I once offered speculation on the worst Marriott in North America, wondering if it was the Woodlands Plaza Toledo Hotel. A reader pushed back, arguing for the Carambola Beach Resort. Two years later I suspect they’re right.
I once wrote about the disaster of the unbranded Marriott hotel on St. Croix, the Carambola Beach Resort. It used to be a Renaissance, and elite benefits were still following the standard for Renaissance, but Marriott took away the brand – which is saying something, since it’s a conversion brand to begin with and has very loose standards.
It appears at one point to have been – at least in part – a money-laundering operation, and pocketed more in insurance damage claims than the hotel was worth. And then they invested very little of that back into the property. Still, renovations were supposed to be completed a year ago. So how are things going?
Recent reviews suggest.. downhill.
We booked this for our 20th anniversary trip off of Marriott website. We had planned to go back to St Thomas where we honeymooned but were lured away from the Frenchman’s Reef to this dump by the gorgeous photos on the website. After arriving it might be that those photos were taken while we were on our honeymoon 20 years ago.
Checking in we were informed there was no cable and the restaurant was not serving dinner that MONTH!! The property was not as pictured. Rundown and dilapidated. There were 2 inches of water standing in front of our room. The AC was not functioning and was dripping water on the bed and nightstand. The beach was covered in seaweed and looked up have not been manicured in months.
The pool was lime green and hadn’t been cleaned in at least a month. It was a health hazard. We sat down to grab some lunch and had to fight off the cats who were the main residents of the restaurant bar and grill. The paths were hazardous and covered in dirt and debris.
Our room was unclean, and had bed bugs, water bugs and even a spider beneath a barstool, leaving us very uncomfortable. Throughout the resort common areas, we noticed several spider webs and accumulated dust. I even noticed a housekeeper using a broom to “dust” lobby windows.
Additionally, the gym had a foul odor with several worn equipment, including a broken treadmill. The pool was out of service, sitting empty with no signs of repair, which felt unsafe and neglected.
Overall the property appeared unkept, with overfilled trash cans on the beach that went unattended , detracting from the natural beauty of the surroundings. In addition, the property was not well lit and walking thru the property felt unsafe.
The gutters had grass growing in them. The grounds were overgrown and not maintained. The pathways were not lighted. When we walked into the lobby there was water leaking from the ceiling and a towel was on the floor catching the water.
…The other thing I noticed is that the property was a ghost town. In my mind that means no one wants to stay here. On to the room. The first room we got we had to be shown the “trick” to open the door by the maid. As we entered, I noticed the room smelled very musty and damp. I decided that I did not want to deal with any “tricks” trying to enter my room and asked for another one.
…The bedding smelled sour…the toilet bowl was stained yellow, no cups in the cabinets, missing silverware, no phones, no alarm clock, and only one coffee cup with the coffee machine. There was an ironing board, but the iron was missing. The ceiling fan/ light over the bed did not work as well. The cable on the one working tv was chopping and reminded me of a tv I had has a kid. On that tv you had to adjust the rabbit ears to make the picture on it come in clear. This tv did not have any rabbit ears so we were stuck with a choppy picture all week.
The dry wall around some of the outlets was torn as well. There was green algae growing on the inside window sill.
…[W]e noticed the bar was the only restaurant open even though the website says there are two. … The spa is out of order as well as the pool. …The front desk advised us that the pool has been out of service for months. The whole time were there we did not see one person working on it. We wouldn’t have gotten into it anyway. The whole pool area looked nasty. …[F]or five days the same overflowing trash [by the beach] stayed in the same place and is probably still there. The wash station for your feet had weeds growing out of it and one of the drainage slats was broken causing a safety hazard.
[T]he water coming out of the shower and sinks was orange with rust or sediment. We could not wash or shower. Someone from security came by to confirm that the water was indeed orange, but nothing was done. He said that they had been having that problem with this room, but we were given it anyway. The following day we were moved to another room and refunded for the previous night’s stay. The new room had many what looked like gnats or fruit flies in the bathroom area. I alerted the front desk, but nothing was done.
Marriott deflagged this hotel, but it’s been years. What does it take for Marriott to sever ties? The answer appears to lie in CEO Jim Capuano’s statement that “when I die, they’ll put the net-rooms growth number on my tombstone.” Marriott will take just about any room, it seems. It seems you can no longer trust the ‘Marriott’ brand to know what you’re getting, or that you’re even getting a sanitary place to stay.
What did you expect ? This is the Caribbean , not Bermuda .
Good on people who call out the property, so maybe they will get their property up to par. You can’t trust a brand. I booked a Monanta stay at a 2-star hotel and had a better time than any three-star hotel down the street. Despite losing its name, the three-star hotel was still advertised as if it were still that property “formerly this brand and under renovation.” My friend says they are transitioning to a higher brand. I said perhaps they are transitioning to a lower brand.
Most properties are renting the name, so experiences are mixed. It is up to hotel owners to make it a great experience. Every brand has excellent and poor properties. You must comb over multiple reviews and websites, look at guest photos, and make your best judgment.
I’m confused – if Marriott took away the Renaissance brand why are they still marketing the hotel. Just checked Marriott’s website and, sure enough, it is listed as the “Carambola Beach Resort” however, personally, I would never stay in a Hilton, Marriott, IHG or Hyatt property that wasn’t listed as one of their brands (I know there are unique hotels and loose affiliations but even they are listed as “Tapestry”, for example, hotel). Also, the room rate of $192 for a random night in December when the Weston St John is $645 and the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef on St Thomas is $761 should be a dead giveaway something is wrong. Rating on Marriott website is 3.4 (which sounds generous but much lower than typical properties) and all it would take is a quick check on other review sites to get information.
Don’t get me wrong I agree it shouldn’t even be marketed by Marriott and hopefully the people that stayed there got compensated (BTW, I wouldn’t be there long enough to find spiders or bed bugs and surely wouldn’t eat at the restaurant regardless of cats bothering me) but some due diligence would have likely prevented this from happening,
We would have walked or and found another place if they could. Or fly home and file a claim with my travel insurance. (IMHO, travel insurance is just part of the trip. It’s a no brainer these days). The room sounds like a major health hazard.
Bonvoyed!
Marriott has no real interest in its program at all. Lately, I’ve found that Marriott hotels are routinely selling their room much cheaper through OTAs than in their own program. I booked an Aloft through C1 travel (5 days) and saved $200 off the “exclusive” member price on the Bonvoy website. I nearly did the same thing this summer (but booked a Hilton property instead). The AC hotel in Westport (Kansas City) had a similar issue when I searched in September. I know OTAs have issues, but for that type of discount, and the ability to earn transferable points rather than increasingly valueless Bonvoy points, I’m happy to risk it. The loyalty game is now forcing people to pay higher rack rates with worse rebates. If elite perks were consistently delivered, maybe the trade would make sense. But they are not so…why bother with such a program?
Say what you want about Hyatt, but I haven’t found them undercutting their own program with pricing games. And I don’t think I’ve seen it much with IHG either.
@Brent: And then you have the Marriotts that have been caught listing certain rooms on Airbnb, which presumably cuts into Marriott’s revenue. It would seem that Marriott is simply too big for enforcement. And I assume it will only get worse as they reduce corporate staffing. They’re taking on too many properties to actually police these properties. Forget a property cheating guests out of elite status benefits. There are now properties endangering guests, like this ex-Renaissance on St. Croix.
@ Gary — Best travel decision ever is to never stay at Marriott. They do not exist as far as I am concerned.
I would have called Platinum line immediately and told them they had to get me the hell out of there. an’t say I’m overwhelmed and sure they would help but I would certainly start there.
Not to worry. The free market will correct itself just like it did after the Pinto memo when Ford couldn’t survive the market backlash for killing its customers.
All of that, and he STAYED THERE A WEEK?
Agreed. Marriott management (sic) since Bill Jr and Arne continue to degrade the brand. Even though I am Lifetime Titanium, I am increasingly a free agent. Very sad decline to a brand that was once (IMHO) best-in-class.
Marriott lost its way a long time ago. I actively avoid them.
This resonates with me because we just checked out of a Marriott in Schaumburg IL and the hot water was sporadic, engineering came twice to fix the heater stuck on A/C. We had a double pane window that was home to an entire community of flies, Alive and dead. I used to look forward to Marriott now it’s a lot like gambling.
Perfectly lovely stay with the green water and all
If I was the GM I would have offered complimentary dinner in the closed restaurant
And complimentary cocktail by our pool if available
This hotel was completely renovated last year (summer of 2023). Every surface was replaced. How long ago was this review?
(It took a direct hit from Hurricane Maria eight days after Hurricane Irma in 2017)
It still has pretty bad service issues caused by a severe understaffing issue island wide, but the property itself is gorgeous. I live in St Croix. My brother and sister-in-law have stayed there twice, once with four teenage boys.
You might not get housekeeping and have to go get your own towels, and the property is in a very isolated part of the island, but it isn’t close to the worst Marriott I’ve been to. (I would rank the Ritz Carlton in St Thomas dead last)
I can co-sign on this. Stayed about 3 years ago. Looks like now it’s even worse. The hotel charged an $8 resort fee that was nowhere near the reservation system, or in the final confirmation email, or on the website. When I asked front desk to show me where it was disclosed, they drew blanks. We even made a dummy booking together to show it wasn’t disclosed. And yet they refused to remove and the GM would not come out to discuss it as promised the next day. I signed my CC slip as “under protest”, then filed a charge back and complained to Marriott. Eventually the property refunded the fees before the charge back dispute was resolved. Pool was also disgusting and the rooms were falling apart. Balcony doors on first floor didn’t lock properly and the bug screens were broken. Restaurant served food in to-go plastic containers which you took outside and then found a place outdoors to sit. Service and housekeeping responses were abysmal. Looks like our stay was good by comparison to how it is now.
@Jim from St Croix – November 9th, and confirmed by a new review posted just yesterday
@John: Probably because there was no place else to go. It’s not like a random island in the Caribbean — hardly an island known for tourism — is going to have a lot of options. The only good hotel on St Croix is the family owned Buccaneer and even then, that place is tired. Either do an Airbnb vacation rental on St Croix or go to a different island. The whole US Virgin Islands is pretty bad for what you pay. Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Mexican are much better options.
I stayed at this hotel in 2017 when it was a Renaissance. Before the hurricanes. It didn’t have a functioning restaurant then or even any amenities or services.
It depends on where. I was at the Marriott at Phu Quoc a few months ago and it was one of the most impressive places I’ve stayed. It’s a shame that you can’t trust the Marriott name. In all fairness, I was expecting a lot less before I got there because of the Marriott name.
that resort has been deflagged twice. it was a Westin until December 1998. What is sad about the resort is that it really has good bones: It was originally built as a Rock Resort, under Laurence Rockefeller. Room were spacious and well appointed, and it had a great beachfront location.
It’s pretty funny reading the canned response to the bad reviews on the Bonvoy site repeated verbatim over and over … “ Thank you for informing us about your experience while staying with us, as it is below our standards. Providing the highest level of hospitality is our number one priority, and I sincerely apologize for failing to meet your expectations. The problem is unacceptable on our part! I have addressed all your concerns, and the departments responsible are aware of them.”
Uh huh. Sure.
@Jorge Gonzales re: “canned response”. Yes, that is a sad characteristic in this day of AI where no one in management bothers to personally read a review. Basically a digital version of form letter junk mail from a company that doesn’t want to be bothered by customers.
I had a similar experience at the Royalton Grenada. They wouldn’t refund. Had to get a hold of Marriott customer service. Got 40K points after 6 months of back and forth and paying upwards of $700 for an all inclusive property in which restaurants were either closed or required a 2 hour wait for a table. I paid for a suite and got a standard room with a sitting chair. That was their suite. Don’t book at this property I mention. You will be wanting to get out as soon as you arrive.
I’ve stayed at The Woodlands Plaza Toledo Hotel. It used to be the best place in Toledo, now it’s an eyesore.
@Jorge Gonzalez: It was or is managed by Aimbridge. Aimbridge properties now use a vendor that specializes in reputational management to respond to surveys and guest reviews.
It seems the same way with all of the brands. We were in the St. Augustine country inns and suites downtown recently and it was absolutely horrible. Very similar to the problems above reached out to them and they had an AI bot get back to me. Sent them an email as requested and have heard nothing for weeks. Choice offered me points that would equal maybe a free night, but nobody ever bothered to find out what the issues were with the hotel! Literally got sick from the breakfast and had to report them, and they didn’t care. Horrible.
Marriott’s got so many friends and family freebies that they probably can’t afford them all. It seems like everyone I know whoever was even remotely somehow connected with Marriott and even if they worked for as little time as possible seems to have been given a lifetime perk.
Why stay five days in such a dump? Why even bother trying the tv when everything else seemed to be broken and dangerously unhygienic? Just the green pool would have sent me out of that place right away. I feel sorry for anyone in such a bad situation, but the best thing to do is to immediately photograph/video/record everything and then get out of there and find a lawyer.
Why stay if there are bedbugs? Bringing them home is not a good souvenier at all. It feels exaggerated because they stayed. But then again….
I’m totally amazed that this property is almost sold out over the Christmas holiday. Don’t people check reviews of a hotel before they book it???
Still a problem. We arrived for a week in May. Staff tried to be accommodating, but after 1 night we bolted for the Buccaneer.
This doesn’t surprise me at all. I was a rewards member for over 20 years. I stayed several times a year in several different places. I could always count on a clean quality room. This changed for me in August 2023. Townplace suites in Goodlettesville, TN room 426 was infested with bed bugs. The local Manager accused me of lying. Even though there were pillows in plastic bags on an upstairs random open space – they knew! I emailed corporate and was given a generic reply. I traded my 100k Marriott points for Lowe’s gift cards. Got rid of my Marriott credit card and uninstalled the bonvoy app. I will never set foot in any hotel ever again. Throwing all my stuff out (I’m not bringing that crap home) and the whole experience was traumatic.
@JImC: I’ve always wondered too. You think by now the hotel would change its name or do a superficial renovation and then get TripAdvisor to remove all the old reviews on the basis that a renovation occured. These are well-known tricks that hotels use.
I stayed there in September for a week. Pretty much it is all true. I used points, and when I got there, the pool was awful, they didn’t have the main restaurant available, (only bar food), and the TV system didn’t work in most rooms. The room we had was OK, not great, but liveable. We were right on the beach, so we spent time there opposed to the pool area. The power in the room would go out all the time. The staff were really nice and they didn’t have anything nice to stay about the ownership. It seemed to be a well understood fact that something was going on. I’ve run into other various issues at Marriott properties, and in the end they don’t do anything about it or compensation worth the effort. Maybe some token points, but basically nothing.
And you actually stayed there ? You didn’t run for the door (or the nearest cab?) for me the towel in the lobby would have given me the sign to run .
@HGA: I stayed at the Royalton Grenada in December, and fortunately did not have the problems you described. I always ate at the buffet, so I don’t know about restaurant wait times; but i did pass a couple, and didn’t see lines of more than 2 or 3 parties.
I stayed in one of the beach-front units as booked, which was nice. But that put it far enough away from the main building that I made use of their golf cart shuttle service.
My biggest complaint is that it’s at practically the other end of the island from the airport, so it takes a $100 cab ride to get there.
When in the US, I don’t understand why people don’t call the local health department on bedbugs and other issues. Bedbugs especially. It’s crazy how some hotels make sure to take care of the bedbug issue, and others flat out deny the issue all the time. Pretty wild to think that not taking care of these issues and calling customers liar’s will keep your business thriving.