thank you for your report. I am also in travel industry and I think what a lot of people are missing is that these things that we all accepted, and even embraced, before about TTR as a 2/3 star resort at a 3 star price point are completely unacceptable at the 4/5 star price point they are currently trying to charge and market themselves as. I think its a bigger problem than most fans want to admit and I personally think it will be very difficult to maintain the things (ie adult spring break vibe, sex positive) that makes TTR unique AND maintain the facade of their new marketing/price strategy. Hey, it's not an accident they took away free porn from the rooms. it's an appeal to a more mainstream prudish market (i call it vegas pozer). Also, we all know that one thing that made TTR different is that it actively viewed an alcohol fueled party with women being topless and sexy, and even a bit slutty, as paramount to the party AND a positive thing for them and the men around them. Just wait, the next step will be to lessen that and start stressing something benign like 'european' style bathing option instead. I honestly don't think people realize how much of what made TTR fun will not translate to the new marketing strategy and price point.
Thanks for posting! I know that you know @lens300 that we had the same room troubles but I want to add it here so others can see it’s a fairly common issue. We talked to 6-7 couples that needed to switch rooms for the same reason. I loved our first room (in the corridor between Amores & the gym...right outside score) but they would not let us stay in it because they had to break in and we had to be moved upstairs to sewage smelling room. It’s the same smell that used to be in some TTR rooms. Gross!! We mentioned it premier and ‘there were no other rooms available’ Those of you who know me know that I love TTR probably more then the average person. We will be back but what we saw in the last 12 days does not warrant a $400/night + price tag. I can’t wait until our next trip to see what improvements have been made. Nikki
Nice review, very accurate. The hotel is smart to be focusing on customer service given the, in my opinion, less than average craftsmanship. The service is over the top great. A general look at the lobby and rooms, it is nice. A closer look and you see less than stellar finish in the hotel. I disagree with funcpl27, hopefully I am correct, I do not think that they will alter the vibe to draw a more conservative patron. I believe they are testing the price point, knowing that achieving a 4 star rating will be difficult because of the hotel location and not really a beach (waves). The area is not conducive to 4 and 5 star hotels. During our week there, it was nice to see that they continued to work on safety issues, such as the railing at the south end of the pool and other simple fixes. We are at the upper end of the age groups, late 50's, so buying is not an option but returning for a few more visits is. We are hoping for the best. We paid about $1800 (US) for 8 nights, lodging only. Would be pay more, yes. But not $450 per night. Again, just my opinion.
Thanks for the trip report. Glad you guys had a great time and will be back, but sad to hear about your issues. It is interesting to hear the change in problems from the beginning(A/C, water), but now that those went away we are faced with new ones based on substandard equipment. The door thing sound terrible, and hopefully as these break they can be replaced with less faulty electronic panels. I do like the idea of better locks connected to the wrist bands, but imagine all the technical problems they would have with those (if they bought low-end ones like they might have done with the current locks). Also, I am really hoping we don't start to hear this trend into the electronic room controls start to degrade. To achieve that 4-5 star rating, I also agree that the rooms are going to need maintenance with the cabinets/entertainment unit, hinges, gaps in the shower walls an wall paper. It you took a detailed look I could tell how haphazardly this stuff was installed. All very possible to be easily fixed. The slippery floors are concerning to me as well, but I have to agree with Steve that to have a nice look in the main areas, all these areas have to have that polished tile. Hopefully in some of the troubled areas they are making some changes, but you can't expect a hotel to be completely slip resistant. The best thing to do is make sure you are staying out of dangerous areas when you are wet and drunk, and proactively getting some footwear before future trips. There are plenty of different types of non-slip shoes and flip flops. For many years I worked in restaurants, and this type of specialized footwear is required and super helpful. I even saw someone post on Facebook some thin non-slip additions that could be added to heals. I am notoriously known for drunken spills, and I was successfully able to navigate opening week with zero falls. I figure if I can do it with the proper precautions, anyone can. (at one point I was so concerned about walking into a glass door that wasn't even there, that I basically looked like a mime) Not sure if you figured it out, but there are them side doors on main floor of the tower. You can exit these and get to many of the rooms without have to do the two flights up and down thing. It took me like half the week to figure this out, and we were constantly taking the long ass way to places before we learned the optimal paths.
We were there and agree with everything said! Great report and here's to hoping everything gets fixed. It will then be a great 4 star resort!
It's pretty clear they rushed the construction to get done, and some of the problems were the result of following the artists concept too closely when a little engineering experience would have helped them out. This has created a lot of long term maintenance issues. There are four places in the ceiling of the main lobby and coffee bar that had already been cut out because of leaks, and numerous more that had not yet been addressed, other than by bucket on floor! That's got to be highly irritating to the person writing the check for a new building! There must also be no code for stairways in Mexico because they all seem different. Even the stairs at the front of the building are steeper than most any you would find elsewhere, but it's the sometimes slippery surface that tends to be problematic, and I do understand that in this climate carpet could never be an option. Tile is probably the best choice. Unfortunately, the place would also be nearly impossible to navigate for a person who requires the use of a wheelchair. One thing is certain, as evident by the dizzying layout of stairways, turns, and halls, these people would be a genius at creating a good old fashioned corn maze in the fall! They would still be finding people by Valentines day! Once we found our map to the important stuff (morning coffee, buffet, pool, bar) we stuck to our established routes. Overall, we like the new place. But it's going to take a small army of employees to keep up with the new found, long term maintenance tasks. In the end maybe it's not so much different than the old place.
Steve I think she was referring to the steps from the lobby that go down to the buffet the white ones and yes I agree there is some improvements still to be made as you say but what an amazing it magnificent job Temptations has done in the 11 months they were closed
Good trip report. I can't disagree with anything stated. We never wanted TTR to be a 4 or 5 star resort and according to the premeire salespeople, they will be targeting a "new classier crowd." Screw that! We can go to 5 star resorts anytime we want. We just usually prefer something a bit sluttier.
