meet) has blown a gasket and said a few things she probably regrets (or not) has left us. And from the looks of some other posts people blaming Valentina and Sarah69 for not wanting to deal with our issues. To Sarah69 and Valentina... There are quite a few of us on this website that would love to see you return. Sure there will always be those that see anyone working at GOV as the "problem". But the majority of us (a really big majority) don't see you as the "bad guys". We loved your information and updates and miss them. Your absence leaves many wondering about their future bookings and whether they will need to be cancelling or waiting to see if more is going to be changed...that information needs to come from you 2. Please don't think the harshness of a few is the way the majority feel, it's not. To the rest of us... I am as impatient as the next guy, trust me. These less than good reviews are killing me and the wife. Yes we have already booked 9 nights in June at GOV. Truthfully expecting a much more TTR like experience than is now sounding like is going to happen. And yes we are thinking of switching back to TTR. It will cost more than a couple of hundred dollars to make that change. But at this moment we are still in the wait and see mode, as I'm sure many of you are. The people that are there now and will be going in the next few weeks are not in that position and have locked in their bookings and are heading there soon. Those people are nervous and hoping to get what they were told they would get when the "soft" change over occurred Dec 23rd. But it's taking longer than management thought it would to make these changes and are tweaking some of those changes still. This doesn't change the hard earned money many have spent to get something they were told they would get. I get you guys going soon will not have some of your expectations met, I'm sorry for that, but still would like to hear about your experiences there. But let's keep some perspective when posting these experiences...relatively little time has passed since the "change" (approx. 37 days) and more will be changing as time goes by. As I said above this was what most would call a "soft" change over. The resort didn't close and do wholesale changes, they are rolling out the changes as time seems appropriate. They are still dealing with people that booked before the change was announced and now with many that want to see all the changes before they get there. Thanks to those that are blazing an early path to GOV. Thanks to those that are posting the reviews good and bad. But lets all remember these changes take time and are evolving right in front of us. Oh yeah if GOV is still listening... Many of the issues people are discussing are problems that were there at GOV long before your change over. Lackluster food, waiting in lines for dinner, poor room management, front desk friendliness, chairs around the pool, closing bars early, poor concierge help and more. These are not because of a change over but a lack of attention to detail, that is in managements hands...period. Sorry about the rant, but I had to get my thoughts out there. Thanks Steve for allowing us to do that. I'm sorry for the spot this puts you in. But when people start dealing with their money, vacation time and expectations not being met you get what we see, a bit of fear and uneasiness about the future. None of us deals with that very well. Cheers everyone, be well! Jeff I see Valentina posted as I was writing this and I just wanted to say thanks for hearing our concerns!
I think it is unfortunate that people are lashing out and blaming specific people for things not being what they are expecting. I also think it's unfortunate that people who post reviews that are viewed as negative towards the resort are being deemed untrustworthy, or that the poster had too high of expectations for the resort and isn't being fair. Honest reviews, whether good or bad, can help people make the right choice for them. Something that is bad to one person can be exactly what someone else is looking for. The more people that give their honest opinion and reviews, the more people will be able to make the right choice for their vacation and not be upset when they don't get what they are expecting. One of my main points in my review of our trip was that it was very quiet and laid back during the day. This was met with many comments saying that we didn't take the proper steps to make our own party, that the weather was cold, that it still will take time for things to get going, etc., etc. My point was that it was quiet during the day. Management has now confirmed this is what they want. Bold statements like this from management will help clear up people's hopes that there will be a big party atmosphere during the day, and also confirms exactly what our opinion of the resort was. A great majority of the people on these forums who are considering going to GOV right now are people that are TTR regulars. They need to know HOW this resort is going to be different from TTR, not just that is is going to be. They need to know that it is intentional that it is a relaxed atmosphere during the day so they can make the choice that is right for them. Some people want to relax during the day and don't want the party starting in the morning and continuing on all day. So, just because someone posts that they found it boring, it doesn't mean that it is a bad thing for the hotel. These reviews will help draw the right people to the resort, and prevent the people who don't want that from going there and being upset and unhappy with their trip.
I think we should all just take a deep breath and wait for GOV to make its change over. Until then, it will be somewhere between what it was and whatever its to become. But for now, it's an adults only resort where you're allowed to be topless in the pool area. Trip reports will be welcomed to see how the resort is shaping up. Let them figure out what they will be, then we can determine if we'd like to spend a few days and nights there.
Martinagirl, That is exactly what we were trying to do with our trip report as well, report what we saw and felt so the next person can make an informed decision. Looking back on some of the trip reports i read prior to going I think I turned a blind eye to some of the bad ones and "saw what i wanted to see!". GOV turned out not to be what we expected, live and learn! One thing that really has been catching my attention is the people who keep saying "it's a new concept, give it time". I understand it's a new concept but what they (GOV) has to understand is that most people (us at least) have a limited vacation budget and time. We expected when we arrived for GOV to be what they said they would be, not in transition! I have neither the money or the time to wait for you to deliver on what you promised. I'm here now, not next week, next month or next year when you finally get it together! I met Steve and immediately liked him and still do, he's a great and fun guy! But Steve lives in Cancun (I assume), he's there 365, I'm there for 9 days and want what I was promised, not 6 months from now when I'm not there but now when I am. Make no mistake, i don't blame Steve for any of this, he went out of his way to make sure we had a good time. I know this might sound a little bitter and I probably am a bit but it is what it is.
