I really wanted to love Excellence Oyster Bay, Montego Bay because we chose it months in advance to…read morecelebrate our anniversary. I'll start with the positives because there were definitely some.
The property itself is absolutely beautiful. The scenery is breathtaking and picture-perfect, making it one of the most visually stunning resorts we've visited.
Unfortunately, that's where our excellent experience largely ended.
One of the biggest issues appears to be that the resort's reservations and booking process is not managed on-site, (we were advised it was managed in Mexico) which created several unnecessary problems throughout our stay. Before arrival, we even received an email confirming our room that addressed us by someone else's last name. Upon check-in, we were informed our room would not be ready and were given "Black Card" status as compensation, which was explained as including special upgrades and benefits. However, during our stay we learned that many of those benefits were either unavailable or could not be redeemed, and several staff members didn't seem to understand what the Black Card actually included.
When we finally got to our room, there was no hot water in the shower. Thankfully, after contacting the front desk, maintenance responded promptly and resolved the issue.
Service throughout the resort was inconsistent. While there were a few employees who truly stood out and deserve recognition, the overall restaurant service fell well below what I expect from a luxury, adults-only all-inclusive resort.
I especially want to recognize:
* Antoinette, the hostess at Caribbean Grove, who was warm and welcoming.
* Deonique, who provided excellent beach service.
* Latifah, who took great care of us at the pool.
Their professionalism and kindness were highlights of our trip.
We also dined at Spice after making reservations. We met some wonderful people there, and Chef OJ was entertaining and made the experience enjoyable. Unfortunately, the table service again was slow and underwhelming.
Our biggest frustration came at the end of our stay. The evening before checkout, we asked about extending our reservation and were told we had to wait until business hours because the resort could not process reservation changes on-site. The following morning, we went to the front desk near checkout after waiting for our anniversary breakfast room service--which arrived about 30 minutes late and came with its own service issues.
The front desk staff tried to help but explained they had to contact another department for approval. We waited another 30 minutes without receiving an answer. I then tried calling and using the online chat myself, only to be placed on hold and eventually disconnected. Throughout our stay, the guest services phone line was nearly impossible to reach--it remained busy for two consecutive days. While the front desk staff were courteous and did everything they could, they simply didn't have the authority to resolve many issues because decisions were handled elsewhere.
Overall, Excellence Oyster Bay has an incredible location and beautiful grounds, but the operational and service issues prevented it from feeling like the luxury experience we expected for our anniversary. For a resort carrying the Excellence name and price point, I expected seamless customer service, knowledgeable staff, and better communication between departments.
I left wishing the service had matched the beauty of the property.