This is a difficult hotel to work with. Much of my stay was speaking to defensive staff, making a case, arguing for it, and chasing baseline service. It was so tiring. Truly, some front desk staff and F&B staff care and do a good job. But this hotel's management, SOP, and internal communication reads one word: chaos.
Despite being a luxury hotel, there is no "true" bell service at the check-in touch point. You really must lug your suitcase, in the cold, after a 13 hour flight into a crowded bar. Then, find your way through the people to reception. No other info was provided to the guest about this situation.
After doing this part, I had to wait for over 5 minutes to check in. The front desk was understaffed, and I was never properly greeted, or told 'just a moment' or even offered to sit down.
After check in, the room issues abounded, starting with what looked like blood or wine spilled over a display card. When I brought this to the front desk, was asked "How do you know it's blood?" This is an inappropriate question to ask a guest. The question is, "Why has my room been left in this terrible state to begin with?" This case escalated to a team member who, although tried to solve the matter, abandoned the time frame for rectifying it and never contacted me or asked me about my stay ever again. Zero follow up.
In another case, when the toilet was constantly flushing, I wanted to let the hotel know, as to save water. I could say nothing, it doesn't affect me. But I wanted to just let them know. The maintenance officer took a look and said "do not press the button like that" and departed.
I called to have another complimentary bottle of water sent to my room, and was suggested to just enjoy the tap water instead. This is an embarrassing way to speak to a guest and a little condescending as I can just drink tap water at home.
Throughout my stay, the default answer was almost always some kind of "no"until I firmly pushed back, at which point they would finally accommodate the request. Food and Beverage were, generally more adaptable and 'human' in their approach.
The rooms have very poor sound insulation, and you will hear a lot of stomping of the rooms above and around you. Especially outside your door.
There were several noisy people in the Finnish sauna, chatting, adding water despite requesting to use less, and using their phones for Instagram selfies. I felt extremely violated and uncomfortable, but I am pleased that this situation we resolved better than the others, was rectified properly, and was followed up with to ensure I was enjoying my ongoing visits on later days. The sauna is definitely a highlight management wise, SOP, and demeanor of the team.
Lastly, the handwritten welcome note in the room was only addressed to one of the guests staying, and was scribbled so messily it looked like a rushed chore. If you want to create a special moment, check who is actually on the reservation and take the time to write neatly, otherwise it defeats the intended purpose.
Overall, this hotel falls very short of 5 stars. I had shared my phone number and email address at the very beginning with more than one staff regarding my issues. However, none took the initiative to follow up or check with me for these matters. This silence speaks a lot.
