2nd Year doing Company Conference at the JW Cancun – NEVER AGAIN! Hello. I am an Ambassador Elite and company president for a growing fertility company with 30 staff members. For the 2nd year in a row, from November 18-21, 2023 we hosted our all-company annual retreat and CPE conference at the JW Marriott Cancun Resort and Spa. We booked 29 rooms and opted for the all-inclusive package, and spent more than $60,000 USD. FOR SURE, this will be the LAST year we host our event at this Marriott, largely due to one single staff member—Margie, the food and beverage supervisor, who made our stay miserable, and frankly, many of our staff members felt afraid of her. I have filed a complaint with the Ambassador Elite Team at Marriott. Let’s see if they reply. Some things were very good about the hotel. But Margie ruined the whole trip….. Pros: We paid for the all-inclusive option for all 30 staff members and my family. There are a few restaurants. For breakfast, the choice is Bravio’s (buffet breakfast). That was always good. Everyone loved it. For lunch, you can eat by the pool (Beachwalk) or at the 750 Pizzeria. For dinner, the choices were Sasi Thai, Bravio (Spanish), or Gustino (Italian). The best food by far—very far—is Gustino’s. There is one waiter there, named Gustavo, who should be promoted to the F&B manager for the whole hotel. He truly sets the example for all others to follow in every way. Polite, fast, constantly followed up. Just amazing. Jorge Ramos at the Beachwalk was BY FAR the most attentive waiter and very friendly. The other restaurants had good food, and “just ok” service. Not bad. Just not 5-star quality. The rooms were ok. But for the CEO of a company bringing 87 room-nights and an Ambassador Elite, I have to say, my room was very average. Nice view. But the room was small and definitely the hotel did not make me feel special in any way, ever. There was zero distinction about being an Ambassador Elite, nor did anyone pay any attention to the fact for the 2nd year in a row, I brought more than $50,000 USD in revenue in one stay. The only exception to this is Elizabeth Mendoza, who is a manager in F&B. She is truly the only person who went out of their way to make me feel special, checking on me all the time. And it is through no thanks to the management. She did this because I know her from staying at the W Hotel in Mexico City and because I spend so much time in these 2 hotels, we have built a great rapport. She should be considered for a higher-level management position, as she really gets what extra attention and service is all about. Cons: There is one person who RUINED the entire conference for all 30 of my staff and my family and that is Margie, the F&B supervisor who floats around from the Lobby Bar and the Beachwalk etc. She constantly made our team feel like second-class citizens, rolling her eyes and laughing at everyone in my company. Many of our staff are LGBTQ and we felt that she was anti-gay for sure. So I would NOT recommend this hotel to anyone who is LGBTQ, or if you encounter Margie, you will be made to feel unsafe. On Monday, November 20, 2023, at 1045pm, about 25 people from my company, including me, all went to the lobby bar after our dinner at Gustino’s (which was excellent by the way thanks to Gustavo!). We were first told by Margie that someone would come to our tables. But after 5 minutes, we could see that no one was coming, so at 1050pm, several of us went to the bar to try to place our orders. The bartenders all said “we are about to close in 10 minutes” and would not take our orders. So I asked to speak to a supervisor and Margie came to my table. I explained that as soon as the bartenders all saw our “all-inclusive” wrist bands, they said “we are about to close” and would not help us. I told her my staff all felt that we were being treated differently for some reason and it seemed it was because of our “all-inclusive” wrist bands (gratuities were included, even though we always tipped more at every venue on the property). When I explained this to Margie, she replied “Are you done screaming? Too bad, bar closed” and she stormed away! I was with almost my entire staff and we were all left in shock. Everyone said “Brian, you weren’t screaming. I can’t believe she just did that!” So one of my team members went to the front desk and a night manager named Eric Martinez came to speak with me. I explained everything to him. And he said he would file a report and told me that the F&B manager, Guillermo Canto or GM would be in touch with me the next day. No one ever called me. I continued to request at the front desk or via Elizabeth about Mr. Canto or anyone else in management to contact me. They never did. So basically, Margie’s behavior was just swept under the rug. For the remainder of our stay (my family stayed until Friday the 24th of November), every time we would see Margie, she would roll her eyes and laugh at my family as if to send a message “Haha, look I am still here and nothing happened to me.” She made my family feel unsafe. And she made my company—of 30 people—feel unsafe, and she displayed this behavior in front of all of the other JW employees, sending them all a message that it’s ok to treat guests like this. So, for our next annual retreat/conference, we will NEVER consider the JW Marriott Cancun Resort and Spa—not as long as Margie is still employed there. It is shocking to me that as a person who spends more than $150,000 USD per year in Marriott properties, as an Ambassador Elite, and as the decision maker to spend $50,000 USD per year on a conference at the JW Marriott, that not a single member of management, other than Elizabeth Mendoza (and the report taking by Eric Martinez) expressed any sort of apology nor offered any reassurance about action that would be taken against Margie. Nothing. Not even a phone call or a message in my room. Shame on the F&B manager and GM at the JW Marriott Cancun! We will never again host our conference at your hotel. But you have already shown that you don’t care. What a shame. …
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.