Azul Beach Resort Negril By Karisma

Great hotel. Such a shame it’s no longer part of TUI. Hope to return in the future. Food and rooms were great. We had a upgrade which was amazing This was our third visit. All staff can’t go enough for you

This property is on beautiful 7 Mile Beach. Excellent location and pristine access but there are many hotels on 7 Mile. And they are more deserving to host you. The most responsible thing one can do when sharing a negative experience is to be truthful, clear and focus on the facts. The latter was hard to do because this was my sister’s wedding. Emotions were naturally going to be high and sensitive. That said, I’m an avid travel, business professional and overall high consumer. I’ve been around the block and then some and this is the first time I have felt compelled to make sure no one else thinks about staying at this hotel. In my experience, I have never encountered such blatant disregard for the customer than what I saw firsthand and experience myself at Azul Beach Resort Negril. Azul (Sensatori) is a player in the resort business, but certainly not the biggest and may it never be without some serious course correcting and management changes. I feel a bit wary writing this given the global health crisis and its indelible impact on the travel industry. Yet in good conscious I need to share so that when travel resumes, people direct their money to a good business; Azul Beach Resort Negril is not one. My intent in writing this review is to ensure fellow consumer make informed decisions. I know I value Trip Advisor when I’m researching so I hope I save someone the heartaches that unfolded on our vacation in February 2020. Azul Negril failed on meeting the basics of the hospitality industry – deliver as advertised, consistent customer service and responsive to issues. The biggest problem has been their failure to respond. Justyn Jones, General Manager, personally reached out to my sister after she contacted the hotel on our return to Canada. At his invitation she responded to him on February 29, 2020 but to date has not received any response. Apart from the fact a refund should have been offered (for the misstep on the wedding), at a minimum, he should have acknowledged the parade of problems and failures we encountered during our stay. That is what any reputable business would and should do. Here’s a quick run down of Azul Negril: 1. Expectations versus reality a. Weddings: Azul reports it provides memorable weddings. They did but for all the wrong reasons. They made an egregious error that resulted in some of my sister’s guests missing the ceremony. This was a major and once-in-a-lifetime milestone the hotel stole from my sister and her husband. Staff were provided with all the information they needed but due to a lack of training or poor communication or bad processes, they made a mistake. b. Check-in and rooms: Check-in was haphazard at best. They could not coordinate our large wedding party. We were scattered and room categories were mixed up. On arrival the bride and groom were perhaps placed in one of the worst rooms. Thank goodness their staff corrected it the next day, but only after I asked. In full transparency, my room was glorious. But others did not have the same experience and many had to move the next day. Again, they knew a big wedding was coming and this most definitely wasn't their first wedding so it was disappointing at best. c. Gourmet Inclusive: The hotel is not a gourmet experience. We are very familiar with Jamaica so this is a fact, not an opinion. They should update their marketing strategy to reflect the fact the food is limited and standard. As an example, the cooking class they advertise is a show and tell that does not actually teach one how to cook. 2. Professionalism: Some staff were excellent, and some were not. This isn’t unexpected but the most striking issue was the fact that when we brought some issues to light, we were summarily dismissed. 3. Communication: After flagging issue after issue, we felt we needed to escalate. Given the fact more than 45 of us booked with the hotel and paid no small amount of money, we hoped to be heard. We tried at the hotel on several occasions. Then we tried again when we returned home. We still have yet to hear from anyone. The anger has subsided. I am sad for my sister and her husband, but the past is the past. May our terrible experience be the reason you opt for another hotel. There are many options. I would not recommend Azul Negril, especially for a wedding. Whether you choose to let my opinion carry weight or not, please remember – they still have not responded. That is the biggest flag and one that should tell you to move on.