Akti Imperial Deluxe Resort and Spa Dolce by Wyndham

Dear Management Team,

I am writing to formally express my serious disappointment regarding the service and conditions we experienced during our stay at Akti Imperial Deluxe Resort Hotel.

Unfortunately, our experience fell significantly below the standard we expected when booking your hotel. There were numerous issues throughout our stay, many of which we consider completely unacceptable for a hotel of this standard.

Firstly, the air conditioning in our room was not working. Although we reported the issue and were provided with a fan, this did not resolve the problem. The room remained uncomfortable, and we would have expected the air conditioning itself to be repaired or for an alternative room to be offered.

We also experienced a serious lack of privacy. Despite displaying the “Do Not Disturb” sign, people still opened our room door and attempted to come inside in the morning. A Do Not Disturb sign should be respected at all times, and having people enter or attempt to enter our room made us feel extremely uncomfortable.

The standard of housekeeping was also extremely disappointing. Our bed sheets were not changed for six days, meaning we were sleeping on the same bedding throughout this period. We also witnessed the cups in our room not being properly washed and instead simply rinsed using water from the bathroom sink. This raises serious concerns regarding hygiene and cleanliness.

There was also inadequate privacy with the bathroom doors, as they could open and did not provide sufficient privacy. We had to resort to placing a towel over the bathroom door simply to have some privacy. Guests should not have to create their own solution to something as basic as bathroom privacy.

The bathroom facilities provided to us also caused considerable inconvenience. Our room had a bathtub rather than a walk-in shower, which was not suitable for our needs. As a result, we had to use the shower in another family member’s room because they had been provided with a walk-in shower. This was inconvenient and not something we should have had to do during our holiday.

Furthermore, our experience with staff at the buffet restaurant was disappointing. We found some members of staff to be rude and extremely inflexible. If we arrived even one minute after the stated entry time, we were refused entry. While we appreciate that restaurants have operating hours, we would expect hotel staff to communicate with guests politely and professionally rather than making them feel unwelcome.

Our concerns regarding cleanliness continued even on the day we checked out. We were advised that we could use the showers in the hotel’s communal area before leaving. However, when we went to use these facilities, there was an extremely unpleasant and overpowering smell, which appeared to be coming from the toilet or drainage area. The smell was so bad that it gave the impression that the toilets or drainage system may have been blocked. This was extremely unhygienic and unpleasant, particularly in an area guests are expected to use for showering and getting ready.

This was a particularly disappointing way to end our stay and further added to our concerns regarding the hotel’s overall standards of cleanliness, hygiene and maintenance.

Taken collectively, these issues had a significant negative impact on our holiday. We booked Akti Imperial Deluxe Resort Hotel expecting a comfortable and enjoyable stay with an appropriate standard of cleanliness, privacy, facilities and customer service. Instead, we experienced problems with air conditioning, housekeeping, hygiene, privacy, bathroom facilities, communal facilities and staff attitude.

We are particularly disappointed that several of these issues were reported or clearly apparent, yet appropriate action was not taken to resolve them.

I would therefore like this complaint to be formally escalated to senior management. I would appreciate a full explanation as to how these issues were allowed to occur, what action will be taken to address them, and what compensation you are prepared to offer for the inconvenience, discomfort and disappointing experience we experienced throughout our stay.

Considering the number and seriousness of the issues raised, I do not believe an apology alone would adequately address our complaint.

I look forward to receiving your prompt response and a satisfactory resolution

We are currently 7 days into our stay at Akti Imperial Deluxe, and unfortunately, the word “Deluxe” seems to be the only deluxe thing about this hotel. In our opinion, this is nowhere near a 5-star hotel, yet guests are charged the 5-star hotel tax of an additional €15 per night.

There are issues everywhere you look. The sunbeds around the pool are ripped, broken and taped up, and there simply aren’t enough parasols for the number of loungers. Only a fraction have any shade, which is completely unacceptable in such hot weather. The chairs in the social areas are also in poor condition, with wobbly legs and broken arms.

The beach is another huge disappointment. It is run-down and dirty-looking, and honestly, we have seen nicer public beaches.

The drinks are another issue. We were served drinks in horrible, dirty plastic cups, including one with lipstick still on it. The selection of soft drinks is extremely limited — orange juice, grapefruit juice, carrot juice, fizzy orange/lemon and Pepsi. If you don’t drink alcohol, be prepared to spend a lot of money outside the hotel buying decent juice and bottled water. The hotel water is also very unpleasant, coming from metal taps connected to the mains supply.

The food is repetitive and disappointing. Although the main restaurant looks huge, much of the same food is simply repeated in different areas, with perhaps one or two changes. The choice is heavily focused on meat and fish, with very limited options for vegetarians — usually just pasta or vegetables every day.

We came to Greece expecting a wonderful selection of cheeses, olives and salads, but this has been extremely disappointing. There is usually a bowl of rather sad-looking olives, seemingly from a jar, and a couple of basic cheeses such as cheddar or Edam, with perhaps a little feta. We normally holiday in proper 5-star hotels in Turkey, where there is an enormous selection of cheeses, olives and fresh salads, so we expected something comparable here.

Even the snack bar is disappointing. They serve gyros, but only chicken or pork. Where is the halloumi or a decent vegetarian option?

The spa representative walking around the pool is also relentless. Even after giving a firm “no”, the interruptions continue, which means you can’t properly relax around the pool.

The air conditioning in our room is awful. The room is stuffy and roasting despite the heat outside. After a week, our bedding still hasn’t been changed, and the floors don’t appear to be getting properly cleaned either.

Perhaps the most concerning incident happened at the Jolly snack bar. We witnessed a member of staff changing the salad items who took a large spoon from the mayonnaise, licked it clean and then put it straight back into the bowl. We reported this to Guest Relations, but their response was extremely disappointing — they appeared completely uninterested.

Overall, this hotel has been a huge disappointment. It does not remotely meet the standards we would expect from a 5-star hotel, and certainly not from one charging a 5-star tax.

We would absolutely not return, and based on our experience, we genuinely cannot understand how this hotel receives such positive reviews. Perhaps those reviewers simply haven’t experienced what a genuinely good 5-star hotel should be like.

To make matters worse, the behaviour of some guests has also been shocking. We have never experienced so many entitled adults pushing, queue-jumping and behaving as though basic manners don’t apply to them.

Save your money and choose a proper 5-star hotel elsewhere. This certainly isn’t one.