This was the first time I have ever chosen to leave a hotel before the end of a stay.
What makes this particularly remarkable is that the issues below occurred during a stay of less than 48 hours.
The resort itself is beautiful. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, the grounds are well maintained, and the spa was excellent. In particular, my massage therapist provided one of the best deep tissue massages I have received in a hotel spa.
Unfortunately, the stay was overshadowed by repeated communication failures and operational shortcomings that fell well below what I would expect from an international five-star Pullman resort.
The most concerning issue involved a food allergy I had disclosed. Despite this, I was later offered food containing that allergen by the chef, suggesting the information had not been properly communicated to the kitchen.
Throughout our stay there were numerous service failures, including housekeeping failing to replenish bottled water, multiple food order errors, significant portions of the restaurant menu being unavailable, slow restaurant service, and repeated situations where requests required multiple follow-ups before being actioned.
The most uncomfortable incident involved privacy. Shortly after interacting with a member of staff, I received a LinkedIn notification showing that an employee of the hotel had viewed my profile. As I had not shared my LinkedIn profile or contact details with staff, this left me uncomfortable and raised concerns about how my information may have been obtained.
There were also several aspects of the property that should be communicated more clearly to guests before booking. The resort is located very close to a mosque, and calls to prayer, which last over 20 minutes (even at 4am) and have fluctuation volumes can be clearly heard from guest rooms, including before sunrise. In addition, we only discovered during our stay that alcoholic beverages are unavailable throughout the resort.
What ultimately disappointed me most was that several concerns were explained away as “cultural differences” rather than being acknowledged as service or communication failures. Having travelled extensively throughout Indonesia, including Bali and Jakarta, I do not believe culture was the issue.
To the hotel’s credit, Front Office Manager Betari Ade Pertiwi listened carefully to our concerns and approved a refund for the final night of our stay. Her professionalism was appreciated, although by that stage we had unfortunately lost confidence in the overall experience and chose to move to another hotel.
Beautiful facilities and an excellent spa, but service and operational standards that did not meet our expectations of a five-star Pullman property.
What makes this particularly remarkable is that the issues below occurred during a stay of less than 48 hours.
The resort itself is beautiful. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, the grounds are well maintained, and the spa was excellent. In particular, my massage therapist provided one of the best deep tissue massages I have received in a hotel spa.
Unfortunately, the stay was overshadowed by repeated communication failures and operational shortcomings that fell well below what I would expect from an international five-star Pullman resort.
The most concerning issue involved a food allergy I had disclosed. Despite this, I was later offered food containing that allergen by the chef, suggesting the information had not been properly communicated to the kitchen.
Throughout our stay there were numerous service failures, including housekeeping failing to replenish bottled water, multiple food order errors, significant portions of the restaurant menu being unavailable, slow restaurant service, and repeated situations where requests required multiple follow-ups before being actioned.
The most uncomfortable incident involved privacy. Shortly after interacting with a member of staff, I received a LinkedIn notification showing that an employee of the hotel had viewed my profile. As I had not shared my LinkedIn profile or contact details with staff, this left me uncomfortable and raised concerns about how my information may have been obtained.
There were also several aspects of the property that should be communicated more clearly to guests before booking. The resort is located very close to a mosque, and calls to prayer, which last over 20 minutes (even at 4am) and have fluctuation volumes can be clearly heard from guest rooms, including before sunrise. In addition, we only discovered during our stay that alcoholic beverages are unavailable throughout the resort.
What ultimately disappointed me most was that several concerns were explained away as “cultural differences” rather than being acknowledged as service or communication failures. Having travelled extensively throughout Indonesia, including Bali and Jakarta, I do not believe culture was the issue.
To the hotel’s credit, Front Office Manager Betari Ade Pertiwi listened carefully to our concerns and approved a refund for the final night of our stay. Her professionalism was appreciated, although by that stage we had unfortunately lost confidence in the overall experience and chose to move to another hotel.
Beautiful facilities and an excellent spa, but service and operational standards that did not meet our expectations of a five-star Pullman property.