SLS Baha Mar

I just returned on August 12th from a 5 night visit to the SLS with my family. This was my 4th visit to Baha Mar, the first of which was when it was newly opened. I cannot begin to express to you the level of decline that has occurred at this resort since its inception. It appears as if the staff has no training whatsoever in hospitality and management is no better. We found the majority of both staff and management to be rude, surly and angry looking (never a pleasant smile). They were often outright rude, dismissive and disrespectful. They behaved as if each request (maybe as simple as a fresh fork) was a major inconvenience and they were doing us a huge favor just accommodating the request. I am going to list a few examples so that you have an idea, but please be aware that on paper is not the same as actually being treated with the disrespect we encountered. 1) We were promised an early check in (if available). When we checked in at 12:30 we were told that the people occupying our suite had checked out at the regular time so it should be ready soon. Well, it was not ready until close to the normal check in time of 4:00 and that was after inquiring again with a manager. It is quite obvious that housekeeping was not sent to clean the suite and our request for an early access to the room was ignored. 2) One afternoon while taking a nap under my umbrella a beach employee removed the umbrella without a word to me. Had my daughter not seen this and awoken me, I could literally have been scalded under the 90 degree sun. There were soooo many umbrellas not being used at that time that it is incomprehensible to me why he chose to remove the one I was using???? In addition it was 4:00 pm so I didn’t understand why they were removing the umbrellas at all. When I asked one of the beach staff I was told that they were beginning an hour earlier than usual because they were “short staffed” Seriously? Are you kidding me? There is no way that this is an acceptable answer. But the situation only got worse when I went to the front desk to speak to a manager about this. He was so rude, disrespectful and dismissive. He told me that it wasn’t his responsibility because the beach is owned and operated by the Grand Hyatt, not the SLS, and there was nothing he could or would do about it. I think that this is one of the most deceptive things I have encountered at a resort that is the level Baha Mar is expected to be. There is no place in Baha Mar advertising where it is made clear that the SLS is not responsible for the beach. Baha Mar advertises as one resort with 3 different hotels for accommodations. To be told that the SLS was taking no responsibility for the satisfaction of THEIR guests was incomprehensible and unacceptable to me. As a side note, I did end up speaking with a manager from The Grand Hyatt, Gregory Armbrister, who was understanding, apologetic, professional and respectful. He offered what he could to make us less frustrated about the experience. But honestly his respectful attitude made all the difference. The SLS manager was horrible. 3) Poor service overall: Housekeeping was awful. Left dirty napkins and cups, did not leave adequate towels, etc etc Sat at a blackjack table five nights in a row and never saw a single cocktail server Went to the Monkey Bar on a Saturday night at 11:00 pm and was told there is NO white wine. Wasn’t asked for the varietal of wine, simply told there is NO white wine Requested coffee at Cleo during breakfast several times and was forgotten about, or simply just ignored. Constant dirty looks from the staff with any request Dinner reservations made a month in advance. Was told at Marcus that there was only an outside table available on an incredibly hot night. There were several empty tables inside with no one besides us apparently waiting, but they refused to accomodate. So we spent over $800 on a dinner where we were hot, sweaty and very uncomfortable. While each individual issue may not seem to you as horrible, it was one thing after another after another. A constant disappointment, a constant aggravation, a constant annoyance. This impacted severely on the overall pleasure we were supposed to be experiencing during the rare days we get to spend together as a family. It was seriously frustrating to be forced to continually pay a service charge of 15% when not receiving even close to adequate service. It is not about the cost but about not getting value for the cost. We stayed in the 3 bedroom suite (Rooms 1143-1147) and this less than enjoyable week came at a cost of almost $25,000. Beyond unacceptable!! We look forward to your prompt response. Susan Cohen and Family Read less