# [Marriott leaving] management of the Mallorca Marriott Son Antem Golf Resort & Spa



## bazzap (Mar 7, 2013)

Hopefully, this will not happen or if it does the impact can be minimised.
Also, hopefully it will not be the start of a trend for co-located MVC resorts and Marriott hotels.
Nevertheless, it is worrying news. 

[FONT=&quot]You  may have seen press reports speculating that management of the Mallorca  Marriott Son Antem Golf Resort & Spa is going to change. At this  time we are aware of ongoing discussions between the owner of the hotel,  Orenol S.A., and the hotel manager, Marriott Hotels S.L., but not of  any specific agreements.

We are writing to offer our assurance  that irrespective of what happens with the management of the hotel we  want to assure you that your resort will continue to be managed by MVCI  Management S.L. We are dedicated to ensuring that you, the owners, at  Marriott's Club Son Antem continue to have the vacation experiences that  you have come to expect. 

Our businesses, while sharing many  core brand values, are entirely separate. Marriott's Club Son Antem, is  managed by a company unrelated to the owner or manager of the hotel. The  separate nature of hotel ownership and hotel management, as at the  Mallorca hotel, is a very common model and changes can take place from  time to time. Even if the hotel is in fact no longer managed by Marriott  Hotels S.L. and branded as a Marriott hotel, this will not impact the  branding and management of Marriott's Club Son Antem. The amenities at  Club Son Antem including the Spa, golf courses, golf restaurant, fitness  center and Marketplace continue to be owned and/or operated by Marriott  Vacation Club International and your continued use and enjoyment of  these facilities would remain unchanged.

At this time we are  looking at how Marriott's Club Son Antem can operate entirely  independently of the hotel, if necessary, including new check-in  facilities. Please be assured, that our focus in this process is upon  maximizing the Owner experience, ensuring the continued smooth operation  of Marriott's Club Son Antem and maintaining the standards which Owners  have come to expect from a resort operated as part of Marriott Vacation  Club.

We understand you may have additional questions, however  please be assured that as we become aware of further important  developments for which we are able to share, we will keep you informed.

We look forward to continuing to provide you with unforgettable vacations on the beautiful island of Mallorca.[/FONT]


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## JonP (Mar 7, 2013)

It was very disappointing to receive the email & suggests its highly likely to happen. I believe it can only be a negative for owners & the overall experience of visiting Son Antem.


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## MALC9990 (Mar 7, 2013)

Beat me to the punch. Interesting communication. Will feed back anything I get from the owner board member I know.


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## MALC9990 (Mar 7, 2013)

JonP said:


> It was very disappointing to receive the email & suggests its highly likely to happen. I believe it can only be a negative for owners & the overall experience of visiting Son Antem.



Probably indicates some unhappiness on the part of the hotel property owners with Marriott's management of the hotel.  Whether they can do better without the global backing of Marriott is a question that we cannot answer. 

For myself, over recent years and especially since Marriott spun off MVW there has been something which I can't quite fathomn about the relationship between the TS resort and the Hotel at Son Antem. Prior to the spin off the resort had a single General Manger who (IMHO) ran a pretty good operation. The TS and hotelo were run together and worked pretty well. Since he left and the TS and hotel were managed separately, although working together to provide services to the TS resort - there always seemed to be something not quite running as smooth as it had in the past.

What is a concern is that the whole thing is really set up to run as an integrated operation. Housekeeping services run out of the hotel, guest services likewise, site maintenance, security. Separating the two operations is a lot more than jsut setting up a stand alone check in facility for the TS guests.

A lot of thing to be sorted out if this does come about.


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## Worcesterdee (Mar 8, 2013)

I have friends who are at Son Antem at the moment. They met up with one of the sales team for a chat. There was no mention of this. I've forwarded the email that I received from MVCI to them. 

Must admit I find this news slightly unsettling. I like the fact that the hotel is branded to Marriott.


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## BocaBoy (Mar 8, 2013)

A similar thing happened a few years ago at Fairway Villas.  I do not own there and never stayed there until after the change, so i do not know if there was any impact on the timeshare guest experience.  Perhaps a Fairway Villas owner can comment on this?


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## Ann in CA (Mar 8, 2013)

We were at Club Son Antem for the first time last Spring, and loved exploring the island so much that we spent little time actually at the hotel or timeshare area.  However, if we had planned to have a more resort centered week, not having access to the hotel and pools would be a real loss.

We were at Four Seasons Aviara just after Park Hyatt had taken over the hotel management from Four Seasons, and we could still use all the facilities there, and charge to our Four Seasons account.   Long time owners seemed to feel the service would not be the same at the hotel, but it was lovely when we were there.  

So although Marriott managing the hotel would be best, if the management changes, but keeps the relationship with the  MVCI guests open, it would be to the advantage of both facilities.  The resort is not in a densely populated area, and the MVCI guests bring lots of business to the hotel and hotel restaurants. I would have gone back this year if I could have talked my  husband into another long flight!


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## MALC9990 (Mar 8, 2013)

Ann in CA said:


> We were at Club Son Antem for the first time last Spring, and loved exploring the island so much that we spent little time actually at the hotel or timeshare area.  However, if we had planned to have a more resort centered week, not having access to the hotel and pools would be a real loss.
> 
> We were at Four Seasons Aviara just after Park Hyatt had taken over the hotel management from Four Seasons, and we could still use all the facilities there, and charge to our Four Seasons account.   Long time owners seemed to feel the service would not be the same at the hotel, but it was lovely when we were there.
> 
> So although Marriott managing the hotel would be best, if the management changes, but keeps the relationship with the  MVCI guests open, it would be to the advantage of both facilities.  The resort is not in a densely populated area, and the MVCI guests bring lots of business to the hotel and hotel restaurants. I would have gone back this year if I could have talked my  husband into another long flight!



I've heard that the hotel management might move to the Spanish company Iberostar. Not an internationally known company really. Most of their properties seem to be average quality package tour type hotels which is not a great prospect. However it would not make sense for any new management to neglect the TS guests who would be an obvious source of income for the hotel. Use of the hotel pool would be an obvious thing to continue as would use of the hotel's other services and the ability to charge to the villa account.

My main concern would be any reduction in quality and the loss of brand standards in the hotel.

There have been rumblings for a year or two about the hotel owners wanting a switch from Marriott. I suspect the split off of the TS business from the Marriott Hotel management business put some more emphasis on that. 

The potential move to Iberostar management would potentially indicate a switch in the target market to a more mass market package tour business which is the sort of thing we moved away from back in the late 1980's.

The email seems to indicate that many of the facilities around the golf club and spa are owned/managed by MVCI which would mean that the TS business would be in the driving seat there and so the hotel would need to negotiate access for guests. The financial side of those bits is generally fee driven with green fees and spa fees with a contribution from the TS maintenance fees. The new hotel management would not want to lose access to the Spa and Golf facilities and  also they would be expected to want to attract business into the hotel bars and restaurants from TS guests. To do that I would want them to provide something to attract me to use those facilities, at a minimum to continue to allow me to sign for the costs to my MVCI villa account and indeed I would want something on top such as a discount deal since they need to offer me something on top as I can easily go elsewhere and indeed we have not been using the hotel restaurant for some years now due to excessive costs and lower quality.

My big concern would be in other areas of combined services such as housekeeping, guest services to the villas, security, pool services, landscaping & gardening etc.


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## Pompey Family (Mar 8, 2013)

On our visit we used the hotel simply to check in and out and used the pool on two occasions.  We never ate in the restaurant as the prices were out of kilter for what they were offering.  The rest of the time was spent in our shared pool and at the beach / Aqualand.  Meals were predominantly barbecues or cooked in the kitchen.  As a family with young children we would not miss the hotel or its facilities although I would still prefer it if it remained an integral part of the resort.


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## mpizza (Mar 8, 2013)

BocaBoy said:


> A similar thing happened a few years ago at Fairway Villas.  I do not own there and never stayed there until after the change, so i do not know if there was any impact on the timeshare guest experience.  Perhaps a Fairway Villas owner can comment on this?



I own at Fairway Villas and was initially concerned when hotel management changed a few years ago.  In reality, there has not been any noticeable impact.  We continue to receive discounts at the hotel restaurants and golf and can charge expenses to the Villa to accrue MR points.  The shuttle still runs its circuit, so I assume hotel guests have reciprocal access to the Villa amenities - kids club, etc.

I hope a similar working partnership happens for Son Antem.

Maria


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## MALC9990 (Mar 8, 2013)

mpizza said:


> I own at Fairway Villas and was initially concerned when hotel management changed a few years ago.  In reality, there has not been any noticeable impact.  We continue to receive discounts at the hotel restaurants and golf and can charge expenses to the Villa to accrue MR points.  The shuttle still runs its circuit, so I assume hotel guests have reciprocal access to the Villa amenities - kids club, etc.
> 
> I hope a similar working partnership happens for Son Antem.
> 
> Maria



Maria

Thanks for your input - it is good to know that it has worked well at Fairway Villas - co-incidently another Golf Resort like Son Antem.

I will be sorry if the hotel at Son Antem ceases to be a Marriott since we often add additional nights in the hotel to our stay in the TS villas. Without the option to use MR points or accrue nights towards our elite status for paid stays, we would now not do so. Another loss of business for the hotel.


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## Pompey Family (Mar 8, 2013)

MALC9990 said:


> I will be sorry if the hotel at Son Antem ceases to be a Marriott since we often add additional nights in the hotel to our stay in the TS villas. Without the option to use MR points or accrue nights towards our elite status for paid stays, we would now not do so. Another loss of business for the hotel.



Can't you add nights to your TS stay with points?  We've done that for our stay at Andaluza at the end of the month, used points to extend our stay to 10 nights.


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## MALC9990 (Mar 8, 2013)

Pompey Family said:


> Can't you add nights to your TS stay with points?  We've done that for our stay at Andaluza at the end of the month, used points to extend our stay to 10 nights.



Of course one can always look for a MR points reservation into a villa but in high demand seasons these can be hard to get and also when there are just two of you then it rquires many more MR points to get a villa (if available) than a single hotel room.

May look at using DC points in future for a villa to add a few nights when needed.


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## LisaH (Mar 8, 2013)

Pompey Family said:


> Can't you add nights to your TS stay with points?  We've done that for our stay at Andaluza at the end of the month, used points to extend our stay to 10 nights.



Or just pay to stay at the timeshare and accrue points and elite status. Owners might even get a discount if you call the resort directly.


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## Worcesterdee (Mar 10, 2013)

MALC9990 said:


> I've heard that the hotel management might move to the Spanish company Iberostar. Not an internationally known company really. Most of their properties seem to be average quality package tour type hotels which is not a great prospect.
> 
> The potential move to Iberostar management would potentially indicate a switch in the target market to a more mass market package tour business which is the sort of thing we moved away from back in the late 1980's.
> 
> My big concern would be in other areas of combined services such as housekeeping, guest services to the villas, security, pool services, landscaping & gardening etc.



I looked up some of the properties that they run near Palma and the reviews from the guests aren't great to be honest.  http://shar.es/emZsE. 

Wouldn't particularly like the prospect of seeing coaches full of holiday makers pulling up outside reception. I'll fire off an email to our rep and see what happens.


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## MALC9990 (Mar 10, 2013)

Worcesterdee said:


> I looked up some of the properties that they run near Palma and the reviews from the guests aren't great to be honest.  http://shar.es/emZsE.
> 
> Wouldn't particularly like the prospect of seeing coaches full of holiday makers pulling up outside reception. I'll fire off an email to our rep and see what happens.



You still have a rep at Son Antem? Mine was made redundant several years ago. For the last two years we saw a trainee both of whom were hopeless.


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## JonP (Mar 11, 2013)

I believe this will be a very bad move for Club Son Antem owners.  This is our favourite MVCI destination and we greatly enjoy the ‘resort aspect’; it’s a wonderful place to relax even during high season.  

Should a company who primarily operate in the ‘package holiday’ sector take over, I fear the ambience of Son Antem will be destroyed.

Furthermore, as Malc has noted, many resources are currently shared and to address this issue will be a serious challenge for both parties.


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## Worcesterdee (Mar 13, 2013)

Heard back from our contact in sales.

They know nothing at the moment, seemingly a Spanish newspaper did an article saying the hotel was being taken over, hence why Marriott then sent out the email that we got.

Nothing is confirmed, all they know is that IF the hotel no longer was managed by Marriott it will not affect the owners regarding the facilities as they all belong to the vacationclub. 

So nothing more than we already know.


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## Kagehitokiri2 (Mar 13, 2013)

bazzap said:


> > owner of the hotel, Orenol S.A



what specifically does marriott own?

owners can do what they want, including sell.

if there were full/fractional owners at four seasons exuma, they are so far the biggest losers. its now a sandals.


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## MALC9990 (Mar 13, 2013)

We should all remember that years before Marriott split off the timeshare business into a separate legal entity with its own shareholders as an independent business, which pays Marriott $50 million every year to use the word Marriott as part of its various brand names (Marriott Vacation Club International, Marriott Vacations Worldwide etc), the hotel business split off the property owning section of the business in a similar way. 

Bill Marriott recognized that owning the properties that made up his hotel business was a massive drain on his income, since most of the properties were bought with borrowed money and the interest on the debt was a big drain on the balance sheet. 

So all the debts and the property assets were hived off and Marriott started down the road that it is on today. In the UK recently the property company that owned 40+ Marriott hotels went bust because the costs of the debts and maintaining the properties to Marriott standards was too much and the income from Marriott did not cover the costs - so the bank took over the properties and they carried on being run by Marriott - this includes top properties like the Marriott County Hall.

The TS part of Marriott was a cost drain due to the interest on the debts run up to finance the developments. In the good times the sales were enough to off set these costs but one bad year was enough to convince Marriott that it was hitting the hotel business bottom line. So they hived off the TS business to MVW and cleared the potential for bad news from their bottom line whilst still making money from the franchise of the Marriott name and brand.

The issue for Son Antem is that there are now three players in the operation of the integrated resort. Marriott operate the hotel which is owned by Orenal SA and Marriott Vacations Worldwide through its Spanish associate company own and operate the TS resort. This meant that the single resort general manager was replaced by a hotel manager working for Marriott and a TS resort manager working for MVW. That loaded some costs onto both businesses but that is small beer when you consider that now each has separate business objectives and paymasters. 

The hotel has a different set of financial challenges to the TS resort. he TS has a relatively captive market of owners and exchangers with some renters. The hotel has a totally different market made up of many people who have no affiliation to Marriott other than some who will be Marriott Rewards members. The property owners want a good revenue stream to help finance the interest payments on the debts that were incurred to build the property, just like MVW need to finance all their debts on the development of the TS units.

MVW however is master of its own good or bad fortune whereas the hotel property owner is dependent on Marriott to operate the hotel in a way that will generate enough revenue to finance the debts and also offer a profit to the owners of Orenal SA. Marriott gets the costs of operation covered and then shares the profit of operating the hotel with Orenal SA but is that enough to cover the interest on the debts and capital repayments and also a profit for Orenal SA. In the current financial world innSpain it may be that Orenal need to improve their income or go bust and that may be driving tem to look at their options and quite likely their lenders are driving them from behind the scenes.

This difference in business priorities is what concerns me. The business imperative for Orenal SA might be to move the hotel down market to increase bodies in beds overall and still increase their revenue but that will definitely conflict with the expectations of the TS guests. Also it may well be that the Spa and Golf  are owned by MVW but the hotel guests use these and offset the operating costs. If the hotel clientele moves down market and uses the spa and golf less due to the costs being out of their price range then more of those costs will fall more on the TS owners.

So I am concerned about this potential change and the financial and quality implications to me as an owner at the TS resort at Son Antem.


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## Empty Nest (Apr 15, 2013)

*Marriott leaving Son Antem hotel*

We are at the villas this week.  Front desk staff told us it will transition away from Marriott. Timeshares will not change. 

 The effects we notice right now are that the concierge desk is not staffed. The front desk handles requests. (Not nearly as well as the former concierge). The only resort activity is an exercise class.  Check in and housekeeping go through hotel front desk. But the staff member assured us that Marriott will be out.

Aviara in Carlsbad CA seems to have survived the Four Seasons change.


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## FractionalTraveler (Apr 15, 2013)

Empty Nest said:


> We are at the villas this week.  Front desk staff told us it will transition away from Marriott. Timeshares will not change.
> 
> The effects we notice right now are that the concierge desk is not staffed. The front desk handles requests. (Not nearly as well as the former concierge). The only resort activity is an exercise class.  Check in and housekeeping go through hotel front desk. But the staff member assured us that Marriott will be out.
> 
> Aviara in Carlsbad CA seems to have survived the Four Seasons change.



This is nothing new to Marriott timeshares.  It has happened a few times already in the last 3 years.  Sorry to see it happen but management of properties does change hands from time to time.  Hopefully impact to MVCI resort will be mitigated over time.

Thanks for the heads up!


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## JonP (Apr 15, 2013)

We have been owners for 12 years and due to the intrinsic nature of the resort this can only have a negative impact.  It's such a tranquil resort which would be ruined if a package orientated hotel chain take over!!!!


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## thegamebird (Apr 15, 2013)

JonP said:


> We have been owners for 12 years and due to the intrinsic nature of the resort this can only have a negative impact.  It's such a tranquil resort which would be ruined if a package orientated hotel chain take over!!!!



Ditto. Us too - also own three weeks. Very, very sad and nervous, really, to see what's going to happen. The hotel and the TS are so intrinsically linked, it's difficult to see how this will have anything but a negative effect. It's like trying to pick apart a long marriage! We were there last week and in fact we didn't set foot in the hotel apart from having to check in, but when we visit in the summer we spend a lot more time there -  suppose that won't be the case anymore.

I think I'll be interested to see how the the housekeeping, maintenance and "At Your Service" will be managed, although the latter could definitely be improved!

Oh well, we can't stop the juggernaut heading our way, so all we can do is hope for the best!


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## MALC9990 (Apr 15, 2013)

Friends who have a hotel ressie thru Marriott.com received an email telling them that their booking would not be a Marriott stay. This is for June. The email stated that the hotel ceases to be a Marriott immediately.


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## MALC9990 (Apr 15, 2013)

FractionalTraveler said:


> This is nothing new to Marriott timeshares.  It has happened a few times already in the last 3 years.  Sorry to see it happen but management of properties does change hands from time to time.  Hopefully impact to MVCI resort will be mitigated over time.
> 
> Thanks for the heads up!



The big concern is that owners know that the whole place is totally integrated. Access to the hotel is directly through the centre of the TS units. The hotel services all the Requirements of the TS units, maintenance, housekeeping etc. we will be there in June and I do not expect to see no impact. This used to be so integrated that there was a single GM for the whole site, hotel and TS. This was split when Marriott hived off the TS business.

 Obviously Marriott hotels have failed to deliver for the hotel owners. Big questions as yet unanswered - who owns the Spa, who owns the golf club?


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## JonP (Apr 16, 2013)

Whilst it will be a mammoth challenge to administer the split due to the integrated nature of the resort, I have confidence in MVCI being able to maintain and deliver a service equal to that what exists.   Hopefully they can use this as an opportunity to provide an even better level of service and experience.

My main concern is the hotel sector which Iberostar operate in and the impact this will have on the overall experience of visiting Son Antem.  We often use the hotel pool bar for lunch and always enjoy a quiet drink late evening in the hotel lobby.  Having briefly researched their portfolio of hotels (which are mainly sold through package tour operators) it doesn’t sit well with the Marriott ethos.  

As Malc notes, ownership of the spa, golf courses etc will be key as to the outcome of this split.  The following was stated in the original email,

‘The amenities at Club Son Antem including the Spa, golf courses, golf restaurant, fitness center and Marketplace continue to be owned and/or operated by Marriott Vacation Club International and your continued use and enjoyment of these facilities would remain unchanged.’

With regards to the golf, it was my understanding that Marriott owned the West Course (including practise facilities) and maintained/operated the East Course.

I hope that MVCI provide a comprehensive statement shortly, as whichever way this evolves, it has a serious impact on owners.


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## MALC9990 (Apr 16, 2013)

JonP said:


> Whilst it will be a mammoth challenge to administer the split due to the integrated nature of the resort, I have confidence in MVCI being able to maintain and deliver a service equal to that what exists.   Hopefully they can use this as an opportunity to provide an even better level of service and experience.
> 
> My main concern is the hotel sector which Iberostar operate in and the impact this will have on the overall experience of visiting Son Antem.  We often use the hotel pool bar for lunch and always enjoy a quiet drink late evening in the hotel lobby.  Having briefly researched their portfolio of hotels (which are mainly sold through package tour operators) it doesn’t sit well with the Marriott ethos.
> 
> ...



Could not agree more and I hope and expect to get a statement from MVCI to all owners as soon as possible. I had forgotten that the original email from MVCI alerting owners to this possibility (sounds to me the word should have been probability) of this change did indeed mention that the SPA, Golf Club and related facilities within that building were owned and operated by MVCI. A concern is that the costs of the SPA and Golf facilities - especially the SPA are partially met by the hotel. Not being a user of the SPA I would not want to see my MFs jump next year due to a shortfall in the income for the SPA. I would rather see the charges to users increased if required - but I would guess that owners who use the SPA would differ in their opinion. The same should apply to the Golf - both these facilities should be self sustaining through the fees they charge.

I also agree that the move to IBEROSTAR does herald a shift down market for the hotel and that will be a major challenge to the overall quality of the resort experience for owners and others staying at Club Son Antem in the future. 

I also worry about how successful this change of management will be. All the other hotels operated by IBEROSTAR in Majorca are what I would call traditional package tour beach hotels catering to a package holiday market. Son Antem is many miles away from the beach and I would suggest will not be attractive to the traditional IBEROSTAR target market of the beach  package holiday. A rental car is absolutely essential for a vacation at Son Antem - again the typical package holiday market uses coaches to transport customers from the airport to the resort and then you are on foot and on site for the vacation. This will not work for the package holiday market at Son Antem but the additional costs of car rental or taxis will be unattractive. My prediction is that I am afraid that the new hotel management will chase after a more down market customer base to fill the hotel which will be a descending spiral to lower and lower quality as they reduce prices to attract customers who really want a beach vacation and not a golf and spa vacation.

Only time will tell how this will work out but I can see some difficult times ahead for owners and customers at Club Son Antem.


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## JonP (Apr 16, 2013)

MALC9990 said:


> All the other hotels operated by IBEROSTAR in Majorca are what I would call traditional package tour beach hotels catering to a package holiday market. Son Antem is many miles away from the beach and I would suggest will not be attractive to the traditional IBEROSTAR target market of the beach  package holiday. A rental car is absolutely essential for a vacation at Son Antem - again the typical package holiday market uses coaches to transport customers from the airport to the resort and then you are on foot and on site for the vacation. This will not work for the package holiday market at Son Antem but the additional costs of car rental or taxis will be unattractive.



I cannot see the attraction for the package market for these same reasons…..it just does not fit and could be a disaster all round.  

The hotel is used by many English & German visitors, often loyal Marriott/Renaissance customers, so I can see a lot of cancellations for this summer and the pressure will be on Iberostar to fill the rooms.

The resort was beautiful when we visited (on a paid stay) at the end of March.  We are using our weeks in July/August and I do fear for the worse.   I can see many owners bailing out unless MVCI are proactive in ensuring our ‘investment’ is safe!


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## FractionalTraveler (Apr 16, 2013)

Very sad indeed.  That was something I considered when evaluating the MVCI Lakeshore Reserve property.  The proximity to the JW/RC offer some intrinsic benefits to owners and guests.  That was also a big Marriott selling point early in the project.

It recently happened at MVCI Doral but its too early to tell how it will play out long term for the owners.


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## amanda14 (Apr 16, 2013)

the JW/Ritz campus was definitely something that assisted in my purchasing Lake Shore.  Having been 2-3 times, I have used the golf course but more importantly the restaurants.  I didn't really utilize the JW pools because I thought Lakeshore's were superior for our needs


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## thegamebird (Apr 16, 2013)

There we go. As suspected.

_As a follow-up to our last Owner letter dated 7 March, 2013, we have been notified that as of 19 April, 2013 the Mallorca Marriott Hotel will no longer be managed by Marriott Hotels S.L. or branded as a Marriott hotel. The decision to de-brand the hotel is made exclusively by the hotel owner, Orenol S.A., and the hotel management company. Marriott Vacation Club International was not part of this decision and at this time we now know that the new hotel manager is Iberostar Hotels & Resorts.

As a Club Son Antem Owner we understand you may have questions and concerns regarding this news and we want to reassure you of the following:

    You will continue to have full access to Marriott's Club Son Antem resort.
    Your use and enjoyment of the amenities at Son Antem including the Spa, golf courses, golf restaurant, fitness center, tennis courts, playground and Marketplace will not change and continue to be owned and/or operated by Marriott Vacation Club International.
    At this time, we anticipate that Club Son Antem Owner's and guests will also continue enjoying use of the hotel's pool and publicly accessible amenities, including food and beverage areas.
    MVCI Management S.L. will do its best to discuss establishing discounts for Club Son Antem Owners with the new hotel operator.

One modification necessary with the change in hotel management will be the opening of a dedicated check-in and lobby facility for our Owners and guests. We have identified a space within the nearby sales gallery that is both very welcoming and centrally located. By 19 April, 2013, Club Son Antem will have a fully-functioning front desk operation that will ensure a check-in experience exclusively for our Club Son Antem Owners and guests.

As more important developments become available on the transition of the hotel manager we will keep you informed.

In the meantime, should you have questions regarding an upcoming visit to Club Son Antem or a stay at the hotel, please contact Owner Services at Europe.Services@vacationclub.com or 00 800 8855 6677.

Sincerely,

Rance Ryan Signature
Regional Vice President 

Will look with interest at developments._


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## thegamebird (Apr 16, 2013)

thegamebird said:


> There we go. As suspected.
> 
> _As a follow-up to our last Owner letter dated 7 March, 2013, we have been notified that as of 19 April, 2013 the Mallorca Marriott Hotel will no longer be managed by Marriott Hotels S.L. or branded as a Marriott hotel. The decision to de-brand the hotel is made exclusively by the hotel owner, Orenol S.A., and the hotel management company. Marriott Vacation Club International was not part of this decision and at this time we now know that the new hotel manager is Iberostar Hotels & Resorts.
> 
> ...


_

Doesn't mention the Kids Club which is a huge favourite of my son. Am hoping that's also part of the MVCI package (which seems to be the amenities located in the Spa/Golf building) as it's free to owners.

Again, all we can do is hope that this is a positive change for us owners. Fingers crossed! _


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## Empty Nest (Apr 16, 2013)

We are checking out on the 19th for an early flight. We better scope out the new area tomorrow.  There has been a lot of activity around the sales building this week.  This is our 3rd visit to this beautiful resort. Our unit is impeccable, and the grounds well maintained.


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## MALC9990 (Apr 16, 2013)

Received from MVCI this evening 16 April.

As a follow-up to our last Owner letter dated 7 March, 2013, we have been notified that as of 19 April, 2013 the Mallorca Marriott Hotel will no longer be managed by Marriott Hotels S.L. or branded as a Marriott hotel. The decision to de-brand the hotel is made exclusively by the hotel owner, Orenol S.A., and the hotel management company. Marriott Vacation Club International was not part of this decision and at this time we now know that the new hotel manager is Iberostar Hotels & Resorts.

As a Club Son Antem Owner we understand you may have questions and concerns regarding this news and we want to reassure you of the following:
You will continue to have full access to Marriott's Club Son Antem resort.
Your use and enjoyment of the amenities at Son Antem including the Spa, golf courses, golf restaurant, fitness center, tennis courts, playground and Marketplace will not change and continue to be owned and/or operated by Marriott Vacation Club International.
At this time, we anticipate that Club Son Antem Owner's and guests will also continue enjoying use of the hotel's pool and publicly accessible amenities, including food and beverage areas.
MVCI Management S.L. will do its best to discuss establishing discounts for Club Son Antem Owners with the new hotel operator.
One modification necessary with the change in hotel management will be the opening of a dedicated check-in and lobby facility for our Owners and guests. We have identified a space within the nearby sales gallery that is both very welcoming and centrally located. By 19 April, 2013, Club Son Antem will have a fully-functioning front desk operation that will ensure a check-in experience exclusively for our Club Son Antem Owners and guests.

As more important developments become available on the transition of the hotel manager we will keep you informed.


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## pwrshift (Apr 16, 2013)

BocaBoy said:


> A similar thing happened a few years ago at Fairway Villas. I do not own there and never stayed there until after the change, so i do not know if there was any impact on the timeshare guest experience. Perhaps a Fairway Villas owner can comment on this?


 
Same thing, I think, for Doral (Miami) being sold to Trump leaving Marriott out in the cold...except for their timeshares there.

Brian


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## dioxide45 (Apr 16, 2013)

pwrshift said:


> Same thing, I think, for Doral (Miami) being sold to Trump leaving Marriott out in the cold...except for their timeshares there.
> 
> Brian



I think Doral and Fairway Villas are a little different. It seems that the Son Antem TS property is more entwined with the hotel than the TS properties in Miami and NJ. I don't believe that the front desks at Fairway Villas and Doral were run through the hotel. They were dedicated front desk services just for the TS properties.


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## FractionalTraveler (Apr 16, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> I think Doral and Fairway Villas are a little different. It seems that the Son Antem TS property is more entwined with the hotel than the TS properties in Miami and NJ. I don't believe that the front desks at Fairway Villas and Doral were run through the hotel. They were dedicated front desk services just for the TS properties.



I agree.  Regardless, MVCI has already successfully re-negotiated its amenity agreement with Trump so Marriott owners still have access to the new Trump facility.  There have been no special assessments or increased MF because of this either.  I congratulate the management team at Doral for achieving this!


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## MALC9990 (Apr 17, 2013)

Well the plan to set up a dedicated check-in and lobby facility for TS guests at Som Antem in the Sales Centre makes sense and no doubt once in operation it will provide a good facility. It is perhaps providential that a plan to demolish that building and build 8 more villas in that location was never implemented due to costs of relocating the sales centre and perhaps more importantly the poor economic climate in Europe. 

It will certainly be in the best interests of both Hotel and TS operations that there continues to be a close cooperation and that the hotels allows access to the main pool for TS guests and that hotel guests have access to the Spa facilities and also to the two 18 hole Golf courses.

I do think that the new management in the hotel will need to review some areas when they take over. Pricing in the hotel's Bars and Restaurants needs to be reviewed. Over recent years the prices had become unattractive compared to what was available outside and also the quality of the restaurant offerings had declined IMHO. This decline became more obvious when an independent restaurant and bar was opened by a third party in what had originally been the golf club before MVCI developed the new golf club and had been used for storage for some time. This operation has become very successful and used extensively by TS guests and also by hotel guests.

Location and access will be an issue for the hotel management going forward. Set as it is in the countryside a long way from beaches and centers of population, there are no local facilities accessible on foot outside the resort, which means that either guests have a rental car or are prepared to spend quite significant sums on taxis. A one way taxi ride into Palma will cost in excess of €30 to €35. In the past the hotel operated a shuttle bus into Palma but that stopped some years ago and perhaps the new management will reinstate such a service for guests and that may be of interest to some TS guests but mostly TS guests have a rental car which is essential for transport around the island and to the supermarket and restaurants around the island. 

Access to the hotel is through the same main entrance as the TS and the security at the gate is quite important, the whole site is huge as you would expect with two 18 hole golf courses and all the villas and the hotel as well as all the ancillary buildings and so security is important. Hotel guests have to drive or be driven through the complex and past quite a number of the TS villas to reach the hotel which is set in the centre of the resort and disturbance to guests in the affected TS villas will be an issue. This may be worse in the future since the target market for Iberostar in Spain is the Packaged Holiday market and this tends to use flights that operate at unsocial hours rather than daytime which may result in late night traffic to and from the resort, something we have not experienced in all the time we have been owners there. The quiet and peace of the resort at night has always been one of the main attractions.

So time will tell how this will work out.  For myself, I believe that owners need to be more active in the guidance of the operation and management of the TS resort and so I will be standing for election to the Advisory Board of Directors for the Club Son Antem resort later this year in the hope that if I get elected then I can assist the management and operations of the resort in this time of change.


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## JonP (Apr 17, 2013)

I don’t have any doubts that MVCI will not ensure that the transition is undertaken in a very professional manner.  The main concern for us is the type of hotel operator, there would be no fear should it be a Trump, Hilton etc.  Iberostar operate in a completely different sector, providing a completely different clientele to that which is attracted to this type of resort.  This is further exuberated by the fact that the hotel sits in the middle of all the timeshare units.


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## MALC9990 (Apr 17, 2013)

JonP said:


> I don’t have any doubts that MVCI will not ensure that the transition is undertaken in a very professional manner.  The main concern for us is the type of hotel operator, there would be no fear should it be a Trump, Hilton etc.  Iberostar operate in a completely different sector, providing a completely different clientele to that which is attracted to this type of resort.  This is further exuberated by the fact that the hotel sits in the middle of all the timeshare units.



I share your concerns, unfortunately the situation is what it is and I guess that owners will have to retain judgement until they have stayed and seen what it is like. 

I feel sorry for the Marriott staff at Son Antem, many are from around Europe and have been with Marriott for many years at different locations across Europe and they face a transfer to a new employer without the global presence of Marriott (a few hotels in Mexico and the Carribean do not make Iberostar a global player in the same league as Marriott or SPG or IHG). I guess some of the senior management with a career with Marriott will have moved on within Marriott. There is a very upmarket Hilton not too far from Son Antem so they were never going to be interested and I suspect Trump don't even know where Mallorca is. So a takeover of management by a local Spanish operation was probably to be expected once there was some sort of issue between Marriott and the owners Orenal S.A. This must be a really small company since even Google cannot find them.


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## FractionalTraveler (Apr 17, 2013)

Ok, we can't change the situation but what in the heck happened?

Anyone care to speculate why Marriott is leaving?  Has this been a long time coming?  Were there any underlying issues?

Any perspective would be appreciated.


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## MALC9990 (Apr 17, 2013)

FractionalTraveler said:


> Ok, we can't change the situation but what in the heck happened?
> 
> Anyone care to speculate why Marriott is leaving?  Has this been a long time coming?  Were there any underlying issues?
> 
> Any perspective would be appreciated.



 I like probably all the owners at Son Antem wish we knew what was happening. My guess, and this is only my guess, is that the main reason will be economics and financial returns.

My understanding is that when the resort was developped, the original Golf Club was acquired and Marriott began the development of the Hotel and Timeshare resort. Like most Marriott Hotels the hotel is owned by a property company and Marriott probably did the development but did not invest long term in the hotel building. However they clearly had the operation of the hotel under contract. 

The suddeness of the change is the significant shock - it seems to have gone from speculation in Early March to a change of operation on 19th April - just 5 weeks. Now to me this sort of change does not happen in that time frame. Employment legislation in the EU would require all parties to have agreed the terms for transfer of staff to a new operator and that can take months of negotiation so I suspect that this has been coming and been planned for a lot longer than we might appreciate.

Why it has come about, I can only speculate, but I would guess that it has to do with the financial return the property owner company has been getting (or rather not getting). In recent times we have seen the owners of a large tranche of Marriott Hotels in thye UK go bankrupt and the hotel properties were taken over by the bank to whom the debts of the property company were owed. Those hotel properies are now being sold by the bank to partially recover the debts owed. It could be that the hotel owners in Mallorca are under financial pressure and see this change as a way tio improve their return on investment.

From a TS owner perspective, the hotel has been pretty well run, there have been some issues - but nothing that was serious. I certainly was a customer of the hotel on an annual basis (several times a year) in addition to my weeks at the TS but that will probably now stop since I would now look at the TS for additional time using perhaps my DC enrolled points rather than a paid stay at the hotel.

Already some friends who had several extra days booked at the hotel to add to a 2 week stay at their TS have decided to cancel the reservation at the hotel, recover the MR points use to reserve and stay at the orther Marriott in Palma as a cash reservation. I suspect that the new management might see some more of this happen in the coming months as TS owners realise they will not get their MR benefits nor points nor nights stay credits.


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## JonP (Apr 19, 2013)

You can now book online for the Iberostar Son Antem.  Minimum stay is 2 nights, with option of B&B, Half Board or All Inclusive.  

I've checked a couple of random dates during different seasons and the rates are not dissimilar to the Marriott rates previously available.


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## MALC9990 (Apr 20, 2013)

Thanks Jon.
Still very well hidden however - no listed on the site as one of the hotels in the brand. No description or pictures. Can book it but hard to find it unless you knew  it was there.


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## MALC9990 (Apr 20, 2013)

Empty Nest said:


> We are checking out on the 19th for an early flight. We better scope out the new area tomorrow.  There has been a lot of activity around the sales building this week.  This is our 3rd visit to this beautiful resort. Our unit is impeccable, and the grounds well maintained.


Have a safe journey home. When you get home could you update us on any thoughts you have from the change over.


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## Empty Nest (Apr 20, 2013)

We left on the 19th and all  Marriott logos and signs were removed from the hotel. The ubiquitous portrait of the Marriott men was removed from the lobby and hangs in the sales center, which is now the check in desk.

There was no signage indicating the new name yet.

We asked the desk manager if jobs were lost. He said half stayed with the new hotel. He and the other half went with Marriott,  so no jobs were lost, as of now.

He seemed optimistic that it would work out, but what else could he say under the circumstances.


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## JonP (May 23, 2013)

Has anyone visited Club Son Antem since Iberostar have taken over running of the hotel and can report on the general impact?  We are due to visit at the end of July for two weeks.  The first hotel review since they have taken over has been posted on TripAdvsior and is not very complementary.

On a side note, we have just returned from our annual two weeks at Playa Andaluza and the resort just keeps getting better.  However, it is disappointing that the beach chiringuito has closed.


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## MALC9990 (May 23, 2013)

JonP said:


> Has anyone visited Club Son Antem since Iberostar have taken over running of the hotel and can report on the general impact?  We are due to visit at the end of July for two weeks.  The first hotel review since they have taken over has been posted on TripAdvsior and is not very complementary.
> 
> On a side note, we have just returned from our annual two weeks at Playa Andaluza and the resort just keeps getting better.  However, it is disappointing that the beach chiringuito has closed.



Jon
We will be there for the last two weeks of the June Gold season so late June thru early July. It is my intention to provide an update but anything sooner would also be helpful. Must now go and look at TA.


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## Superchief (May 23, 2013)

Legends Edge is another example of the adjacent hotel changing management. I haven't seen any input from owners regarding how this has impacted this resort. Does anyone there have any comments?


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## Bunny on the Spin (Jun 2, 2013)

*Report from Son Antem*



JonP said:


> Has anyone visited Club Son Antem since Iberostar have taken over running of the hotel and can report on the general impact?  We are due to visit at the end of July for two weeks.  The first hotel review since they have taken over has been posted on TripAdvsior and is not very complementary.
> 
> On a side note, we have just returned from our annual two weeks at Playa Andaluza and the resort just keeps getting better.  However, it is disappointing that the beach chiringuito has closed.



Hi,

I have been reading this thread with much interest.  We are not owners at Son Antem, but exchange at least once a year into there, Playa and Marbella, using our 3 ownerships at Branson, Vegas or Paris.  We are currently here at Son Antem, and I too was "dreading" what we would find at our beloved piece of paradise 

On the face of it, everything looks, smells and appears the same!  That said, we usually have at least one evening meal in the main buffet restaurant (whilst not the best value for money, I concur), it does give hubby a break from driving and means he can have a glass or three of wine.  However, so far this visit we have not even set foot in the hotel (apart from in error to check in - having failed to spot the huge "MVCI Check In" signs pointing to the sales centre on the run down).  My excuse was the jet lag - it's a long way from Luton airport, don't you know :rofl:

I'm not really sure why we've given the hotel a wide berth so far - there's certainly an air of not wanting to disturb fond memories, or something like that.  As a previous poster stated, we too typically add-on extra nights in the hotel, using MRs to extend our week long stays, and have enjoyed great service, comfy rooms and the general soothing ambience of a night cap in the hotel bar after dinner. I guess I'm worried that I'm going to walk into a reenactment of a Butlins Abba tribute weekend or a karaoke bloodbath!

And......if our visit to the spa pool yesterday was anything to go by, that worryingly may not be far from reality.....

One of the big attractions of Son Antem for me IS the spa pool area.  I'm not sure what exactly it is about it, but it pulls me.  I absolutely love water - be it a pool, shower, bath, the sea, river or rain.  I just adore it.  I do, however, loathe being cold.  So, the spa pool here, being ridiculously heated, is like nectar to me. I have been known to spend quite literally all day in there, sitting on one of pool's 'shelves', with my nose buried in a book.  I love the calmness of the atmosphere around the poolside, and I like that (with the odd exception) the place is usually devoid of screeching kids.

Oh, how that has changed.  We arrived poolside around 11:30am today, and there wasn't a vacant sun lounger to be found.  There were plenty with just towels on them though...warning sign number one.

As we walked around the pool to find a spot on the lawn (where I should add, the pool guy on duty did fetch us a couple beds from his secret stash), a whiny voice from the centre of the pool shouted out loudly "Mummy, Jayden's done a poo in here"....warning sign number two (literally, as it goes!).

Things didn't improve any from that point.  I have never seen that pool so jam packed.  Ever.  Ok, so we've never been here during the summer school holidays, I've probably always been fortunate with the relative peace and quiet.  But it's not the summer hols now, so I shudder to think what it will be like then.  It's not pleasant, I'm afraid - the whole atmosphere has changed.  Most of the guests appeared to be hotel residents (the old giveaway with the different coloured pool towels).  Talking of pool towels, as people departed the area during the afternoon, the place was left littered with discarded towels on, under and around the beds, which nobody seemed concerned with picking up.

Evenings are a little different too.  There is clearly some 'entertainment' going on at the hotel, as last night there was a lot of noise emanating from the vicinity until about 10:00pm.  I could hear a guy on a microphone who sounded much like he was commentating on the Grand National, with the odd bout of cheering and clapping thrown in too.  We are situated on Calle Oliva this time, so in theory I would have thought we are far enough away for any reasonable noise not to carry, but this did.  However, I haven't heard anything undue this evening, so perhaps it was a Saturday night one-off? 

Reading this back, I realise I maybe coming across as having my head stuck up my own a***, that actually couldn't be further from the truth.  I'm no snob, and I love to see people enjoying a good holiday, but don't we pay a lot of money to enjoy the privileges that MVCI ownership brings?  And honestly, if I wanted to spend a week in the midst of package holiday mayhem, I'd sell our ownerships and do just that.  

I'm genuinely concerned that this is far from the right place to attract your typical tour operator customer (in my younger days, if I booked a package holiday, you'd bet your bottom dollar that proximity to a beach and town were two main considerations when booking).  If this is still generally the case, and the hotel fares not as well as expected in the future, are prices going to be slashed, in order to just get bums in beds?  I googled availability in the hotel this coming weekend, just out of interest.  It appears to be unavailable, which I've never seen before in the Marriott days. This has left me rather nonplussed - the prices when it is available seem not too far removed from the previous Marriott rates, so where have Iberostar drummed up this last minute trade from, I wonder?

So.  Will all this prevent us from exchanging into here in the future? Short answer is no.  I love the resort and the Island too much - it's my "happy" place and I can't see that ever changing. However, it feels a little bit like a much loved old neighbour has moved out, and the Addams family replaced them. I think we will just be spending a little more time than usual at Es Trenc beach on future visits.  That is, if Iberostar hasn't taken over that too!

Apologies if this post has been a little disheartening, and please bear in mind this is just two people's personal opinions.  But I spoken as I've found, and hope it answers some of your questions.  If anyone would like to know anything in particular, give a shout out and we'll go undercover investigating!


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## bazzap (Jun 2, 2013)

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, that does sound so disappointing.
I guess whilst I would miss the spa pool option (or not now, the way you describe it!) as long as the villa pools are not invaded and maintain their quiet, peaceful nature that would still be OK for us.
Did you use the holistic spa area?
That is a favourite of ours and I really do hope that keeps its special feel.


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## Pompey Family (Jun 3, 2013)

It sounds not too dissimilar to when we were there in August two years ago.  That was during the summer holidays and the main pool was crowded and loungers were hard to come by.  Because of this we spent the remainder of the holiday in the quiet seclusion of the villa pool and we loved every minute of it.

We did visit Es Trenc on the Sunday and it was absolutely heaving, we had to park about a mile away and when we reached the beach you could barely find a spot of sand to set up camp.  After all the hype about what a beautiful beach it was I was very disappointed and we didn't stay long.

How long have you been there as last week was half term so it may explain why it was so busy?


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## MALC9990 (Jun 3, 2013)

Well it is of course a UK Holiday time - half term last week with the late May bank holiday last Monday. So it is a peak season week at least last week and possibly this week also. We will be there in a couple of weeks time and report back on what we find. I don't often use the SPA pool but SWMBO does use the SPA for treatments so we will see what she finds there. We also like the hotel bar for a late evening drink but last year we found that it was less never very busy and so lacking in atmosphere so it may be we decide to use La Finca which is the onsite but independent restaurant and bar next to the MVCI information centre for late night drinks.


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## MALC9990 (Jun 3, 2013)

Pompey Family said:


> It sounds not too dissimilar to when we were there in August two years ago.  That was during the summer holidays and the main pool was crowded and loungers were hard to come by.  Because of this we spent the remainder of the holiday in the quiet seclusion of the villa pool and we loved every minute of it.
> 
> We did visit Es Trenc on the Sunday and it was absolutely heaving, we had to park about a mile away and when we reached the beach you could barely find a spot of sand to set up camp.  After all the hype about what a beautiful beach it was I was very disappointed and we didn't stay long.
> 
> How long have you been there as last week was half term so it may explain why it was so busy?



Es Trenc is always busy in the good weather on a Sunday - the locals also go there in large numbers. If you walk along the beach for about 15 mins it does get less crowded but then you are amongst the nudists and if you have children it is less than attractive in more ways than I care to mention.

Buying Gold weeks and going in late June and/or September when there are no school holidays in Europe was always a good move for me.


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## bazzap (Jun 3, 2013)

Other beach options we like, roughly in the Es Trenc area, if you have not tried them are
Walking east from Sa Rapita Yacht Club, where you can park
Walking east from Colonia de Sant Jordi towards Es Carbo beach
Driving that bit further to our favourite Parc Natural Mondrago and especially S'Amarador beach.


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## Queen (Jun 3, 2013)

Any owners out there that can give feedback on how the change of Hotel ownership has affected Legends Edge.


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## Bunny on the Spin (Jun 6, 2013)

Hi,

Well, we've come to the end of our week here, and tomorrow we check into the hotel for our final night - and it will be the first time we'll have been into the hotel all week! 

Pleased to report that the resort did indeed quieten down somewhat as the week went on - spa pool still very, very busy though.  We wandered down late this afternoon (around 5pm) to rinse the sea water off and warm up in the shelter of the sun, after spending the day on a very, very windy beach.  And STILL there were no beds to be seen!

We have been lucky in that the weather picked up nicely for our week, so we've been off exploring beaches and my beloved mountains a lot. We too love Mondrago, but I have mobility issues and find it's not the easiest to access for me.  We have found a new love this week, in the form of Cala Sa Nau.  Again, not the easiest to access, but I can get my mobility scooter to the beach edge, and the oh-so-comfortable bamboo beds are divine to lounge around and recover on. It's a wee cove, and does get busy, but because it's small and the loungers are well spaced apart, it never feels overwrought or too noisy.  The cove is actually an inlet so you can't see the open ocean, just a really beautiful clear turquoise bay.

As far as Marriott is concerned, I really have noticed a difference this time around in the form of a couple of "niggles" that we've never experienced before (or maybe we've just always been lucky over the past 6 years?).  Niggle number 1 - we have tried every day to obtain our welcome pack - and drawn a blank each time. We went to the sales office and were directed to the Marriott desk near the Marketplace. Only to find the desk unmanned. We tried the next day - same thing.  So, we asked once again at the sales office, only to be told that we do actually pick it up from the sales office, but it had to be between nine and five (this was about 5:05!).  So, we turned up the following day, to be told that "you need to see the lady at the Marriott desk near the Marketplace". This was yesterday, with one day remaining, so we gave up! We really only use the discount vouchers for a coupe of restaurants we like anyway, so no big deal.

Another noticeable - and glaring- difference is the complete lack of communication from a Marriott rep.  At best we usually get a courtesy "hello" call, and at worst, we get several calls trying to entice us into attemding another sales pitch.  This week we have had neither.  Not concerned in the slightest, but it does seem a bit strange.

Our other gripe - and this has really got my goat....3 times this week we have been "locked out" of our villa, due the key cards being deactivated.  Each time we had all three cards on us, and none of them worked, so it clearly wasn't the "technical malfunction" the sales office desk fobbed us off with.  Luckily, on each occasion we have had the car keys on us so were able to drive round to the office, but if we hadn't, my husband would not have been a happy man at all.

Other silly niggles are the maids not firing the dishwasher up, but equallynot leaving a tablet for us to do it ourselves.  The mid-week clean that we requested did not happen, but was on our bill this evening despite us having reported it not being done on the day, and lastly, housekeeping took all of our towels one day (despite them not being in the tub to replace anyway) and neglected to replace any of them!

None of these are massive issues, but they are new experiences to us, and the general air of indifference when the shortcomings were reported was noticeable.  I can't help but wonder where the attention to detail and love has gone?


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## bazzap (Jun 6, 2013)

I am pleased you had good weather and made the best of your week despite of the issues you faced. 
Did you attend the Owner's Cocktail Party (is there still one?) and did other owners also have problems?
We also had key cards not working on several days during our recent St Kitts stay. Frustrating, but at least there it is only a very short walk to resolve.
I am not sure i recall Cala Sa Nau, although we have checked out most of the braces on the south and south east coasts over the years. We will make a point of going there in September - thank you.


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## MALC9990 (Jun 7, 2013)

Bunny
Like Barry I am glad you enjoyed your stay at what is one of our favourite Marriott Resorts. We are owners and have been so for 10 years now and we stay every year in late June. We will be there in 2 weeks time. I've noted your comments and some I recognise such as the key card problem. They usually blame it on my mobile phone but for several years now I always ensure it goes nowhere near my phone and in deed often all the keys stop working during a stay several times.

Not getting your welcome pack aid not acceptable. We will see how it goes with us.


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## Apollo30 (Jun 25, 2013)

*Marriott hotel is now Iberostar*

Staying in my TS in Son Antem. The hotel & all signage is now Iberostar. Cannot see many changes yet but the lounge, bar, conservatory, outdoor seating area and main pool are like a ghost town. Just bought 2 coffees made in a vending machine that were terrible and paid seven Euros ! Not returning. Villas, service etc. all unchanged and very nice but worried about the future.


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## SueDonJ (Jun 25, 2013)

Apollo30 said:


> Staying in my TS in Son Antem. The hotel & all signage is now Iberostar. Cannot see many changes yet but the lounge, bar, conservatory, outdoor seating area and main pool are like a ghost town. Just bought 2 coffees made in a vending machine that were terrible and paid seven Euros ! Not returning. Villas, service etc. all unchanged and very nice but worried about the future.



Thanks for sharing, Apollo.  TUGger MALC9990 is also currently at Son Antem; he started this thread last week to discuss the hotel change's impact on owners/guests staying at the resort.


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