Simply Silver Hotel Warning

[CinciCruise]

To all who have a Simply Silver Hotel included, this is a warning the hotel my not be up to expectations of a 4- to 5-star. I returned less than a week ago from a Silver Explorer voyage from Cairns to Lautoka, Fiji. The cruise was amazing and truly a luxury experience until the day we disembarked in Lautoka, Fiji and were transferred to the included Simply Silver Hotel with the other passengers who booked the door-to-door experience.

 

Prior to leaving from home on the cruise, I called multiple times asking the name of the hotel in Fiji and was told by the Silversea representative, they did not know because the Hotel Department was negotiating rates. The representative said they would send an email to the Silversea Hotel Department for an update. I never received one. No one on the cruise knew the name of the Simply Silver Hotel either until 3 days before the end of the cruise when we received a letter with disembarking information including the hotel name. All were horrified to read it was an airport hotel in Nadi with terrible reviews, costing $60/night. It was at best a 3 star, if not a 2 star, and not the 4-or 5-star hotel promised!

 

The hotel was even worse than I imagined. There was no elevator and we had to walk up outside stairs typical of dated motels and walk along a concrete walkway outside to enter the room. The room air-conditioning did not really work for any of us. One could set fan speed knob only and the room were very hot even at high speed. The lobby and dining were not air-conditioned and there was no air-conditioned place to wait before check-in time or after check out at 11 a.m. while waiting for our 10 p.m. flight. The hotel was not near anything and the letter given to us by the local representative upon arrival said there was a shuttle provided to town. After waiting, we learned the letter was incorrect and there was no shuttle. There was only one representative, and the line to book a tour by her took up to 2 hours. To make matters worse, all flights to the U.S. were at 10 p.m. and we were in the hotel almost 2 full days.

 

Fiji has many fabulous 4+ star resort hotels. Why did Silversea select this hotel and staff it with one representative to end our “ultra-luxury” vacation? Needless to say, I am concerned about my next "Simply Silver Hotel." 

[Stumblefoot]

Sorry that you didn’t like your hotel.  But, don’t understand the issue with it being an airport property when Silversea clearly discloses on their website that, “we also partner with several airport properties to accommodate guests on very early/late flight schedules.”

[saminina]

Please name hotel.

[Pumblechook]

6 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Sorry that you didn’t like your hotel.  But, don’t understand the issue with it being an airport property when Silversea clearly discloses on their website that, “we also partner with several airport properties to accommodate guests on very early/late flight schedules.”

 

Isn't the issue in the post not about it being an airport hotel, but the quality of it, the lack of promised shuttle to town, the under-staffing of local reps and having to check-out in the morning when faced with a 10pm flight?  Sounds like a very un-SilverSea experience.

[Fletcher]

Fiji is not remotely typical so don't pay too much attention to the OP's complaint.  There isn't a Hilton everywhere.  

[saminina]

Actually, there are plenty of satisfactory and above places that would fit the SS Air program.   There are plenty of mediocre and below that would not.   As you know.

[Accessor]

Penny pinching at it's finest...SS priority is all about saving money vs leaving a very positive experience on the final leg of your trip. A $60/night property doesn't align with SS image of luxury travel,. Another reason to never book door2door with SS!!

[Luv2Cruise1016]

Just off the Wind.  Couldn't disagree more regarding hotels.  Sorry OP had bad experience.  We stayed pre-cruise at Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver and post-cruise at Intercontinental Hotel in San Diego.  Both hotels were spectacular and arrangements perfect.

Edited October 18, 2022 by Luv2Cruise1016

[Lonedaddy]

8 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Fiji is not remotely typical so don't pay too much attention to the OP's complaint.  There isn't a Hilton everywhere.  

There is a hilton near nadi - denaru.  Actually a decent property with lots to do.  (sheraton and others also in same spot 20 min from the airport

 

 

[Stumblefoot]

9 hours ago, Pumblechook said:

Isn't the issue in the post not about it being an airport hotel, but the quality of it, the lack of promised shuttle to town, the under-staffing of local reps and having to check-out in the morning when faced with a 10pm flight?  Sounds like a very un-SilverSea experience.

Generally speaking, yes probably, of course.  This is why I didn’t discount the other issues, at all, in my reply.
 

But, when I read the OP state, “All were horrified to read it was an airport hotel…”, I took it to mean that they were shocked that SS would put them up in an airport hotel, in addition to all of the other issues you cite.  If it wasn’t part of the issue, then why include the noun modifier “airport”?

Edited October 18, 2022 by Stumblefoot

[saminina]

Please quote the entire sentence that you cut short and it makes a bit more sense.   I thought the entire post was well written without emphasis on deep disappointment.    More than six hours in a dumpy airport motel is not cool.....unless you have chosen to do it.

[CinciCruise]

Let me try to further clarify. We had thought it would be a resort type hotel in the resort area about 20 minutes from the airport with a beach, lovely pool, restaurants, and shopping nearby. We all knew there were no airport hotels in Fiji that are 4- or 5- star. Many took a 15-20 minute taxi to the resort area for dinner and all commented that we should have been staying at any of the hotels there. All flights from Fiji to US are at 10 p.m. and there was no need to book a non-resort hotel to be close to the airport. The issue was the hotel was unacceptable in quality and in an isolated location when there were many acceptable, name-brand options 15-20 minutes away. Sorry everyone focused on “airport” because the issue was the quality of the lodging and I meant “airport” versus “resort.”  We arrived at the hotel around 10 a.m. and had to stay there until 6:30 p.m. the next day when we all took a bus to the airport for our 10 p.m. flights. It was a very long 2 days in the heat just waiting to leave and shocking way to end our cruise. The pre-cruise hotel in Cairns was one of the best in the city, but we had the name of it for at least 4-6 months. I know many hotels are named in the documents and some are Simply Silver. Just be warned if the hotel is not named because it sure seemed like cost cutting when we heard “negotiating with hotels.” 

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, saminina said:

Please quote the entire sentence that you cut short and it makes a bit more sense.

You missed my point completely.

 

1 hour ago, saminina said:

I thought the entire post was well written without emphasis on deep disappointment.

I neither said anything about how the post was written, nor about the OP’s disappointment.

 

1 hour ago, saminina said:

More than six hours in a dumpy airport motel is not cool...

IMHO, more than six hours in any dumpy hotel is not cool, whether at the airport, in town, in the country, or on a beach. 😉

[Stumblefoot]

2 minutes ago, CinciCruise said:

The issue was the hotel was unacceptable in quality and in an isolated location when there were many acceptable, name-brand options 15-20 minutes away. 

Again, sorry about the crummy end to your voyage and that SS put you up in a lousy hotel.  It just plain sucks.

[AtA]

From what I see, they are doing a bunch of cost cutting at the expense of passengers. Some small things and others major like this OP's experience. 

[CruzinFeraBruzin]

38 minutes ago, CinciCruise said:

Just be warned if the hotel is not named because it sure seemed like cost cutting when we heard “negotiating with hotels.” 

This is what worries me with our upcoming 2024 Grand Africa/Arabia voyage.  They have not listed either hotel on Silversea's website, yet the 2025 Grand Africa/Arabia has them listed.  Not only that, the post cruise hotel in Athens, the Grand Bretagne, is listed as a pre-cruise hotel for the next sailing on the Spirit after the grand voyage ends.  When I've questioned why they haven't listed the hotels yet, their response is "we are still negotiating contracts".  There is no pattern on when hotels are listed and when they aren't.    

Edited October 18, 2022 by CruzinFeraBruzin

[drron29]

The problem is that the good resorts are basically full of Aussies and kiwis as it is one of the closest OS destinations. Prices are through the roof.

As for Denarau it is no longer a 20 minute drive from the Airport. We stayed there for Christmas 2019 and the road from denarau to Nadi was in shocking condition. In an ordinary car you had to take it really slowly. with the shutdown for 2 years I can only think it will have got worse.

 

SS tring to book a hotel a week out was the problem. very likely nothing else left.

On booking,com these are the only properties left in Denarau for 1 weeks time.

[Catlover54]

On 10/17/2022 at 1:09 PM, CinciCruise said:

To all who have a Simply Silver Hotel included, this is a warning the hotel my not be up to expectations of a 4- to 5-star. I returned less than a week ago from a Silver Explorer voyage from Cairns to Lautoka, Fiji. The cruise was amazing and truly a luxury experience until the day we disembarked in Lautoka, Fiji and were transferred to the included Simply Silver Hotel with the other passengers who booked the door-to-door experience.

 

Prior to leaving from home on the cruise, I called multiple times asking the name of the hotel in Fiji and was told by the Silversea representative, they did not know because the Hotel Department was negotiating rates. The representative said they would send an email to the Silversea Hotel Department for an update. I never received one. No one on the cruise knew the name of the Simply Silver Hotel either until 3 days before the end of the cruise when we received a letter with disembarking information including the hotel name. All were horrified to read it was an airport hotel in Nadi with terrible reviews, costing $60/night. It was at best a 3 star, if not a 2 star, and not the 4-or 5-star hotel promised!

 

The hotel was even worse than I imagined. There was no elevator and we had to walk up outside stairs typical of dated motels and walk along a concrete walkway outside to enter the room. The room air-conditioning did not really work for any of us. One could set fan speed knob only and the room were very hot even at high speed. The lobby and dining were not air-conditioned and there was no air-conditioned place to wait before check-in time or after check out at 11 a.m. while waiting for our 10 p.m. flight. The hotel was not near anything and the letter given to us by the local representative upon arrival said there was a shuttle provided to town. After waiting, we learned the letter was incorrect and there was no shuttle. There was only one representative, and the line to book a tour by her took up to 2 hours. To make matters worse, all flights to the U.S. were at 10 p.m. and we were in the hotel almost 2 full days.

 

Fiji has many fabulous 4+ star resort hotels. Why did Silversea select this hotel and staff it with one representative to end our “ultra-luxury” vacation? Needless to say, I am concerned about my next "Simply Silver Hotel." 

"Fiji has many fabulous 4+ star resort hotels. Why did Silversea select this hotel and staff it with one representative to end our “ultra-luxury” vacation? Needless to say, I am concerned about my next "Simply Silver Hotel." 

 

Why?  Because they can choose to define what "ultra-luxury" vacation means, and it now apparently means something that includes a hotel that sounds like a Motel 6.  Charming 🙄.  The race to the bottom by former luxury lines continues. 

[cruiseej]

9 hours ago, drron29 said:

SS trying to book a hotel a week out was the problem. very likely nothing else left.

 

But the question is why they didn't have the hotel locked in far before that. If they were truly still shopping for hotels a week prior to arrival because they were hoping to find vacancies and get a good deal, that seems an illogical way for a luxury travel company to be operating. 

 

15 hours ago, CruzinFeraBruzin said:

This is what worries me with our upcoming 2024 Grand Africa/Arabia voyage.  They have not listed either hotel on Silversea's website

 

Two years from now? Many of us are traveling within the next two months and don't know what hotel Silversea is putting us at! 😉

[CruzinFeraBruzin]

7 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

Two years from now? Many of us are traveling within the next two months and don't know what hotel Silversea is putting us at! 😉

True, but my comment highlighted the question of why do they have hotels identified for a sailing in 2025, but not the same sailing in 2024?  I completely agree, its ridiculous they can secure contracts for hotels well into 2025, but leave guests hanging for upcoming sailings that have been on the books for a couple of years.  

[Catlover54]

6 minutes ago, CruzinFeraBruzin said:

True, but my comment highlighted the question of why do they have hotels identified for a sailing in 2025, but not the same sailing in 2024?  I completely agree, its ridiculous they can secure contracts for hotels well into 2025, but leave guests hanging for upcoming sailings that have been on the books for a couple of years.  

 

After several posts on a thread, the context of a statement is unfortunately often lost.

 

It sounds like ideally one has to not only take care of one's own airfare (other threads discuss the problems with Silver Air), but also arrange one's own hotels.

 

[Stumblefoot]

4 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

It sounds like ideally one has to not only take care of one's own airfare (other threads discuss the problems with Silver Air), but also arrange one's own hotels.

Sounds perfect to me.

[Accessor]

4 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

It sounds like ideally one has to not only take care of one's own airfare (other threads discuss the problems with Silver Air), but also arrange one's own hotels.

 

 

When I book my own air and hotels, it's exactly what I want, when I want, where I want to stay or fly.  SS has enough problems to sort out on their ships... and the whole concept of door2door is tarnishing their image.  The hotel I booked in Venice this summer after our SS cruise had us settled in by 10am vs other pax that staying at SS hotel; rooms weren't ready till after 4pm...go figure when you have a few hundred ppl arriving at same hotel at same time.

 

[Lonedaddy]

46 minutes ago, Accessor said:

 

When I book my own air and hotels, it's exactly what I want, when I want, where I want to stay or fly.  SS has enough problems to sort out on their ships... and the whole concept of door2door is tarnishing their image.  The hotel I booked in Venice this summer after our SS cruise had us settled in by 10am vs other pax that staying at SS hotel; rooms weren't ready till after 4pm...go figure when you have a few hundred ppl arriving at same hotel at same time.

 

To an extent I agree but there are some circumstances that I would prefer a seamless experience in places like China, Isreal South africa.  On my upcoming SS cruise I just booked my own place in Southampton (been to London too many times) and 3 nights on the back end in Copenhagen.    Based on my experience Regent does a better job of listing their hotels( or similar) on their land and hotel options though there have been some issues in miami and a couple other places with substandard hotels.

[highplanesdrifters]

On 10/19/2022 at 8:28 AM, cruiseej said:

Two years from now? Many of us are traveling within the next two months and don't know what hotel Silversea is putting us at! 😉

Ha ha, two months.  As you know we finally got our Simply hotel one week before departure.