Negative Comments About Your Resort

[Sara1603]

We have booked our DW wedding at the Grand Sunset Princess for December 2014. It was very hard to book a resort when we have never been to the area. Every travel agent seemed to favor a specific resort. We ended up getting a great rate at the GSP and decided to book here. Today I was shopping for beach bags and the sales girl asked if the bags were for a wedding. When I said yes she asked where we were going. So I told her and she said she had been to the Grand Sunset. I was excited to hear about the resort from someone who had been there. She told me it was awful and she hated it. She said the staff weren't nice and the food was bad. I'm trying not to let her comments get to me....but honestly, they are. I'm nervous about our choice now.

 

How do you handle negative comments about the resort you have chosen?

[TAkathy]

Hi Sara.

Congratulations on your Engagement and upcoming wedding!

 

TAs often have experiences with some, but not all of the properties in any given area so it is not surprising that you got many suggestions.  There are as many options as there are couples searching for them and no one can have experience with every location and we tend to develop preferences based on our experiences with the property and staff.

 

While it can be unsettling to hear these types of comments from someone else, realize that everyone has their own opinions, expectations and experience.  So don't freak out solely on the basis of one person's comments - she may have had unrealistic ideas or a rare bad experience.  

 

On the other hand, it could be a chance to review your reasons for selecting the property and the sources you utilized to gather information about it in an effort to see if there is a common theme to her comments from others who have had their weddings there.

 

First of all, RELAX and take a deep breath.  OK - Now - 

 

Clearly there were things you liked about the GSP before you found that they offered a great rate. What were they?

Was the price the only reason you and your fiancé finally selected it? What type of research and sources did you use to gather information about the property?

 

 

How committed are you at this point?  Have you made a deposit?  Is it refundable?  Is there an option to make a change if you re-considered and if so, how much time do you have?

 

 

Have you checked this site (BDW) for other's comments or more complete reviews about the property?

How professional and responsive has the hotel and wedding staff been in your dealings thus far?

Have you had any reason to be concerned based on your dealings with them to this point?

Would you be able to visit the property between now and then if you are still not sure?

 

Considering that your wedding is less than 6 mos away now, it is important to nail down the details for the location.  

If you are still concerned about your choice after reviewing your reasons for choosing it based on new or additional information and decide to make a switch, the sooner the better.

 

But it could be that you are experiencing a little bit of "decision jitters" that are being fueled by someone else's random comments.

 

Once you decide, relax about it and have fun planning a wonderful wedding!

[atennille]

@Sara1603 eveyone is going to have there opinion about something. The truth is , it's not about them it's all about you ! So, where ever or whatever YOU choose, is what it should be. Good luck and happy planning.

[Mandiesue]

I felt the same way when I read resort reviews. For a vacation, we went to a resort in Mexico that had mixed reviews. Once we got there we had a great time and felt that other peoples opinions were not the same as ours. When we were looking for a resort for the wedding, we used the same logic. More reviews for the resort were positive than negative and so we went with what we wanted. Hopefully it will all work out. 

 

Good Luck!

[shelikespink]

Yeah it's really tough because there are no resorts that have 100% good reviews! Some people just complain about everything.

I'm a huge nerd and what I did was make an Excel spreadsheet with all my resort options and went through TripAdvisor ratings and the wedding ratings here on BDW. I used the overall % on TripAdvisor and took the percentage of the negative reviews.

 

The best overall (for me - I was looking at all-inclusive children-friendly resorts that would be affordable for 1 week) was Playacar Palace followed by Beach Palace and Iberostar (forgot which one! I think Grand?). I ended up choosing Moon Palace, but I was looking at other factors such as activities, price, and location. 

[acw271011]

Hi Sara.

Congratulations on your Engagement and upcoming wedding!

 

TAs often have experiences with some, but not all of the properties in any given area so it is not surprising that you got many suggestions.  There are as many options as there are couples searching for them and no one can have experience with every location and we tend to develop preferences based on our experiences with the property and staff.

 

While it can be unsettling to hear these types of comments from someone else, realize that everyone has their own opinions, expectations and experience.  So don't freak out solely on the basis of one person's comments - she may have had unrealistic ideas or a rare bad experience.  

 

On the other hand, it could be a chance to review your reasons for selecting the property and the sources you utilized to gather information about it in an effort to see if there is a common theme to her comments from others who have had their weddings there.

 

First of all, RELAX and take a deep breath.  OK - Now - 

 

Clearly there were things you liked about the GSP before you found that they offered a great rate. What were they?

Was the price the only reason you and your fiancé finally selected it? What type of research and sources did you use to gather information about the property?

 

 

How committed are you at this point?  Have you made a deposit?  Is it refundable?  Is there an option to make a change if you re-considered and if so, how much time do you have?

 

 

Have you checked this site (BDW) for other's comments or more complete reviews about the property?

How professional and responsive has the hotel and wedding staff been in your dealings thus far?

Have you had any reason to be concerned based on your dealings with them to this point?

Would you be able to visit the property between now and then if you are still not sure?

 

Considering that your wedding is less than 6 mos away now, it is important to nail down the details for the location.  

If you are still concerned about your choice after reviewing your reasons for choosing it based on new or additional information and decide to make a switch, the sooner the better.

 

But it could be that you are experiencing a little bit of "decision jitters" that are being fueled by someone else's random comments.

 

Once you decide, relax about it and have fun planning a wonderful wedding!

 

What a comprehensive and fabulous response to the question!! Thank you!! I love seeing informed, responsive answers back like this!! Well done!!

[nikkicraig10]

@acw271011  - I have been to the GSP in the past for my sister's wedding, and CHOSE it for my own, next May, based on how great of a time we all had!

 

If you look at reviews on trip advisor, there is some terrible reviews on it, but when you really look at what people are complaining about? What do these people expect? It's Mexico, standards are not the same as Canada or USA. They got to their room and the A/C was broken? Okay, tiny inconvenience, get it fixed, move on. The fact that they get through a week of vacation, and then still come home dwelling on such an insignificant thing is beyond me.

 

This is why I chose the GSP - Great beach, great pools, good drinks, the nicest rooms we've ever stayed in, proximity to Cancun airport, decent food and nice, friendly staff. What more do you need? I'm not the type to sweat the small stuff on a trip, it's just not worth it.

 

Don't worry about your resort choice, or what negative reviews you hear about it. If you have guests that are going to complain about everything, then they are ruining their own holiday, but don't let it ruin yours!!

[acw271011]

@acw271011  - I have been to the GSP in the past for my sister's wedding, and CHOSE it for my own, next May, based on how great of a time we all had!

 

If you look at reviews on trip advisor, there is some terrible reviews on it, but when you really look at what people are complaining about? What do these people expect? It's Mexico, standards are not the same as Canada or USA. They got to their room and the A/C was broken? Okay, tiny inconvenience, get it fixed, move on. The fact that they get through a week of vacation, and then still come home dwelling on such an insignificant thing is beyond me.

 

This is why I chose the GSP - Great beach, great pools, good drinks, the nicest rooms we've ever stayed in, proximity to Cancun airport, decent food and nice, friendly staff. What more do you need? I'm not the type to sweat the small stuff on a trip, it's just not worth it.

 

Don't worry about your resort choice, or what negative reviews you hear about it. If you have guests that are going to complain about everything, then they are ruining their own holiday, but don't let it ruin yours!!

 

I agree. And I think basically that's what TAKathy was saying too. It's just so nice to see the point from a TA and I think what she said is a good way to balance out your thinking. Some good advice! I haven't finalized my resort choice yet. Getting close but every time I think I've decided, I find something that i don't like. I've looked at GSP - it's one of the ones I'm looking at but I would really like to be closer to Playa del Carmen so just not sure at this point. Cost is a big factor too!!

[nikkicraig10]

I agree. And I think basically that's what TAKathy was saying too. It's just so nice to see the point from a TA and I think what she said is a good way to balance out your thinking. Some good advice! I haven't finalized my resort choice yet. Getting close but every time I think I've decided, I find something that i don't like. I've looked at GSP - it's one of the ones I'm looking at but I would really like to be closer to Playa del Carmen so just not sure at this point. Cost is a big factor too!!

 

Ohh my bad! I thought you were the original poster!! My comments were intended for @@Sara1603 I guess! Sorry about that!

[Sara1603]

Thank you all for the great responses. We have put our deposits down and I think they are non refundable. We were leaning towards Moon Palace as well as GSP. A couple of travel agents said to look at 4.5 stars and up so that's what we did. Cost was a huge determining factor. This is a second wedding so we are paying for 9 people. ( ourselves, our kids and my parents). We saved huge on our rate. Our focus was more getting our family all together on a holiday than the actual wedding. We just want a simple service.

I guess in the back of my mind I'm worried that we settled because money was such a determining factor. We are going over the Christmas break. I'm sure we will have a great time. We have ages 2-82 travelling with us.

That sales clerk just hit a nerve I guess. It is very reassuring to hear nikkicraig10 that your sister was married there and you liked it enough to choose it for your own wedding

Thank you everyone for the reassurance.