Royalton Saint Lucia An Autograph Collection Resort

I want to begin by saying that I do not want to characterize our entire trip as a bad experience. There were certainly some positive moments, and there were staff members who provided genuinely excellent service. However, overall, our stay at Royalton Saint Lucia was extremely disappointing and fell well below the level of service and experience we have come to expect from Royalton. My family has previously stayed at Royalton's, so we were looking forward to this trip and had a certain level of expectation based on our previous experiences. Unfortunately, many aspects of this stay left us frustrated, uncomfortable, and questioning whether the resort was worth the significant amount of money, travel time, and effort required to get there.

After a 12-hour travel day, we waited approximately 30 minutes for our butler to arrive so that we could finally get to our room. What made this even more frustrating was that we were assigned a butler who was going on vacation the following day. As a result, after waiting those 30 minutes, we did not actually get to meet the butler who would be looking after us for the majority of our stay. After our butler left, we began discovering issues with the room. The hair dryer did not work and was actually sparking, while the steamer was leaking water and was also unusable. After going to dinner, we returned to the room and discovered even more concerning issues. The bed was dirty and covered in stains, and the pillows on the other bed were also stained. The bench in front of the bed had a stain that appeared to be blood. There were scratches and signs of wear throughout the room, mildew in the water closet, and the entire room was extremely damp. The floor was actually wet because of how humid and damp the room was.

The following morning, we discovered that the sheets on the bed were soaking wet. This was not from sweat; the room was simply so damp that the bedding itself had become wet. We went to the Diamond Club Lounge concierge to explain our concerns and ask what our options were. Unfortunately, the response from the concierge was extremely disappointing. She essentially looked at us as though the issue was irrelevant and offered very little assistance. Her attitude toward us felt unnecessarily cold and dismissive, which was particularly frustrating considering we were simply trying to find a solution to a problem with the room.

At this point, we were not demanding a room change. We were simply looking for options. We had also been told by staff that it was the resort's "off-season," so we assumed there would be other rooms available if a change was necessary. Fortunately, our butler handled the situation much better. Within approximately an hour of raising our concerns, he had arranged for us to move into another room. The new room was significantly cooler, cleaner, and much less damp than the first. We appreciated his efforts in resolving this particular issue.

Another major disappointment was the butler service. The Royalton website indicates that butlers will arrange and schedule dinner reservations for Diamond Club guests. In our experience, this was simply not the case. We ended up having to make our own dinner reservations through the app. Because we were doing this ourselves, we would make reservations first thing every morning when reservations opened, as availability was already limited. Even after successfully making and receiving confirmation for reservations, we later discovered that some of our reservations had been rejected. Trying to find out how or why this had happened from our butler was difficult. The following day, we eventually learned that the restaurant had been closed that day. This raised an obvious question: if the restaurant was closed, why was the app allowing us to make a reservation there in the first place? That same day, it began raining, so we returned to our room around 2:00 p.m. only to discover that the room had not been cleaned. An hour later, it still had not been cleaned, and we ultimately had to ask our butler to have the room serviced.

On Monday, we decided to spend some time at the beach. We were not expecting to spend the entire day there because rain was in the forecast, so we arrived early and were enjoying the peace and quiet. One thing we were never warned about by our butlers or any other resort staff was that the beach is public and that people frequently approach resort guests attempting to sell various items and activities. Later in the morning, while my mother and I were simply trying to relax, a man approached us. Initially, we thought he was simply coming over to have a conversation. He then began telling us that we needed bracelets and anklets. We had not asked for these items, nor had he initially made it clear that he was trying to sell us something. By the time we realized what was happening, he was looking for money. At one point, he even told me that I could go back to the room while my mother stayed with him. This made us extremely uncomfortable. Had we been walking somewhere, we could have simply left, but we were sitting on the beach with all of our belongings and towels on the chairs. We felt cornered and did not know how to get ourselves out of the situation. What made this particularly uncomfortable was that other people on the beach had approached us throughout the day offering activities such as horseback riding or jet skis. We simply said no, and they continued on their way. This situation was completely different and felt much more intrusive. After this experience, we did not return to the beach for the remainder of our stay. If guests are looking for a relaxing beach experience without being approached by vendors, this is something they should be made aware of before staying at the resort.

Tuesday morning, I woke up early and went down to the pool, which was approximately a one-minute walk from our hotel building, to get towels and beach chairs for myself and my mom. To reach the pool, I had to walk past the Diamond Club Bar, where there is seating around the bar. There were several maintenance employees standing there talking. As I walked past them alone, they began making "meow" sounds at me. As a young woman who was walking alone, I found this extremely uncomfortable and inappropriate. It was also completely unprofessional behaviour from resort employees toward a guest. I took a longer route afterward in an attempt to avoid another interaction, but when I came back up the stairs from the beach side, they saw me again and began making the same noises. Later, when I returned to the pool with my mom, the same maintenance employees were still there. However, their female supervisor was also standing with them, and this time there were no comments or noises directed toward me. The contrast was very noticeable. We spent the day at the pool and returned to our room around 4:30 p.m., only to discover that the room had still not been cleaned. Initially, we thought this was simply an issue only we were experiencing, but the following day we heard other guests at the pool telling their butlers that their rooms had also not been cleaned. There was also an issue with our requested room amenities. We had specifically asked our butler for additional water and ginger ale. When we returned to the room, we found that we had been given beer instead. This was not what we had requested at all.

As the week progressed, we began noticing that our butlers seemed significantly less available than the butlers assigned to other guests. We regularly saw other butlers checking in on their families and couples throughout the day, while we saw our butlers approximately three times during the entire week. This was particularly disappointing given that we had specifically paid for the Diamond Club experience and expected a higher level of personalized service. Toward the end of the day at the pool on Thursday, around 3:30 p.m, I began feeling extremely itchy on my lower back. When I returned to the room I discovered that my entire lower back was covered in what appeared to be either ant bites or mosquito bites. One thing we noticed throughout our stay was that the Diamond Club pool and beach areas were littered with ants. There appeared to be a significant ant problem that was not being adequately addressed.

That evening, we went to the Score Bar for dinner before leaving the following morning. We seated ourselves and placed our order with our waiter: a salad as an appetizer and fish and chips for our main course. After we finished our salad, the waiter came to take our plates and rudely told us to keep our forks because we would need them for our main course rather than providing us with clean utensils. When our main courses arrived, my mom asked for a knives, which seemed like a reasonable request considering we had ordered fish and chips. The waiter begrudgingly went back to get us knives. We then asked for vinegar, to which he responded, "Is that all?" in a tone that felt more like a scolding than a polite response to a customer. Again, it was not one major incident that ruined our experience. It was the accumulation of these interactions throughout the week.

I do want to acknowledge the staff members who provided excellent service because, despite everything else, there were people at the resort who demonstrated exactly what good customer service should look like. The waiters and waitresses at the Diamond Club Bar were outstanding. They were constantly checking on guests, clearing empty plates and cups, asking if we wanted refills, and generally being friendly and welcoming. Their service was noticeably different from what we experienced elsewhere at the resort. Our waiters and waitress at Hunter Steakhouse were also wonderful, although unfortunately we did not get their names. They continuously checked on us, asked if we needed anything, and genuinely appeared to enjoy their jobs. They were singing and dancing while cleaning tables, laughing with customers, and creating an atmosphere that felt welcoming and enjoyable. They were a complete 180-degree difference from much of the service we experienced throughout the rest of the resort. In fact, the only thing we regret is not bringing more money with us to leave them larger tips because they absolutely deserved it.

This was a very strange and disappointing experience at a Royalton resort. It was not at all consistent with the level of service we have previously experienced, particularly at Blue Waters Montego Bay. I do not expect perfection when travelling. Things can go wrong, rooms can have issues, reservations can have problems, and unexpected situations can happen. What matters is how those issues are handled. Unfortunately, too many times throughout this trip, the response from staff was either dismissive, abrupt, or simply not helpful. We were also repeatedly told that it was "our down season" whenever something went wrong. While we understand that August may be considered an off-season period, the resort was still quite busy. It was certainly not empty. More importantly, being in the off-season should not be used as an explanation for poor service or a lack of attention to guests. We are more than happy to recognize staff who go above and beyond however, tipping should be a reflection of the service provided; it should not be treated as an automatic expectation. Unfortunately, because of the service we experienced throughout this trip, we found ourselves tipping very few staff members. When my family goes on vacation, we do not want to spend our time complaining. We want to relax, sit by the beach or pool, people-watch, enjoy our meals, and have our dinner reservations secured without having to constantly monitor the app or track down staff for answers. After a five-hour flight followed by approximately a two-hour car ride to reach the resort, the experience needs to justify the time, effort, and significant cost involved. Unfortunately, in this case, we do not feel that it did. We have always viewed Royalton as a brand we could rely on for a good vacation experience. After this stay, however, we are seriously reconsidering whether we will stay at another Royalton property in the future, with the exception of Blue Waters Montego Bay, which has set a much higher standard for us.

For these reasons, I cannot recommend this particular Royalton resort. The combination of the room issues, inconsistent housekeeping, lack of butler availability, problems with dinner reservations, inappropriate staff behaviour, uncomfortable beach experience, and generally inconsistent customer service made this a far more frustrating vacation than it should have been. We came to Saint Lucia to relax. Instead, we repeatedly found ourselves having to solve problems that should never have become ours to deal with as guests. That is ultimately what made this experience so disappointing.

We had such an incredible honeymoon at Royalton St. Lucia! From the beautiful resort and stunning views to the amazing service, everything made our stay so memorable.

A special thank you to our butlers, Jesse and Shermel. They were both so friendly, thoughtful, and attentive throughout our entire stay. They were always available whenever we needed anything and constantly went the extra mile to make sure we were comfortable and enjoying ourselves. They truly made us feel taken care of and helped make our honeymoon even more special.

We stayed in the Luxury Penthouse with the private Jacuzzi terrace, and it was absolutely worth it. The views were beautiful, and having our own private space was perfect for a honeymoon.

We had an amazing experience from start to finish and would definitely recommend Royalton St. Lucia, especially the Luxury Penthouse. We hope to come back again! ❤️🌴

We had an amazing stay at Royalton St. Lucia for our honeymoon! A huge thank you to our butlers, Shermel and Jesse, who truly went above and beyond to make our stay special. They were both incredibly kind, attentive, and always ready to help with anything we needed. They made everything feel so comfortable and stress-free, and we really appreciated all the little touches throughout our stay.

The resort itself was beautiful, very clean, and had absolutely breathtaking views. We stayed in the Luxury Penthouse with the private Jacuzzi terrace, and we would highly recommend this suite, especially for a honeymoon or special occasion. Having our own private terrace and jacuzzi with those views was incredible.

Overall, we had such a memorable experience and couldn’t have asked for better service. Shermel and Jesse were a huge part of what made our honeymoon so special. We would definitely recommend Royalton St. Lucia and hope to return someday! ❤️🌴