Richard Fields

Review of la Torretta

Let me preface this review with the fact that I ha...

Let me preface this review with the fact that I have worked in high-end luxury hotels for about a decade, so my expectation to get what I pay for may be a bit higher than most. Let me assure anyone who reads this - while the majority of guests who visit La Torretta do not expect a luxury experience, no guest should suffer what was inflicted upon us at this price point.

Making reservations - It personally took me almost three weeks to book a reservation under the room block that had been set up for the group. No one at the front desk seemed to have access to help me, and no one from the reservations dept. ever seemed to be available. I actually had to leave a different negative review on several travel websites (since removed) to get someone to call me back and take my information. About 30% of our attendees who had intended on staying at the hotel finally gave up and just booked rooms at the full rate on Expedia because they could never get in contact with anyone at the hotel who had the power to help them. Another 20% gave up and booked rooms at other hotels in the area.

Arrival - There is no shuttle to get from any of the local major airports to La Torretta. Unless you rent a vehicle, your only option is to take a Taxi or ride-share service like Uber. An Uber from the airport cost me about $50. Not a major issue for me personally, but it was for some of our out of country attendees.

Facilities - The building appears to be undergoing renovations in addition to cleanup from the hurricane. Not a major issue, but definitely something that should be noted on the website or should have been made aware to guests in some fashion prior to arrival. Most of the rooms our attendees were given have been acceptably clean and kept up. 3 of them should have remained out of service for additional repairs. As a side note, the tiles in the shower are incredibly slick and I'm amazed that I survived 5 nights with no injuries.

Housekeeping - I would recommend that a supervisor follow behind the housekeeping staff and inspect ALL rooms instead of a select few rooms. Corners are being cut and things are getting missed. As an example, the iron in my room was full of rust and unusable. I asked the housekeeper about this and she just shrugged her shoulders and walked away,

Proactivity of Staff - In the time I've spent in this industry, I don't think I've ever witnessed a staff so woefully unprepared and/or unwilling to attend to guest needs. I received better customer service from the general contractors who were working on the hotel's repairs. From the consistent errors in reservations discovered during check-in (including the Bride and Groom!), the Concierge desk being empty during busy hours, the gift shop attendant shooing me out at 3pm because she wanted to close her shop before that evening's incoming guests would be arriving for check-in (posted shop hours say they close at 6pm), and countless other examples, it is apparent that several members of the La Torretta staff just plain do not care about their guests and those that do seem flustered and/or incapable. Frankly, the whole situation was embarrassing to behold. Management should use the remaining down time during the repairs to retrain the majority of staff and perhaps replace some who aren't up to the task.

All in all, this was an abysmal experience and I do not think that a single member of our families will be returning anytime soon and hopefully, neither will anyone who reads this.