Royalton Bavaro, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort & Casino

Angela Cuevas, Tui Concierge. This is the reason we gave 5 stars. The hotel itself is far from it but Angela made it a 5 star experience by herself. On check in after a very long 9 hour flight I was told I wasn’t getting a diamond club upgrade as I’ve always had. This is our 8th visit to a Royalton hotel but our 1st to the Dominican Republic. Our request to have a joining room with our 13 & 17 year old children was not fulfilled either. I was both frustrated, angry & let down. Not a nice feeling I can assure you. Our children were been placed 3 floors above us. This was ridiculous and wasn’t acceptable. To be not given diamond club was bad enough but then to be told our children were 3 floors above us was not going to happen. Angela then got involved & after a short time she arranged for them to be on the same floor as us. Not ideal but more acceptable & appropriate than the previous offer. Angela took my mobile number & arranged our dining preferences for each night. Angela also made sure our rooms were kept stocked up with the minibar & snacks. Any maintenance was done in a timely manner & that everything in general was good for us. I was surprised with a birthday cake in our room which was a very nice thing to do for me. The diamond club experience can’t be replicated & we felt like 2nd class citizens some times but Angela did everything she could to make our stay special. Another staff member who always took time out to chat with us was Jesus who worked in the Italian restaurant. Whenever we saw him he would stop & chat with us. The language barrier is hard to overcome but he really tried hard. The branded drinks were hit & miss which is really frustrating especially in the bars at nighttime. Most of the staff expect tips for doing just their job. I work in retail & always tip if I receive excellent service, not just been served a drink. If you didn’t tip after each drink then you would be overlooked & made to wait a long time. Take plenty of 1 dollar notes with you. The hotel itself needs a lot of work to bring it up to a 5* standard. We’ve been to better hotels for far less money & im sure we will go to worse too but the Royalton group is a good chain , hence our numerous visits. Please read this honest review @Royalton hotels and look after the people who make it special. Angela is a very very special employee who is now ill & having to take some time away. Please make sure she is well looked after.