Guest User
June 20, 2024
As a seasoned traveler who has visited over 60 countries and stayed at more than 1,000 different hotels in the last 20 years, holding the highest loyalty levels at many of them, I must express my profound disappointment with the Mandarin Oriental Bodrum. From the moment I arrived, it was evident that this property fails to meet the standards one would expect from a luxury resort, especially when compared to the exquisite hospitality offered by its counterparts worldwide. We booked our stay through American Express, expecting to receive the signature room upgrade benefit that comes with such a reservation. However, upon checking in at an unreasonably late hour due to delays, we were dismayed to find that our supposedly non-smoking garden view room reeked of cigarette smoke. The carpets beneath the bed were filthy, a clear indication of the hotel's lack of attention to detail and cleanliness. While the congratulatory desserts for our honeymoon were a nice touch, they did little to compensate for the subpar state of the room and the absence of the promised upgrade. When my wife's respiratory issues surfaced the following morning, we immediately sought to change rooms. The staff's initial reluctance and subsequent offer to move us twice during our five-day stay was unacceptable. As a solution, I proposed the use of an ozone cleaner for one night, allowing us to move rooms just once. However, the hotel's refusal to compensate us for the night spent in a smoking room, despite their claims to the contrary, was the final straw. I decided to cut our stay short and requested a full refund for the remaining days, only to be met with a dismissive reference to their refund policy. It became apparent that the Mandarin Oriental Bodrum was never intended to function as a hotel. The rooms, clearly designed as residences or apartments, lack the cohesive quality one expects from a luxury property. The presence of privately rented restaurants and businesses within the hotel compounds the issue, as the management has no control over quality or pricing. The exorbitant cost of basic items, such as $450 for tanning lotion and $250 for the cheapest Turkish wine, which retails for a mere $20 in the market, is utterly absurd and unjustifiable. Such prices are unheard of in even the most prestigious hotels around the world, where the focus is on providing exceptional value and experiences to their guests. The hotel's shortcomings extend to its dining experiences as well. The breakfast service was marred by the staff's inability to prepare a proper cappuccino, requiring us to send back multiple orders. This lack of proficiency in such a fundamental aspect of hospitality is unacceptable. Ultimately, we were forced to abandon our honeymoon plans at the Mandarin Oriental Bodrum and seek accommodations elsewhere. The Bodrum EDITION, where we were treated with the respect and luxury befitting our status, stood in stark contrast to the dismal experience at Mandarin Oriental.