We just returned from our 3rd consecutive summer stay at the Dolphin and while our overall experience was more than fine, our trip to the Dolphin laundromat put a bit of a damper on our stay.
What should have been a 1-hour visit to do a load of whites and colors, turned into a 2 and a half hour marathon of futility. The biggest problem was/is the dryers--most of them don't dry. There is one coveted dryer that gets hot. The others don't get much above room temperature and take FOREVER to dry clothes. Clearly, these machines have not been serviced in quite some time. And the room was filthy. Compounding the problem was that they ran out of tokens and there was no recourse to get more anytime soon. A member of the Dolphin maintenance staff explained that the laundry services they provide are contracted out and there wasn't much they could do about it. So, instead of getting to bed by 11:30 p.m. we didn't get back to our room until 1 a.m.
I politely explained the situation to the front desk person. I said the laundry situation was unacceptable--certainly not acceptable for a deluxe hotel like the Dolphin. And that--like it or not-- the poor service provided by this outside contractor was damaging the Dolphin's overall brand image. I urged them to address the situation.
To her credit, the front desk person was completely empathetic and apologized profusely. She even awarded me some Starwood points for the inconvenience. I really appreciated that. However, I'd be more appreciative if the Dolphin would clean up its act and provide better laundry services.
But again I underscore...the Dolphin is a fine hotel with courteous staff.
What should have been a 1-hour visit to do a load of whites and colors, turned into a 2 and a half hour marathon of futility. The biggest problem was/is the dryers--most of them don't dry. There is one coveted dryer that gets hot. The others don't get much above room temperature and take FOREVER to dry clothes. Clearly, these machines have not been serviced in quite some time. And the room was filthy. Compounding the problem was that they ran out of tokens and there was no recourse to get more anytime soon. A member of the Dolphin maintenance staff explained that the laundry services they provide are contracted out and there wasn't much they could do about it. So, instead of getting to bed by 11:30 p.m. we didn't get back to our room until 1 a.m.
I politely explained the situation to the front desk person. I said the laundry situation was unacceptable--certainly not acceptable for a deluxe hotel like the Dolphin. And that--like it or not-- the poor service provided by this outside contractor was damaging the Dolphin's overall brand image. I urged them to address the situation.
To her credit, the front desk person was completely empathetic and apologized profusely. She even awarded me some Starwood points for the inconvenience. I really appreciated that. However, I'd be more appreciative if the Dolphin would clean up its act and provide better laundry services.
But again I underscore...the Dolphin is a fine hotel with courteous staff.
I washed an identical shirt when we got home and it's still good.
