Pelican Grand Beach Resort

I'm told the General Manager reads these comments, so I am keen to try and suggest things that could make the hotel run better. Overall, we had a decent stay, made better by some members of staff, but not all. In particular, I would call out the concierge, Ricky by the pool and Jasmine in the restaurant. The beach was clean, the pool was warm and the linen in the rooms was extremely soft, if not changed during our entire stay of 5 nights. The main problem I found with the resort was their lack of coordination or communication. As a consultant, I wandered around seeing fix after fix that I would make without any knowledge of the hospitality industry - one department run off its feet whilst others sit having a chat (the bell service bro's were particularly disinterested). A decent Director of Operations would be able to identify many of the shortcomings in the hotel and resolve them. As a few examples: - The reception on arrival told us that we should go immediately to book our Easter brunch for the Sunday. Going to the restaurant, we were told it had been filled for weeks. - The servers at the pool spent about 20% of their time at the pool because they had to make the drinks behind the bar, go to the kitchen on the off chance that food was ready, take orders and clean up. I stay in dozens of hotels a year and have never seen this way of working. - The kitchen was unable to cope with the size of the dining areas. Room service turned out to be the quickest option in that it generally came in 45 minutes. Restaurant or pool service was usually somewhere between 90 minutes and 2.5 hours to get a simple meal for 4 people. - Capacity is not managed effectively by the restaurant managers as every table is filled as soon as it empties and you join the back of the line for ordering and getting food. This is why certain meals, such as breakfast, are offered as buffet, even by some of the most upmarket hotels. - The housekeeping was good, if you happened to be out of the room when they arrived. If you asked them to come back, they didn't - I phoned down to get my room later in the afternoon and was told that 'it was after 2, so there is no one left to do it.' - Laundry was not offered. Most 3 star hotels are able to offer laundry - how can a family hotel not offer the ability to clean clothes. Like so much else, we were told there was probably somewhere in Fort Lauderdale. Each of these things on their own would be frustrating, but combined it made a family holiday over Easter less enjoyable than we hoped. I was told that things were improving, but the evidence didn't necessarily back it up. If I were to guess, costs had been driven down to the lowest possible level with a hope that excellent personal service would mitigate the short cuts. It did in some places, but the overall experience was lacking. Effective management by the senior leadership team and department heads could resolve a number of these issues rapidly and I hope they take it seriously. The location and potential of this hotel is incredible, but they are letting themselves and their guests down. Read less

While staying at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort, my son and I were put on a waiting list for breakfast, but they never contacted us so we were forced to have room service. I attempted to contact room service several times, but could not get a hold of anyone. When I called downstairs, to the front desk, a young lady by the name of Marline, wrote down our breakfast orders and hand carried them to the restaurant then doubled checked to make sure we were fed breakfast. She was very thoughtful and kind and I just appreciated it so much. Her hospitality and compassion made a frustrating morning so much better. Read less