Pre Cruise Luxury Hotel

[John117]

I will be sailing on Mariner on 10th Nov from Rome. Our third Regent cruise and second on Mariner. I was dissapointed to find out that the Pre cruise hotel is to be the Sheraton Golf which is definitely not a luxury hotel and is not in Rome. It is close to the airport and I can understand why Regent and others use it as it make the transfers easy. It is however not great for the passengers as it is in the middle of nowhere and means you have to take your meals in the hotel. Is this really the best Regent can do in this area?

[Graham Sadler]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Dear John117,[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]There is no doubt that our guests really like our Free Luxury Hotel Programme (FLHP). The rationale behind this additional feature is to make sure our guests arrive before the ship sails. In previous years guests have missed ships due to adverse weather conditions, delayed or cancelled flights, strikes and of course the ash cloud. The other benefit is that it allows our guests to fully recover from the stress of their journey, the flight can be at a sensible hour and, after a good night’s rest, benefit from early embarkation and commence their Regent experience fully refreshed. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Our Destination Service team works diligently to find up to 350 rooms in luxury hotels in some of the most sought after cities in the world. Our team does an amazing job sourcing the best hotels they can that have good access to the embarkation port. Some ports and dates are easier than others and this year, Rome has been particularly challenging. There will be rare occasions when we must look to a different hotel, such as in this occurrence, to secure the accommodations necessary. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Interestingly in a recent survey, flying on the day of departure was declared the number one concern. Our FLHP programme is specifically designed for you to arrive the day before, to relax and prepare for a wonderful cruise and ONLY Regent is able to address this concern by offering a free overnight stay before your cruise. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] If you wish to spend some time sightseeing and shopping in Rome, then it would be much better to take the hotel credit and spend a couple of days in the centre of Rome where you can be close to the sights and restaurants.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]We are dedicated to providing an exceptional cruise experience for each of our guests and any feedback we receive from our guests is very important, particularly regarding where any aspect of a Regent cruise holiday fell short of their expectations. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Graham[/SIZE][/FONT] Edited November 7, 2013 by Graham Sadler

[forevertravel]

While I understand Regent tries to book luxury hotels, the Divani Caravel in Athens was a big disappointment and didn't come to Regent's standards. In fact, I was surprised it is part of "leading hotels of the worlds" chain. The breakfast was awful and not even in the regular restaurant. The food was cold and since no eggs made to order were available, the only eggs were cold eggs. The rooms are dated too. Not a good choice.

[forevertravel]

Graham,

And thank you for allowing us Regent customers to ask questions. If the rationale for having the free pre-cruise hotel stay is to make sure passengers get there on time and are refreshed after a long flight, then it makes no sense that Regent now only provides that perk to Concierge and above. It was nice being able to fly early with that night being included. Now, those of us who always fly early have to book hotel on our own since Regent charges for hotels are above prices we can find on our own plus they charge "per guest" not per room. I think Regent need to revise that new policy if they want to keep those of us who always cruise with Regent happy and continuing cruising with Regent.

[cruisealert]

[quote name='John117']I will be sailing on Mariner on 10th Nov from Rome. Our third Regent cruise and second on Mariner. I was dissapointed to find out that the Pre cruise hotel is to be the Sheraton Golf which is definitely not a luxury hotel and is not in Rome. It is close to the airport and I can understand why Regent and others use it as it make the transfers easy. It is however not great for the passengers as it is in the middle of nowhere and means you have to take your meals in the hotel. Is this really the best Regent can do in this area?[/quote]
We just got off Mariner on 11/10 and spent the afternoon/evening at Sheraton Golf. Hotel does provide a shuttle to downtown Rome on scheduled basis or you can share a cab -- lots of people in our group did. Breakfast was fine and it is a nice place to walk, but dining facility for dinner is limited. Great to get to airport -- only 10 minutes. It did make sense for us. And it was a great cruise. Need to write a review soon.