Hilton Brides!

[kimdelc]

Kimdelc,

you mentioned you had run into some issues that your WP was able to take care of for you. Would you mind sharing what the problems were, so the rest of us can try to avoid similar ones?

 

QUOTE]

 

OK let me make my disclaimer first...We were very perturbed and frustrated about the issues we were having. BUT after talking to friends of ours who happen to be getting married in Cancun at a totally different resort, they are having the same issues so apparently its not just the Hilton. With that being said, PLEASE don't let this deter you from having your wedding at the Hilton. Fernanda has been able to resolve most issues and we are confident that our wedding will be amazing!

 

The following are issues that we have had so far:

- Fernanda IS hard to get in contact with via email. Our WP calls her on a regular basis. (Yay for calling cards!)

 

- The original contract required us to be fully responsible for any incidences that may happen with our guests AND required us to get some kind of Mexican insurance for the event. After several emails and negotiations back and forth, we finally got them to strike that out of the contract.

Moral of the story...READ the contract in its entirety!

 

- Several of our guests had issues reserving the rooms online or on the phone because of the way the Hilton blocks off the rooms. If your guests want to arrive before or stay after your event date, the rate should be honored. However, that wasn't happening for our guests. If the guests book the room at a rate that is NOT your group rate, they have to pay the rate they were charged and they cannot refund the difference. Fernanda has been able to grant upgrades and credits wherever possible, but it was a struggle trying to figure out what the problem was. Also, someone at the resort was supposed to notify us when the room black was near full so we could add more rooms but that never happened. We keep our eye on it ourselves (you can check the quantity available online) and we have asked them to send a list of guests names who have booked rooms every 2 weeks.

Moral of the story - Keep an eye on your guest list. ANd notify your guests to contact someone in the US (i.e. you, your WP, etc.) if they have issues booking their room. ALSO make sure your guests know that if the rate is "unavailable" via the website or on the phone...DO NOT BOOK IT! Notify Fernanda so she can correct it BEFORE hand. It is a lot easier that way.

 

Sorrt for the long version of the story but that last item was very traumatic. It has been going smoothly ever since we started getting the updates every two weeks though.

 

- Kim

[Opice34]

Jessica - thanks for posting the pics!!! We are going back down there in June for the menu tasting and to pick the flowers and everything...I'm excited!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessica&Adam Kimdelc, you mentioned you had run into some issues that your WP was able to take care of for you. Would you mind sharing what the problems were, so the rest of us can try to avoid similar ones?   QUOTE]   OK let me make my disclaimer first...We were very perturbed and frustrated about the issues we were having. BUT after talking to friends of ours who happen to be getting married in Cancun at a totally different resort, they are having the same issues so apparently its not just the Hilton. With that being said, PLEASE don't let this deter you from having your wedding at the Hilton. Fernanda has been able to resolve most issues and we are confident that our wedding will be amazing!   The following are issues that we have had so far: - Fernanda IS hard to get in contact with via email. Our WP calls her on a regular basis. (Yay for calling cards!)   - The original contract required us to be fully responsible for any incidences that may happen with our guests AND required us to get some kind of Mexican insurance for the event. After several emails and negotiations back and forth, we finally got them to strike that out of the contract. Moral of the story...READ the contract in its entirety!   - Several of our guests had issues reserving the rooms online or on the phone because of the way the Hilton blocks off the rooms. If your guests want to arrive before or stay after your event date, the rate should be honored. However, that wasn't happening for our guests. If the guests book the room at a rate that is NOT your group rate, they have to pay the rate they were charged and they cannot refund the difference. Fernanda has been able to grant upgrades and credits wherever possible, but it was a struggle trying to figure out what the problem was. Also, someone at the resort was supposed to notify us when the room black was near full so we could add more rooms but that never happened. We keep our eye on it ourselves (you can check the quantity available online) and we have asked them to send a list of guests names who have booked rooms every 2 weeks. Moral of the story - Keep an eye on your guest list. ANd notify your guests to contact someone in the US (i.e. you, your WP, etc.) if they have issues booking their room. ALSO make sure your guests know that if the rate is "unavailable" via the website or on the phone...DO NOT BOOK IT! Notify Fernanda so she can correct it BEFORE hand. It is a lot easier that way.   Sorrt for the long version of the story but that last item was very traumatic. It has been going smoothly ever since we started getting the updates every two weeks though.   - Kim

Kim - thanks for posting this! We got the insurance clause taken out of our contract, too. It did take a bit of negotiating, but you're right, I think that would happen anywhere. I've even had friends getting married in the states who have to go back and forth about contracts like that.

 

Thanks for letting us know about the issues reserving the rooms!! I'll try to stay on top of that for our guests!

 

I've found that Fernanda is very good about prioritizing. When I was there on a site visit, there was a wedding the next day and she let us come by and see the set-up. I found that she was much more focused on the bride getting married that day than she was on me (someone who hadn't even booked yet) and that's the way it should be! Because when it's my day, I want her focused on me! But I've found that she is very good at prioritizing her emails as well. If I ask a very important question, she gets back to me much faster than if I'm just looking for recommendations for restaurants or something. And I appreciate that. She clearly has a lot going on and I think she has been wonderful!

 

Where is everyone planning on having their rehearsal dinner? We are looking for restaurants outside of the hotel...

[Jessica&Adam]

I love La Distileria (mexican) and Lorenzillos (seafood). Those are my 2 favorite restaurants that I've tried there, and both would be great for a rehearsal or welcome dinner!

[kimdelc]

My fiance and I LOVE Puerto Madero. The restaurant is pretty large so you would probably be able to have a rehearsal dinner there as well. Plus they have outside deck seating that overlooks the water. Here is the website:

 

Puerto Madero Cancún

[indypitty]

Okay, Fernanda has been taking a really long time replying to my e-mails in the past few weeks. It's making me so nervous since our wedding is next month! Is anyone else having the same problem? It's been taking her about a week to reply and it used to take about 2 days max!

[Opice34]

Thanks for the restaurant recommendations! We'll check them out in June!

 

Yes, Fernanda has been slower than normal with me, too. I sent her an email over a week ago about band recommendations (and told her it was low priority) and haven't received a response yet. But on Monday, I sent her an email because some of my guests were trying to book online and were having trouble with the site, and she responded the same day. (It was really late at night though...she apparently works late!) I really do think she's good at prioritizing. Was your email an emergency?

 

Also - what are you guys planning on tipping Fernanda? I saw another thread were someone said they plan to tip 10% of the total cost of the wedding and my mouth hit the floor. That would be a lot!!!! Have you guys thought about what you're going to give her?

[indypitty]

That's weird, because I e-mailed her last Thursday about a guest with a booking issue and she hasn't responded yet. Maybe I should e-mail her again.

 

We have not yet decided what we will tip her, but I agree that 10% is a lot! I know we will not tip that much!

[Opice34]

Do you still have the original email you sent her? Maybe you could forward it back to her and tell her you just wanted to make sure she received it?

 

Especially since your wedding is coming up in June, I'd think she'd be quicker to respond to those type of issues. I wonder if she just missed that email.

[Opice34]

Is anyone using Petra to officiate the wedding? Have you met her? This may sound like a weird question, but does she have a thick accent? I'm putting a lot of thought into our program and I want to make sure everyone can understand what is said!

[Jessica&Adam]

I met with Petra during our site visits in Cancun...she has an accent, but it is a British accent, and its soo cute! She is very very easy to understand (I saw her officiating a ceremony at CasaMagna), and her voice is very soothing sounding. I would say she is the ONLY way to go! You will not regret it...and don't we get her for free with the Hilton package??

 

And about Fernanda...I've got her emails down to a science now. It is always exactly a week before she will get back to me on my emails I send her (regardless of importance). Which is getting kind of frustrating, to be honest. I'm not even booked with her yet, but I would LOVE to be if she would just get me the info I need! I mean I know she is busy with many other things, but doesn't she need to book future business too? I mean my window of time to make a decision is quickly closing and I'm scared about not getting the date I want (since they only do one wedding a day)!! I'm starting to get stressed out about it but I don't want to be rude and email her multiple times! And I had nooo idea we were supposed to tip Fernanda so I'm glad you all said something!

 

And about the contract...how exactly do you go about "negotiating" the insurance clause out of it? I have no idea how to do that sort of thing, and sometimes I'm not very assertive so do y'all have any pointers about how to get it out of the contract?