Gran Destino Tower, no power

[mikedoyleblogger]

While I'm sure it's annoying to those there right now...crap happens. They are moving people, I've read some people moved to suites, some to Grand Floridian! Some have had nights comped.
I don't see any long lasting negative PR out of this. If there is, people are ridiculous.

Now if it goes on for days, then they have a problem...and I do think it's weird that it's been all day and people are still reporting they are being told no one knows why it's out yet!

Your last sentence is why people aren't being "ridiculous." Here now, and there are many very unhappy families, dozens easily, who trudged past midnight from one side of Coronado to the other, flashlights still in hand. We spent the evening til closing at Barcelona Lounge and heard the horror stories first hand. People thinking it was a fire, because the fire doors all closed. People waking up before dawn in some rooms already with no power. Stifling rooms with pitch dark bathrooms. One couple from the UK told us they got offered A CANDLE for light to pack by.

What this was was an UNMITIGATED COMMUNICATIONS DISASTER that rolled out all day long, from sun up to long after sundown, with no proactive anything to let guests know it wasn't an emergency, the scope of the problem, what the backup plan might be if it lasted until after dark (which it did), and lots of poor Coronado CMs with nothing to tell guests because management wasn't telling staff anything either.

At any point management could have gotten out ahead of it so people would know what was going on. Instead, management kept it quiet and lots and lots of people here right now feeling taken advantage of. I used to be in PR and there is no excuse whatsoever for what management here pulled today. This was wrong on many levels of customer service. Very disappointed in Coronado today.

 

[Luvs Mickey]

Your last sentence is why people aren't being "ridiculous." Here now, and there are many very unhappy families, dozens easily, who trudged past midnight from one side of Coronado to the other, flashlights still in hand. We spent the evening til closing at Barcelona Lounge and heard the horror stories first hand. People thinking it was a fire, because the fire doors all closed. People waking up before dawn in some rooms already with no power. Stifling rooms with pitch dark bathrooms. One couple from the UK told us they got offered A CANDLE for light to pack by.

What this was was an UNMITIGATED COMMUNICATIONS DISASTER that rolled out all day long, from sun up to long after sundown, with no proactive anything to let guests know it wasn't an emergency, the scope of the problem, what the backup plan might be if it lasted until after dark (which it did), and lots of poor Coronado CMs with nothing to tell guests because management wasn't telling staff anything either.

At any point management could have gotten out ahead of it so people would know what was going on. Instead, management kept it quiet and lots and lots of people here right now feeling taken advantage of. I used to be in PR and there is no excuse whatsoever for what management here pulled today. This was wrong on many levels of customer service. Very disappointed in Coronado today.

Completely agree - communication is the key. Most people will be tolerant of an issue with some information from leadership. Even if the text/email/posted notices in key areas stated when it first happened something along the lines of; “We’re aware of the lack of power in some areas and this is not due to an emergency. We are working hard to determine a solution and will provide updates once we know more information. We apologize for the inconvenience” would suffice as long as they provide key updates as time goes on.

I mean, seriously, it would seem this would be Disney Hotel Management 101 for their leaders on how to address unplanned events like this.

 

[famsen]

Completely agree - communication is the key. Most people will be tolerant of an issue with some information from leadership. Even if the text/email/posted notices in key areas stated when it first happened something along the lines of; “We’re aware of the lack of power in some areas and this is not due to an emergency. We are working hard to determine a solution and will provide updates once we know more information. We apologize for the inconvenience” would suffice as long as they provide key updates as time goes on.

I mean, seriously, it would seem this would be Disney Hotel Management 101 for their leaders on how to address unplanned events like this.

I'm supposed to pay off my trip tomorrow and now reconsidering staying here. I'm not thrilled about "high rises" as it is and was going to request a lower floor. We are also paying for Club Access and was really excited. Unfortunately, now I am rethinking this whole thing. Stuck in an elevator and the elevator DROPPING??? Oh heck no! My biggest fear. I realize we won't be arriving for 30 days but I'm now completely nervous instead of excited. I hope they didn't cut corners just to get the tower open quickly but it's got me wondering. Should I keep my reservation or go elsewhere? The outside rooms don't appeal to me at such a large resort so I would be going to a different moderate like PORFQ. It's nice but not Gran Destino nice. This late in the game I can not afford to upgrade to anything better.

 

[Farro]

Your last sentence is why people aren't being "ridiculous." Here now, and there are many very unhappy families, dozens easily, who trudged past midnight from one side of Coronado to the other, flashlights still in hand. We spent the evening til closing at Barcelona Lounge and heard the horror stories first hand. People thinking it was a fire, because the fire doors all closed. People waking up before dawn in some rooms already with no power. Stifling rooms with pitch dark bathrooms. One couple from the UK told us they got offered A CANDLE for light to pack by.

What this was was an UNMITIGATED COMMUNICATIONS DISASTER that rolled out all day long, from sun up to long after sundown, with no proactive anything to let guests know it wasn't an emergency, the scope of the problem, what the backup plan might be if it lasted until after dark (which it did), and lots of poor Coronado CMs with nothing to tell guests because management wasn't telling staff anything either.

At any point management could have gotten out ahead of it so people would know what was going on. Instead, management kept it quiet and lots and lots of people here right now feeling taken advantage of. I used to be in PR and there is no excuse whatsoever for what management here pulled today. This was wrong on many levels of customer service. Very disappointed in Coronado today.

I didn't say people were ridiculous. I said if this has long lasting negative PR consequences for people who weren't even there, then yes, I think its ridiculous. Sorry, just my opinion.

 

[lmhall2000]

Yikes! I can’t imagine coming home from a long day at the parks and having to pack up in the dark...our cell phones would be dead bc we don’t carry chargers with us- so no flashlight app...it would at least be a memorable trip! I think it would be great for Disney to provide complimentary bottles of water, a voucher for $50 of dining/store credit, and one night off your reservation. That would be a kind gesture that shows they appreciate the hassle and hope we come back. Oh- and everyone should be offered the bounce back offer.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I'm supposed to pay off my trip tomorrow and now reconsidering staying here. I'm not thrilled about "high rises" as it is and was going to request a lower floor. We are also paying for Club Access and was really excited. Unfortunately, now I am rethinking this whole thing. Stuck in an elevator and the elevator DROPPING??? Oh heck no! My biggest fear. I realize we won't be arriving for 30 days but I'm now completely nervous instead of excited. I hope they didn't cut corners just to get the tower open quickly but it's got me wondering. Should I keep my reservation or go elsewhere? The outside rooms don't appeal to me at such a large resort so I would be going to a different moderate like PORFQ. It's nice but not Gran Destino nice. This late in the game I can not afford to upgrade to anything better.

I didn't say people were ridiculous. I said if this has long lasting negative PR consequences for people who weren't even there, then yes, I think its ridiculous. Sorry, just my opinion.

See quote above. You really don't think this incident should influence people's decisions on whether they stay there or not?

 

[Farro]

See quote above. You really don't think this incident should influence people's decisions on whether they stay there or not?

I cant decide for people what will or will not influence their stay.

I take what I read on the internet with a grain of salt. People tend to use hyperbole to prove a point.

The power was out, for less than a day. Certainly some people were greatly inconvenienced for the day.
For every unhelpful CM story I've read, I've read stories where people said they were very helpful in this situation.

So for me, no I wont be reconsidering my upcoming stay here for even one second.

 

[Searc]

Your last sentence is why people aren't being "ridiculous." Here now, and there are many very unhappy families, dozens easily, who trudged past midnight from one side of Coronado to the other, flashlights still in hand. We spent the evening til closing at Barcelona Lounge and heard the horror stories first hand. People thinking it was a fire, because the fire doors all closed. People waking up before dawn in some rooms already with no power. Stifling rooms with pitch dark bathrooms. One couple from the UK told us they got offered A CANDLE for light to pack by.

What this was was an UNMITIGATED COMMUNICATIONS DISASTER that rolled out all day long, from sun up to long after sundown, with no proactive anything to let guests know it wasn't an emergency, the scope of the problem, what the backup plan might be if it lasted until after dark (which it did), and lots of poor Coronado CMs with nothing to tell guests because management wasn't telling staff anything either.

At any point management could have gotten out ahead of it so people would know what was going on. Instead, management kept it quiet and lots and lots of people here right now feeling taken advantage of. I used to be in PR and there is no excuse whatsoever for what management here pulled today. This was wrong on many levels of customer service. Very disappointed in Coronado today.

Some people will make excuses for Disney regardless of what they do (or don't do). Their handling of this was unacceptable.

 

[Farro]

Some people will make excuses for Disney regardless of what they do (or don't do). Their handling of this was unacceptable.

Ah yes, if anyone has a dissenting opinion from the herd, obviously they are the great Disney defenders and we must insult them!
From reading other places, looks like people have been compensated for their inconvenience and aren't displeased in the slightest. But alas, no one will pay attention to those types of reports/posts.

Look, I'm not going to be everyone's entertainment for the day (I'm busy, but maybe later if you guys are around?).
Unless these types of issues keep happening at Gran Destino, I'm not going to write off an entire hotel because of one mishap. If you do, great!

Enjoy your Tuesday!

 

[diskids2]

I'm scheduled to stay in February and am already second guessing. Yes, the way this is being reported as being handled is a huge concern for me.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I think people that are booked for upcoming stays in Gran Destino have a right to be concerned. I understand that power failures and electrical issues can happen anywhere. I'm not blaming them for the power issues. But I do hold them accountable for their abysmal response to the situation.

The power was off at 7:30am (possibly earlier by some reports). I work in Communications & Change Management for a large financial institution. We have emergency communications plans in place for things like power failures in our 40-story office tower. It is unacceptable that there wasn't a mass communication via in room voicemail that the tower was experiencing power issues.

There should have been frequent, transparent updates throughout the day. Instead guests were told that the source of the problem was unknown and there was no timeline for estimated restoration of power. Once it hit several hours of more than 200 rooms without power they should have begun proactively moving people out of those rooms.

We had two upcoming stays booked at Gran Destino (Sept & Dec). We have stayed at Coronado Springs more than 20 times since it opened. But after yesterday's poorly managed situation we have switched both stays to other WDW resorts.

 

[hertamaniac]

While I'm sure it's annoying to those there right now...crap happens. They are moving people, I've read some people moved to suites, some to Grand Floridian! Some have had nights comped.
I don't see any long lasting negative PR out of this. If there is, people are ridiculous.

Now if it goes on for days, then they have a problem...and I do think it's weird that it's been all day and people are still reporting they are being told no one knows why it's out yet!

I don't think it has to go on for "days" to have lasting negative PR. People booked this resort for a reason and it sounds like from those directly involved, it wasn't a good experience. Being comped and moved (regardless if it's deemed an upgrade) is not what the guests expected.

The question I would have is why the apparent lack of communication? Why wouldn't you have planned/exercised this scenario over-and-over again to execute a recovery plan?

So yeah...crap happens, but you can, and should, have communication strategies in place to counter this scenario.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

I’m sure they will do better in the future regarding communication. I’m sure there was tons of frustration among staff of all levels not knowing why it happened or when it will be fixed.

From what I read from various FB groups, people were moved (either to tower rooms with power, different parts of the resort, and to deluxe hotels). There were FP given, one night room credits etc.

If you were affected and received no compensation, I encourage you to go to the front desk (don’t call, they aren’t on site) and calmly express your feelings about the inconvenience. I cannot imagine anyone will be told too bad, suck it up. I’m sure it will be worth the time.

 

[Lynne M]

Reminder: personal arguments are not welcome here.

 

[Searc]

I don't think it has to go on for "days" to have lasting negative PR. People booked this resort for a reason and it sounds like from those directly involved, it wasn't a good experience. Being comped and moved (regardless if it's deemed an upgrade) is not what the guests expected.

The question I would have is why the apparent lack of communication? Why wouldn't you have planned/exercised this scenario over-and-over again to execute a recovery plan?

So yeah...crap happens, but you can, and should, have communication strategies in place to counter this scenario.

It wasn't that it happened, it was how it was handled when it did happen.

 

[Glee1973]

We check in Friday morning. Any word on whether everything is back to normal? I’m sure this is a one and done thing. But not super reassuring!

 

[glocon]

Wow- we had a great stay a couple of weeks ago. Got upgraded from standard 2 Q to deluxe king on 12 th floor- it was incredible! You could see GE, Tower of terror, SE, fireworks at EP and HS... it was SO great! I hate others aren’t having the great experience we had. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. Hopefully in inconveniences people are having are rectified in a manner they feel appropriate. And hopefully management learns from this situation about better communication.

 

[joviroxx]

I am scheduled for split stay there in September. I hve no intention of changing plans. Do I think losing power is an issue? Sure, but those things happen. To me, its not the power issue but how Disney handled it. We've only heard from a handful of people, who I do not doub, however, from my understanding there were over 200 rooms that were affected. But I will withold judgement. How Disney handled it is easier to fix than the issue itself and I am sure Disney doesn't want to deal with that again. I will be there in September and consider it a one-off for now.

 

[Scubadaddy32]

It's was confirmed by a hotel employee that it was a transformer. That being the case, it's likely a large one and when I mean large I'm talking 18 wheeler piggy back and crane dropping it into place large. So it may take a day or two. This is a one off, so I wouldn't worry about it once the transformer is replaced. I'm staying there in Sept. and have zero concerns.

In Disney's defense, transformers often times give no warning signs before they go out, it's just the luck of the draw. Even if they did have the exact transformer on property waiting in reserve, it's still going to take a while to remove the dead one and replace it. There are a lot of things to bring back online for a complex, brand new hotel. In order to replace the transformer, they need to shut down everything powered by that particular transformer. Every disconnect and breaker needs to be turned off and then after the transformer is re-installed, they have to bring everything back up one disconnect and then one breaker at a time. I'm sure all the computer systems need to be checked... On and on... There could be issues with pumps or other equipment once they get all the power restored. This isn't exactly something the typical person with a Hotel and Restaurant management degree learns or understands until they go through it. This is as I call it, a "bubba issue" and those guys are not worried about communication, they are worried about safety and repairing the issue ASAP. ha

Most people are reporting they were given some sort of upgrade and or a discounted stay. I'm pretty sure the cast members didn't know what was going on either, why would they? The power was off, honestly, the issue was pretty self explanatory. When is it going to be repaired? There simply isn't a time table for issues like these. I've been there done that with property managers and I simply couldn't give them an answer. For some people who are quick to anger, no reasonable answer would be satisfactory anyway. ha

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

It's was confirmed by a hotel employee that it was a transformer. That being the case, it's likely a large one and when I mean large I'm talking 18 wheeler piggy back and crane dropping it into place large. So it may take a day or two. This is a one off, so I wouldn't worry about it once the transformer is replaced. I'm staying there in Sept. and have zero concerns.

In Disney's defense, transformers often times give no warning signs before they go out, it's just the luck of the draw. Even if they did have the exact transformer on property waiting in reserve, it's still going to take a while to remove the dead one and replace it. There are a lot of things to bring back online for a complex, brand new hotel. In order to replace the transformer, they need to shut down everything powered by that particular transformer. Every disconnect and breaker needs to be turned off and then after the transformer is re-installed, they have to bring everything back up one disconnect and then one breaker at a time. I'm sure all the computer systems need to be checked... On and on... There could be issues with pumps or other equipment once they get all the power restored. This isn't exactly something the typical person with a Hotel and Restaurant management degree learns or understands until they go through it. This is as I call it, a "bubba issue" and those guys are not worried about communication, they are worried about safety and repairing the issue ASAP. ha

Most people are reporting they were given some sort of upgrade and or a discounted stay. I'm pretty sure the cast members didn't know what was going on either, why would they? The power was off, honestly, the issue was pretty self explanatory. When is it going to be repaired? There simply isn't a time table for issues like these. I've been there done that with property managers and I simply couldn't give them an answer. For some people who are quick to anger, no reasonable answer would be satisfactory anyway. ha

Regardless of whether management or the CMs were told exactly what the issues was, there still should have been some mass communication to the guests. It's not hard to leave a voicemail for all rooms/guest cell phones on file for those staying in the tower along the lines of "We are currently experiencing intermittent power issues. We are working on resolving these issues and while we don't currently have an estimated time of restoration, we will keep you posted throughout the day. If you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us via phone or at the front desk."

It isn't a matter of whether they had concrete timelines for when it might be fixed - but rather that they failed in communicating with their guests. It's Florida, in August. I imagine many guests that left prior to 7 a.m. for a full day in the parks returned to get cleaned up to discover their rooms were hot and water was unavailable. A simple phone call could have better prepared them for the situation.

When it became evident that it was a transformer, and as you say the repairs for which are lengthy at the best of times, they should have begun taking action to relocate guests. But based on the reports I've read - many guests weren't aware of the issue or offered a solution until late in the afternoon/into the evening. By that time the power had been out for 8-10 hours. I find it very hard to believe that management wasn't aware that it was a transformer issues with potentially lengthy repair timelines prior to that point.