I sent this letter to Iberostar in February of 2005 and they never did respond or acknowledge my concerns. Guess they do not really care as much as they say.
Mr. Miguel Fluxa
Executive President of the Iberostar Group
www.iberostar.comI am writing this letter for two reasons. The first is to provide you feedback for use with your performance improvement activities needed at the Iberostar Maya/Lindo in Riveria Maya. The second reason is to make me feel a little better about a very disappointing experience.
I am a hospital administrator and I understand how important it is to receive feedback from patients/customers. We rely very much on this feedback using it to institute performance improvement projects to improve our customer satisfaction.
We know that it is very important to have patients/customers have a good experience with the facility, staff, food, services and physicians. If they have better then average experiences then they are likely to return to use our hospital but they also to refer other family members and friends.
Whether it is Press Gainey, Gallup or some other customer satisfaction service, it is well documented that in order for individuals to refer others to use the hospitals services, their ratings must be well above average. I think one thing difference between a local hospital and a resort vacation industry, is that people will return to use their local hospital regardless of their experience only because it is in their community or close to where they live. However, if their experience is bad enough they will travel a further distance, pay more and even persuade others not to use this hospital.
Well let me get to the issue regarding my disappointment with Iberostar Maya during my vacation stay from February 28, 2005 thru March 6, 2005.
In February of 2004 my wife, my brother and his wife and I stayed a week at Iberostar Bavarro in Punta Cana; this was our first Caribbean and all inclusive vacation. It was just fantastic. We told everyone about it. This included, other administrators, physicians I work with, other teachers my wife works with, our families, friends and my sister in law’s cousin who works for a travel agent and Apple Tours. Several did book a vacation and visit Iberostar Bavarro in Punta Cana. They came back equally pleased. We almost decided to go back to Punta Cana again this year but decided to see someplace different.
We had heard much about the beauty of the Riveria Maya beaches and believed that by mixing the beaches with Iberostar would be sure to be nothing but perfect. The cost was twice what it was for Punta Cana, but we did not mind because our experience at Punta Cana was worth it. Iberostar Lindo had to be something that could not be imagined. It must be like heaven.
Well, believe me it was something that could not be imagined and it was not heaven. Maybe Hell. Have you ever heard of buying a lemon for a car? This was the lemon of a vacation resort!
I will not be returning to, or referring anyone to go to Iberostar Maya, Lindo, Paraiso or Del Mar. I will also discourage anyone that is thinking about it. These resorts are a disgrace to the Iberostar tradition that I read about and experienced first hand an Iberostar Bavarro in Punta Cana.
I hope you use the information that I laid out on the attached pages to make dramatic improvements in the staff of Iberostar Maya. I did hear people say how nice they thought it was. This was their first resort all inclusive, first to the Caribbean, and the first to Riveria Maya. We informed them that compared to Punta Cana, Disney World and even a non-all inclusive of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this was the pits!!!
In closing, I realize how important the staffs are to having a successful operation. My nurses, technologists, physicians, maintenance, dietary, and service and support staff make the patient’s experience and care either good or bad. We can perform the greatest of all tests, and use the best medical skills available, but let the food be bad, floor be dirty or someone talk mean to the patient and then we have done a bad job.
Such is life! I saw several of your staff trying to be like the Dominicans, but most fell far short. I would be very much interested in learning and hearing how you will improve these services. If you do then the resort will remain and thrive. If you do not then I see a barren and broken down closed resort like the one that is next to the property. I even asked several staff if they cared. Two of five actually told me no!
I wish you the best and hope to hear from you as a follow up.
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