My complaint:
Dear Iberostar,
My friend and I recently went on vacation to one of your hotels in Cuba. We were staying at the hotel Iberostar Selection Bella Vista Varadero from Sunday October 23rd until Friday November 4th.
This was my first experience staying in an Iberostar hotel and we were so excited. We hadn’t been on a vacation since the start of the covid pandemic began. My last holiday had therefore been in 2019! We had also saved for two years for this two week holiday. Going to Cuba was always a dream of mine and as it got closer we were both so excited.
I am writing today however to say that my experience at the hotel was generally very poor, we were so disappointed and I want to outline why. Before doing so though I would like to say that I think this is the first complaint emailletter that I have ever written. I am 48 years of age. It has taken me a few weeks since arriving back to my home country to sit down and to write to you, but I want to do so, also maybe so that other people can have an improved experience at your hotel in the future too.
Firstly, this is NOT a 5 star hotel as advertised, even by Cuban standards.
We arrived late in the evening and were shown to our room. Imagine our dismay when we entered the room. It is no understatement to say that it was FILTHY. The beds were two singles and had something like a white blanket over the top of each, this blanket on both beds was dirty and it almost looked as if a dog had walked on it with muddy footprints. Upon closer inspection we also found long black hairs, belonging I think to a lady, on both the blankets, pillows and inside. When I went in to the bathroom you could still see where a previous male guest had shaved his face as there were beard hairs all over the sink and even on the soap. I called reception and we were given a different room. THE NEW ROOM WAS EVEN WORSE!! The bedding in this room was dirty too, more random hairs as well, there were cobwebs up around the lamp and when I went on to the balcony there was all trash on the roof below, cigarette butts and packets etc. My friend went to take a shower and when he pulled up the shower head at least 5 or 6 cockroaches cam out it! Finally, one of the two plastic chairs on the balcony was also broken and not safe to sit on. I telephoned reception again and was told they had no other room available and we had to take that room, at least for the night. We therefore had to sleep in dirty bedding in a room that was certainly far from 5 star or even close to it. Imagine saving up for 2.5 years for a dream holiday and then arriving to a room like that. I took some photos of both rooms and I will attach those for your attention.
The following morning we met with guest services representative who gave us a new room. This was at least better, but still not as it should have been. The bedding still appeared unclean. There was a blood stain on the sheets from the beginning. The same stain remained for more than a week, so I knew that although the beds had been made tidy each day by the maid, they hadn’t been changed at all! On day 8 I asked at reception and they were changed then. Again, how is this 5 star? Is it normal that you only put new bed sheets on by request and after 8 days? Later in the first week the door broke off the bathroom. I let the reception know, but the door remained broken for 3 days. It wouldn’t close, had come off the rollers somehow and was just sort of leaning propped against the door. This meant for three days there was no privacy when using the bathroom, not ideal when you have to use the toilet and your friend is in the room too. The door was finally fixed, but again this was only after numerous complaints were made.
I also want to mention the food. I know that Cuba is a poor island and that not everything is always available. I accept and appreciate that, however as a vegetarian, I felt that there was hardly anything I could eat at all. The staff in the restaurant didn’t seem to understand the concept of vegetarianism and every dish seemed to include meat or seafood. I existed for 2 weeks on a diet of eggs, rice, bread cheese. Again, not a 5 star selection, or anything close to it. I was so bored always eating the same food. The only option I could eat at the snack bar for example was the tuna and cheese sandwich without the tuna. On at least 2 occasions I ordered this and specifically said ‘only cheese’ and still found bits of tuna inside! Once when we ate in one of the speciality restaurants and I asked for a vegetarian option they brought me a cabbage leaf on a plate!
I used the toilets next to the main restaurant only once during dinner, and there was no toilet paper, in either of the cubicles. I went into the women’s toilet next door and there was no toilet paper in there either. How can a hotel that claims to be 5 star have toilets where you cannot even wipe your ass?! I mentioned this to the girl on the door of the restaurant and she apologised. 10 minutes later she came to my table in the restaurant holding a pile of paper napkinsserviettes and offered me those so that I could go back to the toilet and finish wiping. Imagine that! The girl was super sweet and of course it wasn’t her fault, but what an embarrassment.
My last couple of points are minor but also important. Firstly, the entertainment people were lovely, friendly and worked hard BUT we heard them everywhere. Some people save their money to go on holiday so they can lie on a Cuban beach and listen to the ocean, to relax and unwind. That is what I wanted to do. Instead, wherever we lay I was forced to hear someone shouting into a microphone and they played the same 3 songs, over and over and over again!!! I have no idea how many times I heard the song ‘Madre Tierra (Oye) by Chayanne. Sometimes they were at the pool with the loud music and shouty microphone and sometimes at the beach. The problem was if you went to the pool to escape the noise on the beach you could still hear them at the pool because they were so loud, and visa versa. There were elderly people there too. I have no idea what they must have thought. Remember, people go on holiday to relax and unwind. I so wanted to fall asleep to the sound of the ocean whilst sunbathing. I sadly wasn’t able to do that.
Finally, the elevators. Basically there was no service elevator and deliveries and cleaning supplies etc including food supplies etc were being transported in the main hotel elevators. The elevators were in a bad condition and belonged more in a multi storey carpark than a supposedly 5 star hotel.
As I said at the start I was majorly disappointed in the hotel and its’ facilities, standards of cleanliness and general things like food and upkeep. The staff were mostly lovely, but Iberostar could do so much more. This hotel felt like a 3 star hotel at most. ☹((((((
Suggested solution:
Some financial compensation would be appreciated. We spent more than 3500 euros on a holiday to a hotel that was dirty and not pleasant.
