Stayed in both Oceanias (sister hotels located next to each other) several times as my trip took me pas Nantes on several different occasions.
On one occasion we stayed in the "poor sister" which had only cold basic breakfast, we wanted something warm in our stomachs. We walked to the pricier Oceania and asked in our basic French for a breakfast. We were dressed decently, and behaved very quietly as we are a middle-aged couple.
Just to clarify, when we were booking, the Oceania was described as sister property, and the dining room was described as welcoming guests of both hotels!
A black guy at the reception answered rapid-fire that the breakfast was not available for non-guests.
We thought perhaps he didn't understand that we WERE the guests of Oceania, so we spoke to a female server who assumed we were the guests and invited us in.
We admitted to her that we were staying in the other property and offered to pay.
She asked the black guy who clearly was the manager of the place and he looked us up and down - he puckered his lips and told the lady that it is 50 euro per person...
She appeared as shocked as we were as the guy clearly had a chip on his shoulder size of the hotel itself. She apologized but could do nothing.
We walked out jetlagged and with rumbling stomachs.
It was the first time I experienced a desire to punch somebody in the face.
What an unpleasant experience.
And I was just starting to believe that French people learned something about service...
WRONG!
- Oceania Nantes Aeroport Bouguenais
- Oceania Nantes Aeroport Hotel
