shangri-la boracay

it is one of the five-star hotels in the country and boasts of excellent service, shangri-la boracay is actually a nice place, luxurious and well-appointed. the rooms are very nice and spacious, wifi connectivity is reliable, fantastic and relaxing views and the amenities are top-notch. one feels welcome and at home, starting with the airport transfer and the ferry service going to punta bunga beach. during our stay, several staff provided fantastic service, specifically lyndon, who works at the sagana ballroom, apparently is on duty starting from 7 am till 10 pm (isn't 15-hour workday a form of forced labor already?!).

however, all the great things about our stay were wiped away as the rains got stronger last monday. we were clear that we wanted to go to d mall and catch the 2 pm shuttle to go there since we're transferring to another hotel for an extended 1-night stay in the island. but to my horror, our luggage were loaded on the van going to the boat that ferries people to caticlan. no one checked on this until i noticed that the van left without us and immediately flagged the men behind the counter. because of this mishap, we had to wait for 1.5 hours for our luggage and finally be boarded to the correct van.

to make matters worse, nothing was done to check or even offered by the concierge during this long wait. not even water to drink or anything to get the problem addressed in the most immediate manner, while it was clear that we were already waiting for quite some time. if we had not followed up, no one would have even bothered to check whether the luggage were brought back or whether we can get to the next shuttle leaving for d mall.

to set things straight and clear, i'm not ranting because i just want to rant nor i'm after some things shangri-la can offer. no, it's not that. the expectation is higher since shangri-la prides itself of "paradise experience" and that means everything will be seamless and hassle-free. shangri-la also swanks about "being able to anticipate the needs" of their guests. but in this case, it was clearly not. the poor luggage and concierge service this time made me doubt shangri-la's "paradise experience". it was not a great way to end a supposedly nice stay. it dampened our mood and we could have stayed in the pool area longer had we known that we'd be forced to wait that long.

this experience made us think that this maybe the situation since we haven't chalked up enough nights yet to deserve a very good overall customer experience from shangrila... selective in that sense? i don't know. but i do hope that they do not discriminate against non-VIP clients such as myself and my colleague and i'd like to think that what we went through was just an honest mistake.  

for all i know and expect, this feedback will fall on deaf ears and a big elephant like shangri-la won't even bother to send any message to "justify" my comments. a guest who stayed there for just 3 nights in 2015 and another 3 in august 2017 is by no means any reason to lift a finger. this when compared with the overflowing praises the hotel gets… heck, even i showered them with positives during my first stay.

anyway, there are other hotels and resorts to look at in boracay. some 3-star hotels also have fantastic, personalized and more of a local "bisita" service. one does not have to go splurge on a PHP 20k/ night stay and receive sub-par service.

till next time, bora! and i hope that i won't have to go through another "un-shangrila" experience!