I’m a member, and brought a good friend with me in November, 2023. She was interested in becoming a member as well. We stayed in a suite (separate bedroom and 2 balconies). Now, I personally L. O. V. E. Jamaica, and this was my third time staying at this resort. Each trip got worse. I hate to say it, but I am beyond disappointed with the state of the hotel rooms (worn furniture, cracked tops to tables and dressers, spotty mini-fridge refills despite leaving a $5 USD tip each day, and the worst part was the “sleeper sofa). On the fourth day, after complaining (politely, I’m Canadian, after all) the cleaning staff stepped in (they’re amazing) and they brought in an actual double mattress to place on top of the pull out couch. It made sleeping more comfortable, but turned the living room into a permanent bedroom. By that point, my back was in so much pain most of the rest of the trip was ruined for me.
The staff in the member’s office were rude and non-responsive to my requests and complaints. I’m not a diva, but when the toilet broke for the second time in 12 hours, and it took 2 hours for a maintenance worker to come and fix it, I simply asked him how to do it myself so that I wouldn’t have to call again. So, for the rest of the trip, the panel on the wall that covers the buttons to flush the toilet remained dismantled and I could see mould inside the area/wall. Speaking of mould, there was some spreading inside the shower (which didn’t close properly and leaked water all over the bathroom floor!)
Another annoying thing was the constant phone calls from the staff asking if we got our room service order, and another to ask if we enjoyed it. On day 3, we unplugged the phone and only plugged it in when we needed to make a call and then wait for the response.
I asked to change rooms several times, but the only option was a room exactly the same as the one we were in, but with a worse view from the balconies. Also, the sofa bed was just as bad as the one in our room. I talked with the staff in the member’s office (Ava) and she asked me to send her pictures. I did, but never heard from her again. I filled out the survey, listing all the issues and only received a standard thank you response. I wrote to management and sent the pictures, and again never heard anything back from them. It wouldn’t have taken that much from them to make up for the issues we faced but the absolute silence from all levels of management was just plain bad business.
As a member, I was told I would be treated like family when I joined. To be honest, I wouldn’t treat my least favourite family member the way I was treated on my last visit. They simply didn’t respond to the obvious issues we were facing and did nothing to address our concerns.
My final complaint is that there are only 6 Ambassador Suites and it’s pretty much impossible to book one. They’re booked years in advance. Given that we spent the money to be able to access those rooms, I’m really disappointed that I’ll likely never get to experience one in Jamaica. I wish they had told us how scarce these suites were. If you want the best room, book now for 2029 and maybe you’ll get lucky.
My mom says never complain if you can’t offer suggestions to improve the situation, so here goes:
Memory foam mattress toppers for sofa beds, or replace them with something better! The memory foam could be brought in each night when they do turndown service.
Redo the grout in the showers and clean out those toilet buttons. Make sure toilets work (do a full room inspection before guests arrive!)
WD40 the closet doors - it took a full body shove to open them - same with the patio doors to the balconies!
Replace the cushions on the patio furniture - no one wants to lie down on mouldy cushions
Replace the worn, cracked glass furniture in the rooms with something more durable…literally every glass surface top had chips and cracks in them.
Supply more hangers in the closets - just 8 for two women was seriously impractical!
These are modest suggestions (aside from replacing furniture but really, it’s all so worn and dated it’s about time!!) Most of the issues were small and could easily be addressed if someone bothered to care.
Ok. That’s it. It’ll be a long time before I return to this resort. We’re staying at TRS resorts until we use all our free weeks, and then only taking the kids to the newest, most recently renovated Palladium resorts and giving our discounted weeks away as gifts to friends.
Note: I’ve traveled a lot throughout the Caribbean and Europe. I also worked almost every job in high-end resorts in Canada throughout my 20’s and I know and appreciate good customer service. I know value for money! Until the Lady Hamilton is renovated we won’t be returning as it’s just not worth it.
There’s always lots of positives about going to all inclusives, and we did have a good time…unfortunately, the lack of care demonstrated by the staff (management) is a game-changer for us with this resort. They could have offered us complimentary bottles of alcohol in our room, or a cabana day, or a free Palladium night or two…but nothing. After exhausting all efforts to seek remedies from the resort and the Palladium Travel Group I’ve decided to write this negative review in the hopes of being heard, and of warning away others who have high hopes of a 4 star experience. I don’t regret buying the package ($55,000) because a few Ambassador rooms at TRS resorts over the next 5 years will let us break even, but please avoid this resort until it’s renovated. The juice just isn’t worth the squeeze with this lemon.