# Harborside Power Outage



## Joshadelic (Jul 31, 2014)

Not loving our experience at Harborside. We have been without power for almost 48 hours straight now and the staff is NOT handling the situation well AT ALL. After sitting in our room for over 12 hours with no power, then were nice enough to move us over to The Reef (which is VERY nice, by the way) only after finding out that they couldn't fix the power until tomorrow because they needed a part from a store that was closed. But all of our food we brought and purchased here is now spoiled and we have had to spend a lot more money at restaurants than we normally like to. Supposedly they are going to compensate us for all of this - if that's even possible.


----------



## Joshadelic (Jul 31, 2014)

UPDATE:

Now they're trying to kick us out of the room they put us in at The Reef and told us to go sit in the transit lounge until the part they need to fix the generator is flown in.

Has anyone here gone through anything like this at a Starwood property? If so, what was done to compensate you? We have hundreds of dollars worth of spoiled food, excursions we've had to cancel, crazy restaurant bills, etc.


----------



## presley (Jul 31, 2014)

I recall reading this happening about a year ago?  I believe it is the same resort.  Some searching should pull up the thread.  I suppose I could have read it on another board, but a google search should pull that, too.


----------



## Joshadelic (Jul 31, 2014)

UPDATE:

We are now being kicked out of our 2br lock-off and 1br units at The Reef and being moved to different units on a different floor. Apparently they have guests that are booked to stay tonight in the particular rooms we are in now.

Still no power at Harborside for over 48 hours now. This is totally unacceptable.


----------



## twinmommy19 (Jul 31, 2014)

wow - if they make you move back to the Harborside after all this that would be incredibly unfair (asking you to pack up again).  That's ridiculous...


----------



## Joshadelic (Jul 31, 2014)

bonk2boy said:


> wow - if they make you move back to the Harborside after all this that would be incredibly unfair (asking you to pack up again).  That's ridiculous...



Well, that's what they're going to make us do. The Reef is completely booked for tomorrow night, so we have to be out of our rooms tomorrow morning and we have absolutely no idea where we're going.


----------



## Joshadelic (Jul 31, 2014)

We're now in different villas at The Reef. After dealing with my wife's wrath, the Operations Manager at Harborside (Chavez) and the Manager of the Reef were somehow able to make it so we can stay in our villas at The Reef until Sunday. 

That's at least one problem solved.

But how could they begin to compensate us for everything else? What is the vacation time and money that someone saves for an entire year to take their family on vacation worth once it's ruined? We brought my parents with us for my mom's 60th birthday present. How do you put a price tag on ruining that gift? I'm very curious to see how they'll handle that. If we were at a really nice hotel and this happened, they would have comped our stay and probably bought us food and drinks on top of that. If done right, they might even make you happy that something bad happened. I've had that kind of service before at Starwood properties and that's one of the biggest reasons we decided to buy our timeshares with them. I'm not holding my breath for that to happen this time though.


----------



## Sea Six (Jul 31, 2014)

Do you think they are doing the best they can?  It wasn't their fault.  Can you imagine what it would be like there if a major hurricane was happening?  Yes, it's a shame, but this stuff happens.  I remember reading a story like this a few years ago when a family happened to be there when a major hurricane hit.  It ruins your vacation, but be glad your vacation wasn't ruined by a heart attack.  That wouldn't be anyone's fault, either.


----------



## Joshadelic (Jul 31, 2014)

Of course it's not their fault that the power is out. What we're upset about is there complete mishandling of the situation. They are NOT doing their best. 

My wife spent two full days of her vacation trying to get a hold of people, all of whom gave her different information. They'd promise they'd speak to someone, and never did. They'd promise they'd call her back, and never did. She spent two full days sitting in a hotel lobby or in a room waiting for the phone to ring. NOBODY was speaking to each other. Sometimes they'd flat out lie.

The lack of organization was ATROCIOUS. Yes, we are so glad this wasn't a hurricane, because the prospect of putting our safety and our lives and those of our children in the hands of such inept, disorganized, lackadaisical MORONS would be alarming as hell.

It's not the blackout that ruined our vacation. We understand that happens. My wife used to manage a small mediocre hotel and she would have NEVER let her staff handle things the way this "world class resort" did. My wife was the one telling the front desk staff that maybe they should take the stacks of bottled water they had in the office and offer it to the tired, thirsty, frustrated guests who'd been crammed into a tiny lobby all afternoon with no answers.

When lights go out in the Caribbean, which is very common, hotels have a plan. They should have started to smoothly transfer people over the first night, not 24 hours later. They should have had someone in the lobby giving information, providing some leadership.

So no, I don't think they were doing the best they could, at all. They seemed unfazed and were calmly eating their lunch in the back office while hundreds of guests were waiting in the lobby for new room assignments or even a morsel of information. I don't know about you, but when I have a huge crap show of a crisis at my job, I don't sit and shoot the breeze with my colleagues while my customers suffer. 

My wife is now an ER doctor. Do you think when her ER goes to hell in a handbasket with patients in the hallways, a full waiting room, and seven ambulances arriving at once, that she sits down for a leisurely lunch? 

It's not what happened that upsets us. It's how it was handled.


----------



## Joshadelic (Jul 31, 2014)

UPDATE: We are in one new room at the Reef but still no word on the other two.

Still no power at Harborside. Glad my wife refused to let them put us in the transit lounge, or we might well be spending the night there.

Camping would have been so much cheaper...


----------



## vistana101 (Jul 31, 2014)

I am so sorry about your experience. I truly hope they compensate you very well. Vacations are some of the most important weeks of the year, and it is such a shame when they don't go well.


----------



## ada903 (Jul 31, 2014)

Is the entire Harborside resort out of power? Or just your villa?


----------



## DeniseM (Jul 31, 2014)

ada903 said:


> Is the entire Harborside resort out of power? Or just your villa?



Sounds like the entire resort:  





Joshadelic said:


> hundreds of guests were waiting in the lobby for new room assignments or even a morsel of information.


----------



## Tradetimes (Jul 31, 2014)

Last winter, we dont have water during 24H...they give us 2 free days of internet wireless!!

Fiouuu i'm not owner at Harborside!


----------



## puckmanfl (Jul 31, 2014)

good evening...

joshadelic...

From one ER doc to another..I feel your wife's angst!!!


----------



## klpca (Jul 31, 2014)

> It's not what happened that upsets us. It's how it was handled.



Exactly!

We were at WPORV in April and had a "scheduled" power outage - that clearly had been scheduled ahead of time but we were not made aware of until they slipped a sheet of paper under the door the night before. (It was some kind of upgrade to the onsite power plant). Had we known earlier, we would have made different plans for the week and rearranged activities so that we would have been off-site on that day. We received exactly zero compensation. I didn't expect much, but even a voucher for a drink at the bar would have been a nice touch.

Even though it was only from 9:00am until 2 or 3:00 (I can't remember) it was a real pain. I cannot even imagine multiple days! I think they should give you another week, plus reimburse you for the spoiled food.


----------



## Joshadelic (Jul 31, 2014)

ada903 said:


> Is the entire Harborside resort out of power? Or just your villa?



All of Phase II.


----------



## DeniseM (Jul 31, 2014)

It won't change what you went through, but I will put together a concise account of the poor way you were treated, and make copies of all your extra expenses, and send a bill to the resort mgr., and cc the BOD, and the SVN corporate office.


----------



## Negma (Aug 1, 2014)

We went through this at Harborside early May of THIS year, though it was scheduled. They did a poor job communicating it was going to happen, then it went long and they did not handle that well.

They gave us a $100 room credit for the day. This sounds far worse.


----------



## Ken555 (Aug 1, 2014)

Josh, Twitter is your friend in these situations. Use it.


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 1, 2014)

I find this very disturbing.  Did they relocate everyone to new locations or are some people still "in the dark"?


----------



## chriskre (Aug 1, 2014)

Wow!  Shame on them.
this is the Caribbean everyone has generators.
I cant believe this hoyty toyty resort didn't buy them too. 
I agree to Twitter Facebook Tripadvisor Instagram and anything else you can to get their attention.
I hope they finally make this right.  
At least you still have the beach.
Did they close the pools too?



Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


----------



## scootr5 (Aug 1, 2014)

chriskre said:


> Did they close the pools too?



I would hope if the pumps aren't working they did.....


----------



## chriskre (Aug 1, 2014)

scootr5 said:


> I would hope if the pumps aren't working they did.....



I would hope they at least have generators for those. 

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 1, 2014)

scootr5 said:


> I would hope if the pumps aren't working they did.....



The pool was open. Not sure how because you would think it would run off of Phase II's power. By the way, the power outage also caused the water to not work in all of the villas. At one point, the first floor villas had sewage running out of their toilets onto their floors.

It's been about 72 hours now and still no power.


----------



## RnU (Aug 1, 2014)

What a shame! What you're describing is the opposite of a vacation, nothing but stress and grief


----------



## Passepartout (Aug 1, 2014)

I would be VERY tempted to call my travel insurance carrier and say "GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!" The above is NOT a description of a vacation.

Jim


----------



## dundey (Aug 1, 2014)

Wow, 3 days that is really NOT the way you want to spend a vacation.  I hope they do compensate you for it.

Having said that, this stuff happens.  We were in OBX for hurricane Dennis several years ago.  We were one of the only areas on the banks that did not have mandatory evacuation, so no refund or compensation at all for our expensive rented house.  And the hurricane last almost the entire week.

The only thing you can do is try to have fun (drink!) and make the best of it.  Life is too short.


----------



## SueDonJ (Aug 1, 2014)

Seems like a natural disaster is a lot different from an infrastructure problem at a resort.  For a natural disaster I'd expect the resort to have some kind of plan in place to ensure guest safety as much as is humanly possible (knowing that it's not always possible,) and that would be the extent of their responsibility.

But this is a disgrace!  For what's happening at Harborside this week I'd expect more, MUCH MORE, and after 12 hours I'd be going right over the resort level and contacting Starwood executive level.  It's understandable that if the properties are all booked then there's nothing they can do to put you up onsite, but once the problem continued into 14/15 hours they should have been searching high and low in the area for alternative lodgings and they should have comped them.  Since they didn't do what should have been done, they've lost their chance to do the right thing and it's time for the big guns.

Here's your leadership team.  The CEO and President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is Frits Van Paasschen.  I'd use whatever customer service number you have and demand to be transferred to his office.  The least you'll be doing is putting him on notice that you'll be contacting an attorney when you return home, because you believe that you are entitled to compensation.  (And if I were a Harborside Owner, I'd be watching my MF's closely next year to make sure that the compensation isn't coming out of owners' pockets.)


----------



## Passepartout (Aug 1, 2014)

SueDonJ said:


> (And if I were a Harborside Owner, I'd be watching my MF's closely next year to make sure that the compensation isn't coming out of owners' pockets.)



Where else would it be coming from? Owners by definition, OWN the resort and as such are on the hook for the repairs and compensation of those guests and other owners who have the bad luck to be there during this outage. It sux, but that's what happens to owners. I hope the management has a big, fat insurance policy to cover this.

Jim


----------



## DeniseM (Aug 1, 2014)

Starwood monitors TUG, and I'm sure they are coming up with a generous plan, to compensate owners for the miserable failure of the management at Harborside to deal with this emergency.  No doubt they will pay this compensation out of management coffers, since it's obvious that the management company failed Starwood owners, and ruined many vacations.


----------



## SueDonJ (Aug 1, 2014)

Passepartout said:


> Where else would it be coming from? Owners by definition, OWN the resort and as such are on the hook for the repairs and compensation of those guests and other owners who have the bad luck to be there during this outage. It sux, but that's what happens to owners. I hope the management has a big, fat insurance policy to cover this.
> 
> Jim



Management is Starwood Hotels & Resorts and they should be covering any compensation related to this one event because of their poor handling of it.  That's what makes it a non-owners responsibility.  The owners will be on the hook for whatever infrastructure repairs are necessary, sure, because equipment maintenance and replacement is a component of the MF's.  But this situation has been handled very poorly by the staff, as if they have no direction at all from the management.  Compensation due for endangering the health and safety of the onsite guests, in this case, isn't due to owner negligence or a result of owner action but rather management incompetence and inaction.

Is it possible that the exec offices aren't even aware of what's going on there?  I'd find that very hard to believe but it's really the only thing that explains the resort personnel's apparent lack of any direction.

{ETA}  What Denise said.


----------



## BJRSanDiego (Aug 1, 2014)

Ken555 said:


> Josh, Twitter is your friend in these situations. Use it.



I've had really good luck from Facebook.  My record was three hours from the FB posting until the resort general manager called and said they corrected the problem.    Here's a possible link that Starwood may regularly review:  https://www.facebook.com/StarwoodVacationNetwork


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 1, 2014)

BJRSanDiego said:


> I've had really good luck from Facebook.  My record was three hours from the FB posting until the resort general manager called and said they corrected the problem.    Here's a possible link that Starwood may regularly review:  https://www.facebook.com/StarwoodVacationNetwork



So I just checked out the Facebook page and saw this 

"LAST CHANCE! Send us your best vacation action photo and you could win up to 100,000 Starpoints® from the Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG) program."

I wonder if some vacation photos of the guests escaping the sewers backing up would get action.:hysterical:


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 1, 2014)

Not sure if the power or water is working at Harborside Phase II yet, but we finally got them to put us up at The Reef until we check out on Sunday. It's REALLY nice over here, but not nice enough to compensate for everything that has gone wrong.


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 1, 2014)

Joshadelic said:


> Not sure if the power or water is working at Harborside Phase II yet, but we finally got them to put us up at The Reef until we check out on Sunday. It's REALLY nice over here, but not nice enough to compensate for everything that has gone wrong.



Did they move everyone over there?


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 1, 2014)

suzannesimon said:


> Did they move everyone over there?



I'm not really sure. I've seen quite a few people that have moved over here, but some were put in The Cove into hotel rooms. I think where you were moved had a lot to do with how much you complained. They had no plan for where to put people.


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 1, 2014)

BJRSanDiego said:


> I've had really good luck from Facebook.  My record was three hours from the FB posting until the resort general manager called and said they corrected the problem.    Here's a possible link that Starwood may regularly review:  https://www.facebook.com/StarwoodVacationNetwork



Apparently you can't post anything on their Facebook page without them approving it.


----------



## chriskre (Aug 1, 2014)

Joshadelic said:


> Apparently you can't post anything on their Facebook page without them approving it.



Maybe reply to one of their already going threads. 

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


----------



## SueDonJ (Aug 1, 2014)

Glad to hear you've been put somewhere on a less-temporary basis, Josh.  Like you I still think they're now on the hook for much more than a nice place and I'd be sure to follow up with that after the trip.  But in the meantime, have they begun issuing food/drink (onsite if they have the capability, offsite if not) vouchers to guests?


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 1, 2014)

SueDonJ said:


> Glad to hear you've been put somewhere on a less-temporary basis, Josh.  Like you I still think they're now on the hook for much more than a nice place and I'd be sure to follow up with that after the trip.  But in the meantime, have they begun issuing food/drink (onsite if they have the capability, offsite if not) vouchers to guests?



They haven't done anything for us other than move us. I heard they had a 'free' cookout and open bar over at the Harborside pool a couple of nights ago, but we had already been moved to The Reef by that time.


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 1, 2014)

chriskre said:


> Maybe reply to one of their already going threads.
> 
> Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2



That worked. We'll see how long it takes them to delete the comments.


----------



## chriskre (Aug 1, 2014)

Joshadelic said:


> That worked. We'll see how long it takes them to delete the comments.




Keep posting on all their threads. 
That will get their attention. 
They should be flying people to Hollywood beach here at the Westin diplomat. 
The beach is gorgeous this week here. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Ken555 (Aug 1, 2014)

Joshadelic said:


> Not sure if the power or water is working at Harborside Phase II yet, but we finally got them to put us up at The Reef until we check out on Sunday. It's REALLY nice over here, but not nice enough to compensate for everything that has gone wrong.




Good to hear. Hopefully you'll be able to enjoy the rest of your time there. I suggest you request they comp every single charge you've made to the room this week, as I think it's a reasonable request. Otherwise, and it rarely say this, but it may be time (for us all) to boycott Atlantis and Harborside. 

The way guests (and owners) are treated by the staff, the professionalism and competence of the staff, the resort emergency policies and procedures, the timeliness of communication and more all factor into having a successful property...or not. I've always felt that something was missing from Harborside when I've been there, and in general it's the service. Your experience this week confirms that management has some serious problems.


----------



## Ken555 (Aug 1, 2014)

Joshadelic said:


> That worked. We'll see how long it takes them to delete the comments.




This is why Twitter is better for this purpose. You should post pictures, comments, the management responses, timeliness (or not) and more. #poweroutageatharborside #atlantissucks


----------



## BJRSanDiego (Aug 1, 2014)

Joshadelic said:


> Apparently you can't post anything on their Facebook page without them approving it.



ahh... maybe that isn't true if you are a Facebook member.   I made a post and it is still on their page.  Also, a person by the name of Joshua B.  made a post and link to TUG.  I commented on his post.  I encourage others to so so similarly.


----------



## Ken555 (Aug 1, 2014)

BJRSanDiego said:


> ahh... maybe that isn't true if you are a Facebook member.   I made a post and it is still on their page.  Also, a person by the name of [...] made a post and link to TUG.  I commented on his post.  I encourage others to so so similarly.




I think it's inappropriate to post full names on TUG. Please edit your post.


----------



## BJRSanDiego (Aug 1, 2014)

Ken555 said:


> I think it's inappropriate to post full names on TUG. Please edit your post.




No problem.  I edited my post.  Here is the link to the FB page with a couple of posts regarding the problem.  Perhaps the attention will help resolve the problem in a timely fashion.    

https://www.facebook.com/StarwoodVacationNetwork


----------



## NJ2Aruba (Aug 2, 2014)

I was at the Marriott in Aruba several years ago, and they caught the tail end of Hurricane Felix. The power went out at Surf Club, but Ocean Club and Stellaris had power. Literally as soon as we made it down to the lobby after the power went out (Thank God we weren't on the 11th floor since my mother was over 80), there were people at the front desk going berserk. I'm talking only minutes after losing power. The staff was running around like headless chickens trying to address everyone's concerns.

I just wanted to know if the ATM was working. Since Ocean Club had power, we ran across, got completely drenched, took out some money, went to Champs, played some pool, ordered food to go for my Mom (who was provided with complimentary coffee in her lounge chair in the lobby while she watched all the activity) and by the time we got back to Surf Club, the rain had let up, they had the power back on, and even though total loss time was only a few hours, they still gave us $100 comp, which we went back to Champs with, since they were so nice during the power outage.


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 2, 2014)

Ken555 said:


> I think it's inappropriate to post full names on TUG. Please edit your post.



Meh... I don't care. That was me who commented on FB.


----------



## conkyjoe (Aug 2, 2014)

Hopefully tropical storm Bertha will stay well away from Nassau.  It just passed St. John at about 3PM today.


----------



## Klynnn103435 (Aug 2, 2014)

I just returned from Harborside.  Not a good scene.  The plan is to make everyone negotiate individually for compensation rather than offer everyone the basics.  Then in the end everyone received the same offer (a few nights, meals, and documented expenses).  Why make people wait for hours, go through the timeshare switch, and waste more time for what seems to be basic Hospitality 101.  This has been a very disappointing experience.


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 2, 2014)

When did they get the power back on?  Yesterday?


----------



## AZcardMD (Aug 3, 2014)

*Similar experience at Harborside*

My family and I also stayed at Harborside this past week, and found that the power outage was not handled in a competent manner. Most of the frustration came from a lack of communication on the part of Harborside managment and an apparent lack of planning. Many hours were spent waiting in line and moving luggage from one place to another. 

After spending one night (7/29) completely in the dark, we were told the next morning to go about our business and that power would be restored when we returned to out villa that afternoon. 

When we returned to the resort that afternoon (7/30) there was no power in our villa. We found the lobby to be chaotic, and waited nearly 3 hours to be reassigned to a room at the Reef. We were told to just pack a few things for overnight and that when we returned the next day we would have power. Well, the next afternoon (7/31) came and still no power and then we had to go through the same process again of being assigned yet another room and checking into the Reef. 

Since we were leaving for home 8/2 I asked about just booking us for the rest of the stay to avoid the pack and unpack exercise again I was told no, to call the manager in the am to see to see what the plan for the day was. I explained that we had an all day boat trip for the next day and would be on the boat when the manager arrived in the am we were then told that we should leave the bags in our room at the Reef and that a late checkout would be arranged at 6pm! When I explained this to the front desk at the Reef, the front desk person agreed that this was not a good plan and called the Harborside and did extend us til our departure day (finally someone to help).

We did check out this am (power still not restored in our villa), were given a small credit to our bill for groceries that we purchased and spoiled and for miscellaneous items. We were also told to call Starwood next week and that we should receive something from them as well. Will see.


----------



## LisaRex (Aug 3, 2014)

Wow! Very disappointing, to say the least.


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 3, 2014)

So there is still no power at Harborside?  Are they putting all the new check -ins at the Reef?


----------



## AZcardMD (Aug 3, 2014)

As of yesterday am power still off in building 6. We were talking to someone at the Reef that arrived on Friday, he was put into the Reef for the week. So I am guessing they plan on being having to move some.


----------



## SueDonJ (Aug 4, 2014)

It's good to finally see an acknowledgement on the Facebook page linked earlier in this thread.
https://www.facebook.com/StarwoodVacationNetwork


----------



## BJRSanDiego (Aug 4, 2014)

I wonder what's in the owner update email to which they referred.  Just curious.


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 4, 2014)

I'm an owner and I didn't receive any update.


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 4, 2014)

FINALLY - an informative post on Facebook from Starwood:

Starwood Vacation Network Joshua Boehringer, Suzanne Snyder Simon and Bruce, Please see below: On the evening of July 29, 2014, Harborside Resort at Atlantis experienced a power outage to buildings in Phase II. As initial efforts to restore power were unsuccessful, the Resort Team facilitated alternate accommodations at Atlantis’ Reef and Cove for the night of July 30, 2014.

On Thursday, July 31, 2014, the Resort Team acquired the needed components to make the necessary repairs and restore power to the impacted villas. A complimentary barbecue was provided at the pool and the power was restored by 5:30pm to all buildings except one. Relocation arrangements were made for any in-house or arriving owners assigned to the impacted building.

In addition to providing alternative accommodations, the resort also provided compensation for replacement of grocery items and partnered with Starwood Vacation Ownership, Owner Services, to provide StarOption refunds for the affected nights based upon the villa type reserved.

On behalf of the management and staff at the Harborside Resort and Starwood Vacation Ownership, we extend our sincere apologies and appreciation for our owners‘ and guests‘ patience during the unfortunate circumstance.
30 minutes ago · Like


----------



## DeniseM (Aug 4, 2014)

Based on the posts above, this isn't true: 





> On Thursday, July 31, 2014, the Resort Team acquired the needed components to make the necessary repairs and restore power to the impacted villas.


----------



## BJRSanDiego (Aug 4, 2014)

DeniseM said:


> Based on the posts above, this isn't true:



Well, if you exclude the last building without power, maybe it would be.  :hysterical:

"So, Mrs. Lincoln, what did you think about the rest of the play?"...   :rofl:


----------



## Henry M. (Aug 4, 2014)

DeniseM said:


> Based on the posts above, this isn't true:



They said:

" ...  power was restored by 5:30pm to all buildings *except one*."

Maybe the poster above was in that last building.


----------



## DeniseM (Aug 4, 2014)

emuyshondt said:


> They said:
> 
> " ...  power was restored by 5:30pm to all buildings *except one*."
> 
> Maybe the poster above was in that last building.



Good catch - I missed that line.


----------



## twinmommy19 (Aug 5, 2014)

Wow - being that this happened smack in the middle of the week (assume most reservations are Fri / Sat / Sun check ins) the owners in the one building that didn't get power back on 7/31, were lucky.  It's bad enough having to pack up and move locations once on your trip, but twice?  No thanks.  Plus those without power longer will get more compensation for the trouble (more days of refund).  

IMO Starwood really dropped the ball here.  What they really should have done is moved all impacted guests to the Reef, Cove or Royal Towers on July 30th and immediately given them ALL the option to stay there for the duration of their trip (bad enough to be inconvenienced once).  All impacted guests should have been given a free laundry service at the hotel and been placed on their casual dining plan for free for the duration of the trip to make up for the loss of kitchen and laundry facilities.  By doing this, the unsettled experience would have been limited to one day and it would have been perfectly reasonable to only reimburse the night of the 29th.  Instead, many guests had no power on the night of the 29th (must have been so hot without power BTW), moved over to the hotel on the 30th, back to Harborside the 31st and then checked out a day or so later.  Ridiculous - that's not a vacation.  I'd argue that even though guests regained access to their kitchen on the 31st, who wants to go back to the grocery store and restock a supply of food when you are checking out in a day or so?


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 5, 2014)

We ended up staying at The Reef until checkout time on Sunday. We had another 4 days reserved at Harborside and when we checked in we were told that the management would be discussing compensation with guests individually. I take that to mean that they try to low-ball everyone and see how much they complain before offering them something more. We ended up settling on about $550.00 in compensation - which I don't think is nearly enough. The way they arrived at that figure was taking the amount of money we spend on groceries ($300 or so), plus a $200-ish meal at Carmines and 2 days of internet access. I think we'll need to contact Starwood after we return home on Friday.


----------



## DeniseM (Aug 5, 2014)

Hi Josh - Didn't you have other meals that you had to buy when you were out of Harborside unit?


----------



## Passepartout (Aug 5, 2014)

This is all too reminiscent of the Carnival cruise ship that lost power, air cond, water purification, toilet operation, and had to be towed to port. I understand that this loss of power was on land, and that it was not a life threatening situation, but the Carnival passengers got Thou$and$ and a replacement cruise whenever they chose to book one on Carnival.

I would think that Starwood would reconsider low balling the affected guests.

Your MF at work.

Jim


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 5, 2014)

Who do you think will pay for the restitution?


----------



## SueDonJ (Aug 5, 2014)

Joshadelic said:


> We ended up staying at The Reef until checkout time on Sunday. We had another 4 days reserved at Harborside and when we checked in we were told that the management would be discussing compensation with guests individually. I take that to mean that they try to low-ball everyone and see how much they complain before offering them something more. We ended up settling on about $550.00 in compensation - which I don't think is nearly enough. The way they arrived at that figure was taking the amount of money we spend on groceries ($300 or so), plus a $200-ish meal at Carmines and 2 days of internet access. I think we'll need to contact Starwood after we return home on Friday.



The thing that makes this so bad is that the resort personnel were completely unprepared to handle the guest relations aspect and they apparently didn't have any specific direction from management.  Even if they couldn't have pacified every guest all the way through the disruption, the onsite personnel certainly should have been much more empathetic to the guests' predicaments and management should have been much more proactive with supporting the onsite staffs' re-lodging efforts of the affected guests.  Plus, this wasn't just an inconvenience - the nasty sewage is a health issue and having no electricity is a safety issue.  Starwood needs to be held to a compensation package that will make them react much more positively the next time a resort is faced with such a major problem.

I sure would be contacting them!  With something as bad as this I'd start with a compensation package that's enough to cover a complete re-booking of the vacation that you were expecting to be able to enjoy.  They'd no doubt try to whittle it down but I wouldn't give it up without a fight.

Boy, I must sound like a major shrew!  Honestly, I think I'm pretty easy-going and don't complain about much, not even the 4AM fire alarm that had us milling around in the ground floor parking area for 55 minutes during a wild thunderstorm on Hilton Head, with the fire department all around us and not a resort rep in sight!  But I didn't feel unsafe there and I didn't see the resort personnel sitting on their keisters doing nothing - later on that day we learned that the few of them onsite at 4AM were busy directing the fire department to the main infrastructure controls, and upstairs using master keys to open the units that hadn't responded to the alarms.  What you described happening at Harborside appears to have been a major problem coupled with a completely inept staff - that combination is simply not acceptable.


----------



## SueDonJ (Aug 5, 2014)

suzannesimon said:


> Who do you think will pay for the restitution?



I would expect it to come from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., out of the profits they earn serving as the management company for Harborside.  Sure, those profits effectively come from the MF's paid by owners, but there's no reason why this has to cost the owners additional money.  Starwood's profits are probably like Marriott's - astronomical - and to be genuinely hurt economically they'd have to pay out a whole lot more than it would take to make these affected owners whole.


----------



## Passepartout (Aug 5, 2014)

SueDonJ said:


> I would expect it to come from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., out of the profits they earn serving as the management company for Harborside.  Sure, those profits effectively come from the MF's paid by owners,* but there's no reason why this has to cost the owners additional money.*  Starwood's profits are probably like Marriott's - astronomical - and to be genuinely hurt economically they'd have to pay out a whole lot more than it would take to make these affected owners whole.



HA! Sorry Susan, but this statement proves that Fantasyland is not just at Disney. 

Watch your financial statements. I'll make a small side wager that there will a line item of the payout and/or an assessment to cover payouts to Harborside guests.

Starwood's profits (I betcha) are exempt. This won't cost the suits or shareholders a dime.

Jim


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 5, 2014)

I can see the repairs coming from maintenance fees and restitution from Starwood.  For the life of me I can't imagine why they don't have a generator in a hotel in the hurricane zone.  Do you think this could have happened in the other Atlantis hotels?


----------



## SueDonJ (Aug 5, 2014)

Passepartout said:


> HA! Sorry Susan, but this statement proves that Fantasyland is not just at Disney.
> 
> Watch your financial statements. I'll make a small side wager that there will a line item of the payout and/or an assessment to cover payouts to Harborside guests.
> 
> ...



We'll have to agree to disagree, Jim.  But it's not my financial statement - I'm not an owner there.  I posted so that the owners/guests who were impacted would know there are others in agreement with them that they deserve compensation, and so that Harborside owners would know that they should watch their budget statements next year to make sure that they're not held financially liable for any compensation.

I'm not living in Fantasyland and resent a little bit that you feel like you can belittle me that way.  The governing docs should stipulate the responsibilities of the Management Company as well as the repercussions if those responsibilities aren't met.  Starwood is a big, successful timeshare developer/manager.  They're not stupid, and I find it very hard to believe that their leadership team or board supports the way this mess was handled.  But besides their legal standing, they live and die through public opinion.  They're not going to jeopardize their reputation by ignoring reasonable demands for compensation, not when the required scheduled MF audits will eventually prove if they try to put the financial burden on the resort ownership.  Really, making these affected owners/guests whole again financially is a drop in the bucket compared to how much they would be harmed by handling it poorly.


----------



## SueDonJ (Aug 5, 2014)

suzannesimon said:


> I can see the repairs coming from maintenance fees and restitution from Starwood.  For the life of me I can't imagine why they don't have a generator in a hotel in the hurricane zone.  Do you think this could have happened in the other Atlantis hotels?



I agree about the repairs/equipment replacement being the responsibility of the Harborside Ownership and the compensation from Starwood.  As far as generators, I sure hope all their resorts have access to them from now on!


----------



## Passepartout (Aug 5, 2014)

SueDonJ said:


> We'll have to agree to disagree, Jim.  But it's not my financial statement - I'm not an owner there.  I posted so that the owners/guests who were impacted would know there are others in agreement with them that they deserve compensation, and so that Harborside owners would know that they should watch their budget statements next year to make sure that they're not held financially liable for any compensation.
> 
> Really, making these affected owners/guests whole again financially is a drop in the bucket compared to how much they would be harmed by handling it poorly.



OK Susan. I'm not a Starwood owner either. But for sure, they've already handled the power outage- and worse, the communication with guests- poorly. And yes, we'll disagree. Those 'guests' whose vacations were trashed, are also the owners, who will ultimately pay whatever restitution is rendered.

Jim


----------



## DeniseM (Aug 5, 2014)

Actually, a lot of the guests were probably exchangers and renters as well, and I am guessing that the HRA owners will have to cover all of it.  I can't imagine Starwood taking responsibility - not their M.O.


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 5, 2014)

The more I think about it, the more I'm pretty sure Starwood will pay for little or none of it.  I imagine their management agreement indemnifies them of any financial responsibility.  I believe it was a terribly disappointing vacation for lots of guests.  My vacations are sacred and I would have been going crazy.  But once I was resettled at the Reef, I would have been happy if they let me stay there for the rest of the week.  I think it will be a different story for everyone there depending on their individual situation.  At least there were places to move everyone.  It could have been a holiday week and the whole place booked solid. It could have been the Motel 8.

No one is going to think they did a good job but I'm betting they aren't financially responsible.  I think the best we can hope for is they revamp their procedures and the Assn buys a generator - again out of our pockets.  Definitely the squeaky wheels will get the best settlements.  It's smart on Starwoods to not make a blanket offer of compensation because less than 10% of the guests will make demands.  So far we've only heard from 2 Tuggers here and I saw only 1 negative review on trip advisor.


----------



## SueDonJ (Aug 5, 2014)

If the owners shoulder the burden, what's the purpose behind them low-balling the compensation?  I could see it if they were worried about their own bottom line but if you're saying that's not the case ...

Plus, what a terrible position that puts everyone in!  The owners who weren't impacted are left hoping and praying that the folks who were there are overly generous in not asking for compensation, and the folks who were there are made to feel guilty for asking, despite all of them probably feeling like it's well-deserved.  Great, talk about making an already bad situation worse.

Suzanne, you think you'd be satisfied if you'd been treated like this OP and didn't get resettled at the Reef without first being given the runaround over a couple days?  Fight to get moved, check in the to Reef, check out, fight it out again, check back in without knowing how long you're staying, fight about it again, finally be given the okay to stay until the end of your vacation.  And look at the notice from Starwood again - they make it sound like everyone was generously treated to a free barbecue one night but this OP only says that he heard about it after the fact!  None of it fits my idea of satisfactory customer service for this problem, not nearly.


----------



## Passepartout (Aug 5, 2014)

SueDonJ said:


> * None of it fits my idea of satisfactory customer service for this problem, not nearly. *



And THAT, dear Susan, is the point of this whole thread.


----------



## SueDonJ (Aug 5, 2014)

Passepartout said:


> And THAT, dear Susan, is the point of this whole thread.



What, that Starwood's good reputation and business standing is undeserved?!  That's what I'm getting.  It's very discouraging!


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 5, 2014)

Like I said, I would have been crazy also.

As far as compensation, in addition to other responsibilities of Starwood, they are also the property managers for the owners.  After protecting their own financial status, which I bet they did well in their contracts already, their next job is protecting the financials of the association.  They aren't going to start offering free vacations, meals and StarOptions to the guests because then they'd have to answer to the BOD, and the BOD have to answer to the owners.

Do you suppose there might have been a business interruption insurance policy that could come into play here?


----------



## Ken555 (Aug 5, 2014)

Isn't Harborside slightly different than the rest if the SVN properties in regards to the property itself? SVN handles the bookings but do they really handle the management? I thought the staff were all Atlantis employees.

As far as compensation goes and the Harborside HOA, I wouldn't be surprised for Atlantis to charge the HOA for the units "given" to those who stayed at The Reef etc. Isn't The Reef a separate HOA? Of course, if it is the same management group as I suspect (I don't have the ownership docs and am not an owner) then perhaps they will simply absorb this cost. 

For Josh, my sympathies. At least this will be one of those experiences your family will refer to in future as a baseline..."well, at least this vacation wasn't as bad as Harborside 2014!".


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 5, 2014)

I'm a new owner but I think I read it is a 3 person board and one board member is an Atlantis rep.  Those other hotels aren't Starwood so you know someone is paying them for their hospitality.


----------



## Passepartout (Aug 5, 2014)

SueDonJ said:


> What, that Starwood's good reputation and business standing is undeserved?!  That's what I'm getting.  It's very discouraging!



Isn't that the point of this thread? that management dropped the ball. If the shoe fits, they deserve to wear it.


----------



## okwiater (Aug 6, 2014)

It's simply not possible for owners to be legally saddled with compensating the vacationers unless there is a predetermined formula that calculates approved reimbursement amounts for such scenarios. If there is actually any "negotiating" going on with guests, then the management company (whether Starwood or Atlantis or whoever else was making the offers of restitution) is in a conflict of interest situation with the association, and I seriously doubt could legally obligate additional financial expenditures without board approval. Starwood can't just unilaterally decide to pay out money to vacationers and then invoice the association for those monies, unless they have some sort of association approval to do so.

There is a lot of conjecture in this thread but the answer is likely in the association docs...


----------



## jmama (Aug 6, 2014)

I was planning to go to Harborside next year so I have been following this thread with interest.  I am very disappointed to read that so many are letting Starwood off the hook so easily in fear of the compensation coming out of the owners pocket.  Starwood income does come from maintenance fees so technically the owners will pay.  But, each individual pays very high maintenance fees for a first class vacation.  When that vacation is compromised, everyone should demand appropriate compensation to assure the standard for which you are paying.  Otherwise, why do you pay these high maintenance fees?  Next time, it might be you that had three of your seven days of vacation ruined and good luck getting compensation when you didn't support those who suffered this time.  Starwood will read your posts and know they don't have to worry about it.


----------



## SMHarman (Aug 6, 2014)

Starwood has insurance policies to cover this.


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 7, 2014)

SMHarman said:


> Starwood has insurance policies to cover this.



That's what occurred to me a few days ago.  Either the BOD or Starwood would have some kind of insurance to protect them from a business stoppage although it's a little different than strictly a hotel-type business since many of the guests are owners.


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 10, 2014)

DeniseM said:


> Hi Josh - Didn't you have other meals that you had to buy when you were out of Harborside unit?



Yes, we certainly did. My parents were along with us for this trip and they insisted on paying for at least a few huge dinner bills on their credit card so I didn't have to pay for it when we checked out. I remember they paid for six of us to eat at Virgil's, Mesa, and Murray's Deli. Our total bill for the entire week was only a little more than $1,000.00, but that's because my parents paid so much either in cash or on their credit cards.


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 10, 2014)

suzannesimon said:


> I can see the repairs coming from maintenance fees and restitution from Starwood.  For the life of me I can't imagine why they don't have a generator in a hotel in the hurricane zone.  Do you think this could have happened in the other Atlantis hotels?



They do have generators. I think they have one for each building. The problem is that the primary power was out and on top of that the generators failed and required parts to be flown in from the U.S.


----------



## Ken555 (Aug 10, 2014)

Joshadelic said:


> They do have generators. I think they have one for each building. The problem is that the primary power was out and on top of that the generators failed and required parts to be flown in from the U.S.




Ah. Now you're on to something. In my experience most businesses have requirements for regular testing of emergency systems, at least for most industries (and I would expect the same for resorts). You may want to inquire as to the history of this system, testing schedule, etc. It sounds like they aren't doing their job at maintaining the system if it fails when needed. In this type of incident, businesses would normally be transparent with the issue, what went wrong, how they fixed it, and what they are doing to prevent it from ever occurring again.


----------



## sjsharkie (Aug 10, 2014)

Joshadelic said:


> They do have generators. I think they have one for each building. The problem is that the primary power was out and on top of that the generators failed and required parts to be flown in from the U.S.



First, let me say that if I was a guest, I would not be happy with the situation.

However, when I take a step back, they had a part fail on a backup generator.  I have no idea whether or not these are tested on a regular basis, but parts fail from time to time on machines.

Could they have been more prepared?  Sure.  I disagree that any insurance policy would have covered a situation like this -- the premiums on such a policy would likely be quite high to cover short-term rental losses as a result of a power outage.

At the end of the day, I can understand the resort's reluctance to comp everyone at The Reef or Cove for an extended period of time plus we do not know the occupancy rate at the Reef/Cove -- they may have been doing what they could behind the scenes but rooms may have not been easy to come by.  This is money that comes out of the resort's pockets -- and one way or another the owners will end up footing the bill.  So as an owner there, I understand the day-to-day updates since they thought they had the right part flown over to fix the issue.  Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way.

Feel for the OP and the rest of the folks whose vacations were interrupted.  But beyond the spoiled food compensation plus a few comped meals, I'm not sure there is much else the resort will do.  One hopes they will be more prepared in the future -- to review their testing protocol for backup equipment and to better prepare contingency plans in the event of emergencies.

As an owner at Harborside, I believe that owners will be saddled with the cost of any compensation and it is SVO's responsibility to hold the line on overcomping guests -- not likely that this comes out of management's pocket.

-ryan


----------



## okwiater (Aug 10, 2014)

sjsharkie said:


> I disagree that any insurance policy would have covered a situation like this -- the premiums on such a policy would likely be quite high to cover short-term rental losses as a result of a power outage.


 
I disagree with your disagreement. When I was a landlord, rental losses were covered by my (cheap!) policy for any situation that made the unit uninhabitable. Extended lack of power is uninhabitable. Lack of heat is uninhabitable. Lack of water is uninhabitable. Based on the fact that sewage was running out of the lower units, I'd say there was probably a loss of water service. That makes it uninhabitable.



sjsharkie said:


> As an owner at Harborside, I believe that owners will be saddled with the cost of any compensation and it is SVO's responsibility to hold the line on overcomping guests -- not likely that this comes out of management's pocket.


 
Unless there is a legal agreement between the association and Starwood on comping guests (including how to determine the proper amounts), then it likely isn't possible for Starwood to financially commit the association, which is a separate legal entity, to whatever comps they dreamt up. I can't imagine what legal construct would make this possible, even in the Bahamas.

Check your association docs!


----------



## Ken555 (Aug 10, 2014)

Would business interruption insurance cover the HOA in this type of situation?


----------



## SMHarman (Aug 10, 2014)

Ken. It should.


----------



## sjsharkie (Aug 10, 2014)

okwiater said:


> I disagree with your disagreement. When I was a landlord, rental losses were covered by my (cheap!) policy for any situation that made the unit uninhabitable. Extended lack of power is uninhabitable. Lack of heat is uninhabitable. Lack of water is uninhabitable. Based on the fact that sewage was running out of the lower units, I'd say there was probably a loss of water service. That makes it uninhabitable.



We will agree to disagree. 

Unless you are the landlord of a huge multiplex in the Bahamas, comparing your policy premiums to those of a resort in the Bahamas, which is subject to hurricanes, and frequent power outages during the summer, is apples and oranges.  Generator or not onsite, any insurance company would be foolish to offer a cheap policy of that sort to a resort in the Bahamas without taking a decent sized premium.  While their power infrastructure is not third world, it isn't to the level of what might be considered acceptable in the US.

Here is one article about the frequent summer outages in the Bahamas:
http://www.thenassauguardian.com/opinion/editorial/48447-the-same-old-bec-power-outage-story




okwiater said:


> Unless there is a legal agreement between the association and Starwood on comping guests (including how to determine the proper amounts), then it likely isn't possible for Starwood to financially commit the association, which is a separate legal entity, to whatever comps they dreamt up. I can't imagine what legal construct would make this possible, even in the Bahamas.
> 
> Check your association docs!



Note that my original quote said "believe" and was not stated as fact.

However, my experience auditing a hotel group many moons ago was that management teams are often paid incentive fees as part of the management contract -- these fees are based on hitting specific benchmarks typically centered around profit margin.  Any hotel operator understands that comping certain items are a part of customer service, and at least for the operator that I audited, these come out of the owner's pocket, not the management team's.  Management is incentivized to limit these types of costs because of the incentives, and the fact that they want to continue serving the owner once the contract comes up for renewal.  Of course the contract will dictate how it is handled for Harborside HOA.

These agreements are not usually available in your public association docs either.  Agreements are between the board and the management company, though financials are obviously published.  They don't typically spell out the components of the management agreement itself.  At least I haven't seen one and I frequently check the filings when scouring for bankruptcy properties.

-ryan


----------



## okwiater (Aug 11, 2014)

sjsharkie said:


> ...



If extended power outages which result in uninhabitable Harborside units are so frequent, I would think a Harborside owner would chime in about what happened last time this occurred. But I don't think this sort of thing happens with any frequency, and because of that, it's likely that insuring the scenario is probably not prohibitively expensive, particularly because the units are all supported by backup generators.

Also, you are probably right that the details of the management agreement aren't spelled out in the association docs. However, as you point out, an agreement must exist and Starwood can only act within the bounds of that agreement. If there are stipulations that allow them to comp guests for inconveniences such as this, then they are within their right to do so. But again, there must be an agreement in place which defines this framework.


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 11, 2014)

Well, surprisingly, Starwood finally made this better for us. My wife spoke to Owner Services today and they were able to offer us fair compensation. If anyone who reads this is also a survivor of the Great Harborside Power Outage of 2014, I'd suggest calling OS and speaking to someone. They listened to all of our concerns and took appropriate action.


----------



## suzannesimon (Aug 11, 2014)

That is excellent news!  As an owner there of 2 weeks, I would hate to have gone through what you and the others experienced.


----------



## DeniseM (Aug 11, 2014)

Joshadelic said:


> Well, surprisingly, Starwood finally made this better for us. My wife spoke to Owner Services today and they were able to offer us fair compensation. If anyone who reads this is also a survivor of the Great Harborside Power Outage of 2014, I'd suggest calling OS and speaking to someone. They listened to all of our concerns and took appropriate action.



Did they escalate you up the food chain to Owner Resolution Services?


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 11, 2014)

DeniseM said:


> Did they escalate you up the food chain to Owner Resolution Services?



Yes, my wife spoke to Tina. She was very helpful.


----------



## DeniseM (Aug 11, 2014)

If anyone calls, I suggest that you ask for Owner Resolution Services immediately - the lower level Reps. do not have the authority to handle anything beyond basics reservations.


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 11, 2014)

DeniseM said:


> If anyone calls, I suggest that you ask for Owner Resolution Services immediately - the lower level Reps. do not have the authority to handle anything beyond basics reservations.



I agree. Tina at ORS definitely had the authority to handle this situation.


----------



## sjsharkie (Aug 11, 2014)

okwiater said:


> If extended power outages which result in uninhabitable Harborside units are so frequent, I would think a Harborside owner would chime in about what happened last time this occurred. But I don't think this sort of thing happens with any frequency, and because of that, it's likely that insuring the scenario is probably not prohibitively expensive, particularly because the units are all supported by backup generators.
> 
> Also, you are probably right that the details of the management agreement aren't spelled out in the association docs. However, as you point out, an agreement must exist and Starwood can only act within the bounds of that agreement. If there are stipulations that allow them to comp guests for inconveniences such as this, then they are within their right to do so. But again, there must be an agreement in place which defines this framework.



Fact of the matter is that this is all conjecture -- that includes my posts as well.

However, the core issue (at least per what was reported here) is that the onsite backup generator failed causing the extended power outage.  The fact that Starwood mismanaged the incident response portion is secondary -- occupants would still have needed to be moved and groceries would have still spoiled even with the best of response plans.

The logic that the material portion of the compensation would come from Starwood directly does not make sense.  The owners are likely paying for this in some way, shape or form.

Congrats to the OP for getting what he felt was fair out of the inconvenience.

-ryan


----------



## Joshadelic (Aug 11, 2014)

sjsharkie said:


> Congrats to the OP for getting what he felt was fair out of the inconvenience.
> 
> -ryan



Thanks!!!!


----------



## twinmommy19 (Aug 12, 2014)

> However, the core issue (at least per what was reported here) is that the onsite backup generator failed causing the extended power outage. The fact that Starwood mismanaged the incident response portion is secondary -- occupants would still have needed to be moved and groceries would have still spoiled even with the best of response plans.
> 
> The logic that the material portion of the compensation would come from Starwood directly does not make sense. The owners are likely paying for this in some way, shape or form.



Honestly - whether the owners should pay for it or not could be debated to death, however, when it comes down to it, the total cost per owner would be so small that it may even just come out of whatever portion of the maintenance is set aside for reserve / miscellaneous expenses.   Remember, this is a one time expense and Harborside has a lot of units and 52 weeks to spread the costs over (Starwood would have to cover the pro-rata share of any unsold units anyway).  So lets say Harborside has 1,000 units (I have no idea if this is close or not) - whether in points or weeks and various size units. Figure, on average that's 52,000 contracts owned approximately for the year.  If 300 families were impacted by the black out in the phase II section and EACH family was paid compensation on $5,000 on average including whatever had to be fronted for relocation and food costs (this number is still high for the average - it wasn't a full week to reimburse) - that would be a one time cost of about $28 per average week contract size ((5000 * 300) / 52,000).  It's probably less than this though.   Whatever the number is though, it would likely be small enough not to require a special assessment.


----------



## ilene13 (Aug 12, 2014)

Having just found this thread I am not surprised at the lack of fair compensation at Atlantis.  We do not own at Harbourside, but 4 years ago we booked a long weekend at the Cove.  When we booked it for $700+ a night we were told it was adults only.  Much to our surprise when we checked in 4 months later there were tons of children.  The response was that they could not sell it out as adults only.  You would have thought they would have told us.  When we got to our room it was filthy.  They moved us-- 3 rooms later they found a clean room!  Well the toilet did not work in that room.  They claimed they had no other rooms.  It took them 1.5 days to get it fixed.  The first night the "plumbers" were trying to fix it until about 2 AM.  After many discussions with management they finally compensated us for 2 nights-- but it was aggravating and put a huge damper on our 5 day getaway!


----------

