Radisson Resort at Alibaug Review

By Aditya Mhatre at 30 December, 2008, 1:11 am

I recently spent a weekend at a Radisson Resort and Spa at Alibaug and here is an account of the mixed experience that I had. The resort is part of an international hospitality group having one the largest spas in Asia and I had expected a lot better than what I got. When I entered the resort, I was surprised that the place was no where near the beach and once inside the resort you don’t feel like you are in Alibaug at all where the main attraction is the beach. But then on second thought, Radission never said it was a beach resort. It was just something I expected it to be.

The resort is very well maintained and clean. The swimming pool is big enough to occupy enough people without getting crowded. The resort also has a very well done up Mandara Spa by Mspa international, a leading spa company. I have visited their beautiful spa in Maldives at Anantara Resort and found that the spa at Radisson, Alibaug lacked the warmth and coziness. of a spa. The treatment I underwent was also pretty much standard one that you can get at any upscale spa in Mumbai and maybe it’s time for Mandara to innovates it’s spa rituals. The buffet food was very sumptuous and extensive and well laid out in the slick restaurant. The resort also has a beautiful fine dining restaurant called Kokum & Spice serving the local Maharashtrian seafood. But unfortunately restaurant was almost empty since the food served wasn’t part of the package and a bit on the expensive side. If I were the resort manager, I would make a 3 course set menu for dinner and serve it on a reservations basis at Kokum & Spice. The benefit of doing this gives the kitchen to show its skills beyond buffet and gives the guests a chance to indulge a bit more. The resort could also benefit from better sales of premium commodities like wines at Konkan & Spice which the resort is loosing out on by simply relying on buffet crowd.

Now, the lows of my experience at Radission.vIt so happened that when my wife and I arrived at the resort to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, we couldn’t check-in to our rooms for over an hour. The reception clerk also forgot to offer us the welcome drink� mentioned in bold lettering in the package details. To make the matters even worse, the hotel staff misplaced our luggage for another 3 hours. It was already getting a bit dark and so we couldn’t enjoy the tempting swimming pool. The reason given by the hotel was that the hotel was full and hence the mistake.

The next day, we were supposed to get an anniversary cake from the hotel which the they forgot, again! While checking out, I swallowed my pride and ask for it and the reception clerk apologised and thanked me for reminding them! I asked for a comment card and put all these things down and handed it over to the clerk. The clerk read my card calmly and put it in a drawer showing no facial expression of concern. The clerk at this very moment had the power to change it all and ensure that I come back to them the next time but she chose to ignore it my simply placing the card in the drawer. Hospitality companies are quiet liberal about empowering front office people to give discounts or do something to make it up to the guest. I could have easily made a big deal in the hotel lobby about all the “forgotten” things like a few guests (rightly) did but I wanted to see how the clerk reacts but I was disappointed.

Another, thing I noticed at this hotel was it’s overpriced in-room dining services. It was almost as if the hotel was discouraging people from ordering in their room. Any sane Indian guest would be highly offended to see the menu rate. Idli (rice cakes) was priced at Rs 360/- and Pav Bhaji at Rs 395/-. To my surprise, we had unlimited idlis in the break buffet the next morning which further pissed me off! I understand in-room dining has premium rates but Rs. 360 for two idlis is tough to digest (get the punnn!). It felt as if the hotel was out to rob the guest at every step possible. Fresh lime water, which could have been the welcome drink that we didnt get, was priced at Rs. 170/- . I should have probably asked for a Rs.340/- refund but I didn’t. My recommendation to others would be don’t hesitate to ask for a discount for any mistreatment.

I was at the resort to spend money but not get cheated which is what I felt like while checking out. I am sure that the other guests prefer great customer service and customer experience rather than getting a huge discount or complaining at the check out counter. Overall, I was pleased with the ambience and the resort setting, especially in the evening so its worth visiting the resort for a quick break but the staff could definitely be a bit more organized.

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Categories : Business