Guest User
October 10, 2024
While the experience with my friends for my bachelorette was great (because my bridesmaids made it feel effortless), the process to get to that experience - getting scheduled for activities, confirming rooms, and resolving discrepancies at the front desk - was HARD! In the months leading up to our travel to the ranch, we had a VERY hard time getting consistent answers on the phone. The "policies" or "expectations" seemed to vary by whoever answered that day. The staff seemed to do a dance of "not my job" or "I can't answer" that in order to avoid having to resolve poor experiences. My biggest concern is with safety. The front desk DOES NOT collect keys or change locks. Guests are encouraged to take keys home with them as "souvenirs," without charge. And there is NO security to be seen. We searched for front desk support at 2am one evening and NO ONE could be found. We walked through the lobby, called for support, and knocked on various doors - it all went unanswered. This means that at any time , a prior guest could enter the property, unquestioned, and use the old keys to enter rooms, and NO ONE would be around to answer the call for help. At a high level here are some other examples of what I mean on poor processes and logistics: - We had activities cancelled (because of "not enough sign ups"), that we were then 'encouraged' to sign up for onsite (because they had no sign-ups) - The spa was impossible to get ahold of on the phone and after being told that they would not have enough staff to support our group, they came back to us with high priced options without appropriate time for us to add it into our itinerary. - Even though we booked our rooms months in advance, they "accidentally" cancelled my matron of honors reservation and then proceeded to down-grade her reservation (with her 4 children under 8) to the lowest tier room and still tried to charge full price - not to mention that the door didn't have an appropriate weather seal, no way to keep out the bugs, and was placed next to the service entrance that woke her family up at 6am every morning. - The archery equipment was old and the arrows didn't fly straight - The roping didn't even have a dedicated space or engaging instruction - The 2-hour ride through the AZ desert in 108F, didn't have any water provided - The employees could be heard in public places complaining about the guests - None of the activities had any dedicated shaded areas to accommodate the desert heat (we huddled next to the car for archery, under a single tree for trap & skeet). - The waitress in the dining room complained about splitting bills - The room had a MANDTATORY tip of $65/day and all we got from housekeeping were towels (not even newly made beds or the option to opt out). I found out later that this tip primarily goes to the front desk. Overall, I wouldn't have enjoyed anything if my bridesmaids didn't buffer me from all the challenges. They went above and beyond to accommodate for a "luxury" res