Royalton Saint Lucia An Autograph Collection Resort

We stayed at the Royalton Saint Lucia from August 18–25, and unfortunately, our experience was extremely disappointing. We chose this resort expecting the level of service and quality associated with the Royalton/Marriott brand, but this property fell far short of our expectations. When we arrived at the Diamond Club, Henrietta checked us in, and the check-in process itself was not bad. However, once we arrived at our room, we immediately realized that we had been given the wrong room. We returned to the Diamond Club and explained the issue to Henrietta. The manager, Larissa, informed us that we would not receive the room we had actually booked and paid for until approximately three-quarters of our vacation had already passed. This was incredibly frustrating. Our room had been booked and paid for months in advance, so there should have been no reason why the correct room was not properly reserved for the dates we paid for. Unfortunately, Larissa's attitude did not make the situation any better. We did not feel that she approached the issue with the level of professionalism, empathy, or customer service expected when addressing a guest's legitimate concern. To make matters worse, the room we eventually received was outdated and in need of significant renovation, including holes in the bathroom walls. This was not what we expected from a resort carrying the Royalton/Marriott name.

Diamond Club & Bar Service Being a Diamond Club guest was actually a major inconvenience when it came to getting a drink with top-shelf liquor. The Diamond Club was essentially the only place on the resort where top-shelf liquor was available, yet there was no other bar throughout the resort where guests could get top-shelf options. This meant that if you wanted a premium drink, you had to go back to the Diamond Club. What made this even more frustrating was the extremely limited supply. For some strange reason, the Diamond Club would apparently make only one bottle of Don Julio Añejo available every 24 hours. Needless to say, the resort was almost always out of it. For guests paying for the Diamond Club experience, this was unacceptable. If a premium liquor is advertised or included as part of the Diamond Club experience, there should be a reasonable supply available for guests throughout their stay. Having one bottle available every 24 hours does not make sense for a resort with this many guests.

Restaurants & Dining The restaurant reservation system is another major issue. Staff told us that dinner reservations were required, yet when attempting to make reservations through the app, restaurants would show as completely booked and unable to accommodate additional guests. However, when we actually walked by or arrived at some of these restaurants, they were nearly empty. The system simply did not make sense. At Grazie Italian Restaurant, the wait time for food was ridiculous. Our recommendation would be to order everything you want at once because waiting for additional items took far too long. The Sports Bar was disappointing as well and definitely needs some updating. The majority of the food menu was frequently unavailable, and on some occasions, there were only two food options available. Some of the other restaurants were also out of certain menu items, although they at least offered alternatives. Another concern was cleanliness at the main buffet. We noticed ants on the countertop toward the back, on the left side of the buffet area. This was concerning and something management should address immediately. One positive experience was Pauline at the food truck, who did a great job. She provided friendly service and was one of the employees who stood out during our stay.

Wedding Coordination Our experience with Cassandra, one of the wedding coordinators, was particularly disappointing. I would not recommend her based on our experience. She was not helpful, and her demeanor often came across as though she simply did not want to be there. For something as important as coordinating a wedding, we expected much more communication, professionalism, enthusiasm, and assistance.

The Bright Spots Despite the many problems, there were several employees who truly stood out and deserve recognition. Krystal, the bartender, and Henrietta at the Diamond Club front desk did a wonderful job with what they had to work with. The butlers were also great, especially Shanell, Augustus, and Claude. Dario, the bartender at Mirtini Mix Bar, also provided excellent service. Pauline at the food truck was another employee who provided great service. These employees demonstrated genuine customer service and helped make an otherwise unpleasant stay more bearable. We sincerely appreciate everything they did to make our experience better. We have stayed at another Royalton property several years ago, and that experience was significantly better. Unfortunately, this particular property appears to need major renovations, better operational management, and possibly new management altogether. We also spoke with other guests who experienced issues with their rooms and other aspects of their stay, so our experience did not appear to be an isolated incident.

Overall This was a very disappointing vacation, especially considering the money spent and the expectations associated with the Royalton and Marriott brands. From receiving the wrong room, the condition of the accommodations, frustrating restaurant reservations, limited food availability, slow service, cleanliness concerns, extremely limited access to premium liquor, and our experience with the wedding coordinator, there were simply too many issues to overlook. The outstanding employees we encountered deserve recognition, but unfortunately, great individual employees cannot compensate for larger operational and management problems. If you are considering paying extra for Diamond Club, I would strongly encourage you to carefully consider whether the additional cost is worthwhile based on our experience.

Overall rating: ⭐ 1/5 Based on our experience, I would not recommend the Royalton Saint Lucia and would seriously consider staying at a different property for future vacations.

Staff was not friendly at all. Would not go back to a Royalton again. Beautiful resort and clean environment but it was the staff and customer service that ultimately resulted in this review . There was difficulty getting management to respond at Royalton Saint Lucia. Made several attempts via email and still no response . I stayed at The Chairmans Suite and had a leak from the ceiling that almost caused a horrible fall. I reported it and emailed my safety concerns and have heard nothing ! Dining staff was disingenuous and ultimately unhappy. I don’t drink alcohol and to ask for water was greeted with eye rolling and slow response. My last night there I received my ice tea after I completed my whole meal . I find that completely unacceptable. No one greets you and to say it was one staff member would make it ok, but it was the majority of the dining staff.