Ess Bee

Review of Habtoor Grand Resort & Spa

Exceptionally disappointing for the price I paid.

Exceptionally disappointing for the price I paid.
Let's talk covid 19 - My temperature was not checked upon arrival, no one was sanitising anything. It is truly disturbing at a time like this.
I had called the day before arrival to ensure they got the notes regarding the fact that we booked the stay for our anniversary celebration. The lady on the phone seemed uninterested and responded in a very dim way. I also checked with her what time check-in is and she said at 3pm. I confirmed that I would arrive there at 3pm.

When we arrived, the lobby was boiling hot and all guests were sweating. We were not offered anything upon arrival, not even a seat!!! At the reception we were informed that our room was not ready - this was at 3pm! The front office manager on duty came over upon our request due to the delay and instead of apologising say "what do you want me to do about it? We have some technical problems". I'm not sure which customer service training he took but it certainly isn't that of a "5 star resort". We were not welcomed upon arrival. We weren't told where breakfast would be served. We were not informed of the facilities available at the "5 star resort".
After waiting for a further 30 minutes for the receptionist to get us a room, we were told that we would get a twin room and that that was all that was available. We told that that is not suitable and we're then given a tiny room that is absolutely not suitable for 2 adults and a child. The room was set up for 1 person and had the amazing view of a wall and workmen!

We requested a room change and were sent for a very long walk to view the room in the 45 degree heat. The room was slightly better but it shocking that only 10 minutes prior we were told there were absolutely no other rooms available in the whole resort!

Needless to say, they did nothing special given our occasion, not even a happy anniversary at check in. The place is full of staircases with no lift in sight so I wouldn't recommend staying here with young children / if you're pregnant/elderly!

There is no cutlery in the room, not even a spoon to stir your tea, and when I requested it from housekeeping I was told I'd have to pay a 5 AED delivery charge to bring one from downstairs!

I have honestly stayed in 3 star hotels with better service than this and for front managers to respond either aggressively or using a standardised template with nothing more than an apology is completely unacceptable for a "5 star" resort.

In general the hotel is very run down, broken tiles everywhere, ripped towels, bird poo on all sun loungers, metal bottle lids and cigarette butts littering the lounge area at the beach. Guests aren't even offered a towel or a cold drink when arriving at the pool/beach. There were apples in the fridge from the previous guests. The breakfast was totally embarrassing, there's no way that this was 5 star service or 5 star food. The croissants were stale, I asked for an orange juice and was given a pineapple juice, the milk was displayed in milk cartons hidden behind coffee machines, waiters found it difficult to comprehend small requests.

I have also met other guests staying at the hotel who have the same complaints. If you can't run a hotel, don't open one. Avoid this hotel at all costs!