Who else has had bad servcie with the Poly staff?

[mr.mike]

If you read my trip report you know what a horror it was dealing with the Poly. If i never have to retell my blood and glass story again it will be too soon!
Anyway, i've since heard from some people saying they've noticed a decline in the professionalism of the cast members there.
I'd be interested in hearing your story to compare.

Mike

 

[perpetualplanner]

On our poly concierge trip last May we all were sick with the stomach flu. We needed new bedding one day and when we asked the concierge staff (nicely and apologetically) they were somewhat snippy about it. I kind of expected an "I hope you all are feeling better" or something but definately not an attitude about it. I almost felt the need to apologize for being sick - but I didn't.

 

[Kim&Chris]

We stayed at the Poly last year and it was the most wonderful experience I've ever had at Disney.....except for the housekeeping.

My one and only disappointment about the Poly was with our housekeeper. She did a horrible job of making the beds every day. In fact, I had to re-make the bed almost every night. For some strange reason, she could not tuck the sheets into the mattress & they'd be a mess by morning. So, each night when we got back from the parks, I'd take the quilt off & re-make the bed. Very frustrating but, other than that, I had no problems at all with the Poly!

 

[skiwee1]

I've stayed at the Poly 3 times in the last 18 months and have nothing but good things to say! That is 36 days at the Poly with no problems! I've read good and bad about ALL the WDW resorts. There is always going to be problems as WDW is not perfect. I haven't read your trip report but will when I get the chance but I'm sorry your trip wasn't good. I take reading the bad problems at resorts with a grain of salt. If I chose my resort based on others reports I would have to stay home as everyone of them have had their ups and down. I'm going back to the Poly in April and next May and .......................... LOL!

 

[Bojangles]

We had a minor problem with housekeeping. We would return from the parks between 3-4 PM (we either did EE mornings or got to the parks at opening so we had left quite early) and our room wasn't made up. Some days not until after 5. We were in concierge and we were surprised that the turndown service lady didn't beat the regular house keeper.

We did complain to concierge after the first couple of days but they told us the building was full and there wasn't much they could do.

 

[barbeml]

So sorry and surprised that you had trouble with Poly staff. We were beyond impressed with all CMs there last fall.

From the fabulous Lynn who checked us in to our incredible mousekeeper Rhonda to Deb at the Kona Cafe, we felt like "family" from the moment we arrived.

 

[ljsmom]

We were very disappointed with our stay in July '02. It did not ruin our trip, but we will not stay there again. We had much better service at ASMo & POR. The bus service was terrible, the water was turned off without notice while my friend was in the shower (she then had to move to a different building to finish her shower!), and the worst thing was that my friend left her digital camera in the room when she checked out. I was staying a few extra days so when she called the hotel from the airport they said they found it and it would be at the front desk for me to pick up. They said it was in the log book and it would not be a problem. When I went to pick it up, no one knew where it was. They left me waiting for an hour and finally said they could not open the safe and I should come back in the morning. When I went back the next day they still could not find it. A CM must have taken it. My friend got reimbursed $500, the maximum possible, but it did not cover everything. All of the people we had to deal with were very rude and unsypathyetic.

 

[KathyTX]

Hmmm...

After reading

what a horror it was dealing with the Poly

and

If i never have to retell my blood and glass story again it will be too soon!

I just had to go see your trip report.

Honestly, I didn't find "horror" in your experiences...

My take on your situation, from reading the report, is that the resort was full. They gave you a room in an awesome location, but there were some (mostly minor) housekeeping and maintenance issues with the room.

You called to report the problems, they assigned your family to another (less awesome) room, and you sat and waited for someone to come and discuss the housekeeping and maintenance issues of the FIRST ROOM with you. You wanted this to be the Resort Manager, not the Housekeeping Manager. You were then late to some events you had planned...

My question is why you wanted to stay and go over the housekeeping/maintenance issues in this room when you (1) had already been moved to another room, (2) you either already had or could have reported each problem to the resort, and (3) no one in your party had been hurt, injured, threatened, or otherwise harmed in any way?

The "glass" issue was that you found a couple of pieces of broken glass on the patio. Not a good thing, but you HAD already reported the problem, no one got hurt, and you were moved. The "blood" issue sounds like a little smear on the bathroom wall, with one drop of dried blood on the floor beneath it... again, no one was hurt, no one was at risk, housekeeping missed it and you reported it.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see any "horror". I see a very busy resort staff, one room that didn't get quite as much housekeeping attention as it should have, and a guest who wanted to have the top man at the entire, very busy resort come and spend time listening to how much this disappointed him. And it sounds like a big part of your objection to the room was subjective- you had a "bad feeling" about it after Louis left. I can't imagine what this might have accomplished that couldn't have been taken care of just as effectively with a note written on a comment card.

I'm not saying this as a Polynesian apologist, but it sounds like the staff did what I would expect them to do in this situation. I'm sorry your stay was not up to your expectations, and I hope your next trip is much better.

 

[Meekomaria]

I'm sorry - KathyTX -- but I have to disagree. With the rates that the Poly charges for their rooms, I would expect better service than that. First, I would have been totally grossed out by the blood thing and then for management not to handle the issue was horrible. I was reading his trip reports and couldn't believe the service he was getting. I actually think he handled it much better than I would have.

I'm been going to Disney for many years and I'm the first to defend them. But when service does not live up to what it should -- especially when paying deluxe resort rates -- then Disney should know about it.

My husband and I just got back from our vacation and we stayed at swan for 3 days and the Poly for 9 days (just for back on Oct 8, so we too have recent experiences). While I like the convenience and theming of the Poly better, I have to say that the overall service level was much better at the swan. Everybody from the check in desk to the bellman to the restaurant employees -- the swan was just much more professional and willing to go out of their way for you -- and trust me, this is hard to admit since I've been such a Poly fan for so long.

 

[BCV23]

We've stayed at the Polynesian 30 or so times now starting in 1983 and as recently as June. I think the staff there is wonderful and have noticed no decline in service other than things like turndown in all rooms and toiletries specific to the Polynesian, etc and those kinds of things changed years ago. The actual service is as friendly and relaxed as always. We were there 6/02, 10/02, 3/03, 6/03...well you get the idea. We love the staff of the Polynesian and really think they help make it such a magical place to stay. We'll be back in a couple of weeks and I can't wait. Will probably stay for some days in March too if I can get a good rate.

I also wouldn't have waited around in a room after my family had already been moved. In fact, I don't think I would have wanted to move but rather just have housekeeping in to fix things. They've always been very attentive to any small problems we've had in the rooms.

Sorry your stay wasn't as you expected.

 

[mr.mike]

Originally posted by BCV23

I also wouldn't have waited around in a room after my family had already been moved. In fact, I don't think I would have wanted to move but rather just have housekeeping in to fix things. They've always been very attentive to any small problems we've had in the rooms.
.

We did not wait around after we had been moved. We made our first phone call at 4pm. After we kept finding problems we kept making calls as luis asked us to. We weren't assigned a new room until after 6pm. And this was done because i asked to be moved when after 2 hours not one cast member came to investigate a claim of blood on the wall and floor, not to mention the yellow goop all over the floor with the furniture moved to hide it, the missing security latch, the hole in the wall.....

Once we got the room after 6pm I brought the kids over there with my mother and my wife stayed with all our bags.
We missed our PS (which was between 5 and 5:30) because i wasn't going to leave the redrum room not knowing where i was spending the night and i did not want to spend it in that room.

Even if we had been moved earlier and our bags moved too i still would have wanted to point out in person all the problems there. I certainly wouldn't want another guest to experience what we did.

If anyone of you think the Poly acted appropriately your standards are much lower than mine, deluxe or not.

Don't forget the room assignor who was "pulling strings and moving people around" to get us back in that building. And then put us back in the same room, which still wasnt clean at that point... which was 12:30 the next afternoon.

The Poly did not act appropriately, they did not act at all. I had to request to be moved, I had to call them the next day when they said they would call me. I had to contact them again to find out the new old room was ready when they said they will call us as soon as it is.
I'm shocked KathyTX would think the Poly acted as she expected them too. Maybe she's a cast memeber there. I don't know...


Someone there told us if we wanted results to go into the main lobby and loudly ask when someone was going to check the blood and glass in our room. They said if we yelled it angrily and in front on guests checking in we'd get faster and better results. I laughed that off because i'm not likethat. I spoke calmly and yes politely and got no where. But you know, if that every happens anywhere again i know what to do.

2 final thoughts
This would have been a lot simpler if someone, anyone , after the first phone call came to our room, checked it out and apologized.
I did not ask for a manager ( a request denied) until we waited more than 2 hours. I really wanted someone to say a simple "we're sorry".

Can you Imagine how dirty that room really was if it was supposedly cleaned and was still that filthy.



Finally, blood (on the wall and drops on the floor )in this day and age is never a MINOR issue or a SMALL problem.


Mike

 

[KathyTX]

I'm shocked KathyTX would think the Poly acted as she expected them too. Maybe she's a cast memeber there. I don't know...

Um, no.

You were assigned a room that wasn't properly maintained or cleaned. You asked to be moved, and they moved you. That's an appropriate response to your problem. They asked what you wanted them to do- send housekeeping or assign a new room. They did exactly what you requested.

But it seems like most of your aggravation comes after that. They moved you to a new garden view room in Rapa Nui- exactly the type of room you booked. But you wanted a better location, and were annoyed that they didn't have one right away, or that they couldn't tell you when one would be available. I don't think they can tell you precisely when any specific room will be available- not until the guests in it actually check out. They might stay late, or extend their stay at the last minute. When the resort is fully booked, it really isn't surprising that they don't know where you could be reassigned ahead of time.

The matter of you waiting and waiting and insisting on personally pointing out each problem to a manager of the resort is that part that seems odd to me.

Goodness knows that the Polynesian costs a pretty penny, and for that we expect a beautifully maintained room and a magical atmosphere. But sometimes housekeeping slips up. Sometimes a rowdy and thoughtless guest might have stayed in the room before you, and caused problems that housekeeping or maintenance doesn't know about yet- until YOU report those problems. Sometimes those problems might be difficult to fix when a room is occupied (the hole/kick mark in the wall?)

When a room is not acceptable, it is reasonable to either request that the problems be fixed, or that you be assigned another room.

It is not reasonable to demand an audience with a manager so you may personally point out each deficiency with the room that you have already been moved out of.

Had this been my family, we would have asked to be moved, listed either in writing or in a report to the front desk each problem with the room, moved to our new room, and moved on with our plans for the evening.

Perhaps if you had been a cast member, I would better understand your insistence on personally managing the resolution of the problems in your former room...

We did not wait around after we had been moved.

Sure you did!

From your trip report:

It's now 5pm ... I walk to the lobby ...He asks if I want housekeeping to clean it again...we don’t feel comfortable and I think we should move.
They move us to Rapa Nui ...We pack everything up and as bell services arrive I leave with my mom and kids to bring them to the new room so they wont be interrupting us as we speak to the manager.

At this point, your problem had been resolved. You had been moved to a new room, and you could have gone on the the CP and the party and had a great evening! But no! You are waiting so you can speak with a manager, about problems you've already reported!

When I retuen to Somoa...It is 6pm now, an hour after my visit to the desk and no one has called or shown up...
After another 10 minutes I call my mom in the new room and tell her to come back. ...After 10 more minutes the housekeeping manager shows up, apologizes and says he just found out right now about the situation. This is two and one-half hours after our first call and he was just notified.
We go over the list reminding him of what Luis said and hoe he acted

So you moved your mom and kids to the new room, and you and your wife waited for an audience with the manager in the old room!

The kids and my mom show up and we leave now to get to the party at peak arriving time...just before 7pm.

He offers to take some money off todays room bill.

They moved you to a new room, you got an apology, and they offered to make a monetary adjustment to your account.

Sorry, I still don't see "horror", just some pretty routine inconvenience...

 

[lat]

double post

 

[lat]

I am a big convert to be a Poly fan.

For years I refused to stay there because I thought it looked kind of dark and dated.

However, this past August/September's stay completely changed my opinion on Poly.

We stayed at concierge there and LOVED it.

We are bringing my whole family back there and reserved 3 rooms (no concierge this time, no availability for the AP rate) and I am very much looking forward to it.

The only person I did not care for during our entire stay was the bell hop guy who took us to the room. He was only nice at the end when I tipped him. Otherwise, I thought he really had an attitude.

BTW, I agree with another poster that I feel Swan's people try much harder to please the customers than Disney resorts' CMs. We had a great stay there in May. However, there is just something about Disney, despite Swan's great services, the heavenly beds and the great rate, I still want to stay at a Disney resort more. Why is that?!!!

 

[Bojangles]

I don't understand why he camped out in the old room after the problem was solved. If I had a new room, compensation and an apology I certainally wouldn't waste valuble vacation time worrying about what was being done with the old room. It sounds like the staff resolved the problem. I wonder if he may have wanted a free upgrade to concierge or lagoon view or something as "compensation"

 

[Sammie]

You asked so here is my take on the service at the Polynesian. I think on any given day it can be the best offered anywhere. On any given day it can be less than that. It is after all staffed by humans. That means that some time everything is not up to the standards I expect.

However I have to agree with Kathy on this one and I am not a CM either. Just a frequent guest. If I am unhappy with my room then after a reasonable solution has taken place I forget it and move on. If I check into a less than desireable room there truely are only 2 options. Have the staff fix what is wrong with the room I am in, or move to another room in the same price category I paid for. Either way the problem is solved.

If the staff was not willing to move me or fix the problem, then Yes I have a legitimate complaint. Any thing else is just nit picking, as my Grandpa would say.

 

[luvdzny]

We stayed in Poly concierge in November 2001 and will never return! The concierge staff practically ignored us, we have had better service at other Disney resorts when we were not staying concierge. A couple of examples: I had a question about a special event that was taking place at MGM, I was not sure of the time so I checked with the concierge staff. They gave me the phone # to MGM and told me to call and find out, I guess I figured that was part of the reason I was paying extra for their services, I could have looked up the phone # myself. We never received any type of itinerary listing our PS's, I asked at check in and they wrote them down for us. When we arrived for 2 of the 3 PS's they had made for us, there was no record of us having PS's at at all. They sent me 3 seperate planning sheets to fill out (all identical) I filled one out but never received a call or e-mail prior to our trip. I called and left a couple of messages but never received a return phone call. I did write a letter of complaint after our trip, and received a brief "sorry about that" phone call, but that was it. There were a few other problems as well, it did not ruin our trip, but I have no desire to stay at the Poly again!

 

[mr.mike]

Originally posted by KathyTX

The matter of you waiting and waiting and insisting on personally pointing out each problem to a manager of the resort is that part that seems odd to me.
When a room is not acceptable, it is reasonable to either request that the problems be fixed, or that you be assigned another room.

It is not reasonable to demand an audience with a manager so you may personally point out each deficiency with the room that you have already been moved out of.


At this point, your problem had been resolved. You had been moved to a new room, and you could have gone on the the CP and the party and had a great evening! But no! You are waiting so you can speak with a manager, about problems you've already reported!



So you moved your mom and kids to the new room, and you and your wife waited for an audience with the manager in the old room!

Kathy, It may seem odd to you but very simply, the strange way the cast memebr acted before letting us in the room, telling us to call if we find "anything, ANYTHING at all". It wans't your standard "call if you have any questions or problems".

Also as i said above I would not want any other guest to go into that room and find those conditions. Its called being concerned.
If the glass was outside near the pool would you make a call and leave and allow someone to step and cut themselves on it before anyone arrived? I wouldn't. Same principle.

And as they told us with each phone call (except the first) that someone would be right there, yes we waited. There was no demand to see a manager. They kept telling us they were sending someone. And they never contacted anyone.


When no one showed i went to the desk at 5pm. I didn't GET a new room at 5pm.

I asked if a manager would be coming and i was told no. The housekeeping manager was coming. And he didnt show for another hour and twenty minutes,and told us he had just been notified 10 minutes ago when he did arrive.
We got everything moved to the new room by 6pm so there is no way we could have made our PS at the crystal palace.

Here comes the waiting and waiting part, Kathy.

Then yes at 6:10 with no one showing yet i did the inconceivable act of WAITING 10 more minutes before calling my mom to comback to the room so we could leave and go to the party.

Then 10 minutes later housekeeping arrived and as we were speaking to him, mom and kids arrived.
Then we left and went to the Halloween Party

It is very reasonable to ask for someone to come to the room when you find blood and glass in it. My frustration comes from the fact that no one, (housekeeping, manager) came to check the claim. I wasn't asking for an extra towel (which by the way they always left enough for only 3) or a pillow.

Hopefully you are not a CM there but you'd fit right in. As a customer though the Poly would love to have you. They'd be able to treat you badly and you'd expect them to act that way.

And we did have a good time at the Party. The only time the vacation wasn't fantastic was when we had to deal with the Poly staff.

 

[mr.mike]

Originally posted by Bojangles
I don't understand why he camped out in the old room after the problem was solved. If I had a new room, compensation and an apology I certainally wouldn't waste valuble vacation time worrying about what was being done with the old room. "

Bojangles read the report and you'll see no camping out and no problem solved.

And please show me where there was an apology while we waited. No one had shown up to aplogize.

I never asked for any compensation and none was offered until the housekeeping manager came to the room. And i told him i didn't care about that. He asked what i would like and i say i'd like to be in this building but what i really need is a ground floor.

 

[KathyTX]

Originally posted by mr.mike
Bojangles read the report and you'll see no camping out and no problem solved.

I guess we have different definitions of "problem solved." They moved you to another room. It would seem that THAT solved the problem. At least it would have solved YOUR problem. The housekeeping and maintenance issues in the unoccupied room would have remained THEIR problem.

What, precisely, would have constituted "problem solved" for you?

(As someone else pointed out, perhaps you were holding out for a free upgrade to a better class of room than you had booked?)

Originally posted by mr.mike
And please show me where there was an apology while we waited. No one had shown up to aplogize.

What about this:

After 10 more minutes the housekeeping manager shows up, apologizes and says he just found out right now about the situation.

Originally posted by mr.mike
Hopefully you are not a CM there but you'd fit right in. As a customer though the Poly would love to have you. They'd be able to treat you badly and you'd expect them to act that way.

My comments are addressed to the way you handled this particular situation, not your character.

Actually, my standards are pretty high and I expect value for my money. But I think you need to take a realistic look at your expectations. You asked to be moved, and they moved you. The staff was not rude to you, but they were very busy. I really don't read anywhere that you were treated badly.

You had "horror" and "bad feelings" and "strange feelings" and you didn't "feel comfortable"... The resort staff can't change the way you FEEL. You seem very concerned about the blood on the wall and how it got there- "this wasn’t from cutting themselves shaving." What does it matter? Were you feeling like this was a crime scene, and you wanted to be sure there was an investigation? It sounds like a small bit of old blood, there are many possible explanations for it, and the drama does seem a tad overwrought.

I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly what you wanted the staff to do other than move your family to another room. Perhaps the staff had the same problem.