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I went in and they tried to figure it out for us, they were very polite at the front desk. I go downstairs to change, and couldn't find an attendant in the oddly appointed greeting area downstairs to follow up on this... maybe THEY could help find our drinks that were MIA! So, at this point, (which was actually my husband's birthday), he just wanted to leave. We changed, went back upstairs, and asked to check out. I asked the gentleman to just please see if he could get us our drinks and we'll take them to our room - at this point, our room would be more relaxing than this frustration. He politely agreed and we proceeded to checkout.
Now, as a plus, I had very meticulously planned every detail of the day for over a month. I spoke with a front desk (hotel) manager, and Lydia in the spa many times over email. Both were extremely helpful and accommodating. I would give the spa 1 star if it weren't for my prior/pre-experience with Lydia. Also, my masseuse (a gentleman) was great as well - great pressure and technique! Lydia had confirmed I could use my SpaWish gift certificates for our visit (the hotel participates in this program) - which I was grateful for!
At spa checkout, I gave the gal my gift certs and paid the balance to the room bill. I got a call from her a few minutes after we returned to our room (after waiting for the bar to make our drinks - the Ballantyne was great, the basil one was disgusting and we dumped it). There had been a mix-up with SpaWish noting two of my vouchers had been previously redeemed - I took care of this with SpaWish separately and in the meantime the spa was very patient as I gave them different vouchers/gift cards to redeem so we were able to close out without incident. I appreciated their patience with this after the fact.
Appreciatively, as SPG Gold, we were allotted a late 4PM checkout. We intended to shower and nap before heading to a different uptown hotel for that evening. We had a 6-course wine-dinner booked at Ruth's Chris which we were looking forward to, but simply wanted to stay closer to the restaurant Sunday evening. On the heels of all these aforementioned adventures at Ballantyne, we decided to just pack up and leave for our uptown hotel.
Net, I've heard great things about this hotel and greater things about the spa & restaurant. I will say the golf (Ballantyne course & the Dana Radar School were exceptional!) But the GPI I benchmark it against puts it to shame. Overall, pretty hotel and the rooms are nice. The communication with the staff in planning this special weekend was rather exceptional, so I appreciate that! The Gallery Restaurant wasn't impressive (though, brunch Sunday morning - crab cake benedict - was very good!). Skip the Gallery for lunch though - I wouldn't go back for dinner. Leading up to our hotel stay, I called on three occasions only to have nobody answer at the Gallery restaurant - and yes, it was during business hours. Hence, we didn't do our Saturday dinner with wine and the Chef's coursed meal...
The staff/admin at the Spa were fantastic. Though, the spa as a whole doesn't have their act together. It is a very pretty spa with nice amenities, but when you stay at a Spa resort you expect seamless transitions. Our 'service' providers were late in picking us up for our treatments. One failed to tell my husband to return to the men's lounge where he'd be picked up for his next treatment. So... the Birthday Boy stood awkwardly in the hallway until someone kindly alerted me that he wasn't sure where he was supposed to be. So I went out to the hall (in the "quiet treatment area") and let him know where to go. The transitions were poor between treatments!
In fairness, I would like to point out there were a few people who were exceptional leading up to our visit - they were all thoughtful and timely with their follow-ups to my inquiries as I meticulously planned every detail. These individuals were prompt, professional and accommodating - so I thank them (omitting last names for public Yelp review cut & paste): Lydia (spa - she was especially helpful with my planning needs and questions), Carolina K. (hotel), Alan G. (hotel), Cameron B. (hotel) & Audrey B. (hotel).
Nice facilities, nice people, but not an A-Class experience overall - you PAY FOR THE EXPERIENCE PLUS THE VENUE - great venue, underwhelming experience. VERY disappointed in the room problem (This was a BIG deal), plus I'd called and emailed three times to confirm this. Thankfully, we slept ok in our parking-lot view room, but missed our drinks with lunch and just had a mediocre experience overall.
All in, after the total cost, I would rather drive a few hours for an experience that is far superior at the same price. It was worth a try since we're local...
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