Radisson Blu Resort & Thalasso, Hammamet — Hotel in Maghreb

We live + work in Tunis (we are ex pats from Canada) assigned here 1 year. We were excited to book a 'staycation' weekend experience here in Hammamet before the borders + airport reopen (to take advantage of the covid19-free situation) and so we did the drive down.

The Good: Love the beach access and there's two towels available plus security and staff to assist you and watch your things while you're in the ocean. The Pool was impressive too and our kid loved it Staff: Very friendly and professional. Staff and valet guy also very helpful with our bags, room choice and assisting with parking and retrieving our car. We were initially greeted by a woman/manager at the entrance when we arrived after noon on Saturday who took our temperature (fever check) and greeted us.

The Check-in process was a bit weird .. I submitted our passports and was told to wait for the room keys (perhaps they were busy with other stuff). We were provided with some welcome drinks/refreshments too which was nice but there was little to no interaction regarding our Gold rewards status and our room choice. We had simply booked a Superior room with King bed but were given room 102 initially which was neither. The Valet/bag guy said...don't worry ..stay here and I'll fix it for you. Quickly he ran back to the lobby on our behalf and came back to help us to nearby room 106 which had a larger bed (Queen perhaps) and it was good enough for us (Small family of 3 including our 3yr old boy). Anyways upon arrival in the town of Hammamet we could see that this definitely one of the premier hotels in the area to choose from.

Now the BAD stuff. Management take note:

Room 106 .. shower does not drain quickly/properly. Room 106 .. the Air Conditioner is noisey and you hear water sounds ..needs maintenance perhaps Room 106 .. tv remote barely works Room 106 .. plenty of pillows but all were tough/hard. Would have appreciated softer pillows Wifi very slow but works.

FOOD .. as a vegan family we weren't presented with any suitable food options other than say the Veg pizza without cheese and perhaps french fries and pasta or bread. I'm CERTAIN other vegans or vegetarians have had the same issue. In fact a quick search on Trip advisor for your property reveals other complaints about lack of Vegetarian food options from as far back as 2014 so obviously you're not taking vegetarian guests seriously. If you're Vegan/vegetarian consider bringing your own food unfortunately until they improve. It's not hard .. Management just needs to have a meeting with the kitchen staff or the head chef and come up with a plan for Vegetarians/vegans .. with either a vegan menu or readily available food in the buffets. It's not 1991 anymore .. it's 2020 and up to 10% of people don't eat meat/fish/eggs so get with the times please. You can offer Falafels, chick pea hummus, beans/rice and curry, some sauteed mushroom burger/veggie burger and oatmeal/granola, smoothies, grilled veggies, fruit platters and so on. Note that nearby Amici restaurant has plenty of veg options and that's where we had to go for dinner since the buffet had nearly zero options for us at 60tnd a head.

SMOKING is allowed and permitted if not encouraged in all areas including the rooms with an ashtray on the balcony. People were also actively smoking in the next table from us at the breakfast which is weird in 2020.

Thanks for the warm welcome from the staff and the great pools and beach access but honestly when returning to Hammamet we'll be choosing another hotel unless we are assured there's...

STAY SOMEWHERE ELSE! NOT WORTH A PENNY! After staying 4 nights in the Radisson blu Hammamet here is my pros and cons.

Pros

-Reservation process went smooth and an upgrade to the sea view room was granted as promised per my booking.com genius level. -Team members are polite but….. (see in the cons). -Beach is super clean and beautiful. -Big swimming pool.

Cons

-Upon arrival no body was at the entrance, I had to drop my wife and kid, Get the luggage off the car and go park it myself! -No luggage boy to help with the luggage neither upon arrival nor after the check in! -Hotel orientation was not giving, we were even lost on how to get to the elevator. -We were assigned to an occupied room and luckily the HKP manager was in front of it and told us to not open the door as there are some other guests inside! -5 min later We’ve got a room which basically was not prepared, No bathrobes, Water wasn’t there, AC wasn’t on, kettle and sugar are in there but no coffee/tea nor cups! -We always keep the room on DND as we don’t need the cleaning service on daily basis but on the 3rd day of our stay we called the reception at 9am for room make up but it wasn’t done, We called the Housekeeping at 17:00 but it wasn’t done then we asked again the reception at 19:00! -The room make up or the turndown service was done in a very bad way, basically the person who did it just made up the bed and left, 7 empty bottles are still in the room till the moment we checked out, towels were not replaced, Toilet paper was not giving! -Called again at 9pm to get some toilet paper and water but only toilet paper were giving! -Breakfast is quite boring and very basic, nothing much in the buffet! -Pool bar, the Bistrot restaurant and the in room dining uses the same empty basic menu! -Pizza Margarita was bitter as it was made with blue cheese and curry sauce! -the team is lacking a proper training and proper stress management skills (two team members were fighting in front of guests over tips sharing topic! -Broken flushing system in toilet since we checked in! -The FOM gave me an appointment on the 3rd of June at 15:15 to discuss my disappointment but she never showed up, though she called and apologized for the no show! -During ou last breakfast in the hotel I ordered a vegetable soup for my 3 year old son to be served at 11:30am in the room but it wasn’t served till 12:10 after i called the In room dining more than 3 times and it was served without even a spoon, so the 3 year old kid is supposed to drink the soup!! -Kids Club was one of the main reasons we choose this property as it was advertised on booking.com website and the hotel website itself, But it came to our shock when we arrived and founded it like a zombie town, it was closed, toys were thrown outside and not a single soul was around! -On the departure day, after so many complaints and so many meetings with so many people, No service recovery was offered whatsoever!

wouldn’t wish this terrible holiday to my...

An exceptionally bad hotel, judged against its own standards. Cursory bag inspections at security to enforce a prohibition on outside food and drink, including in guest rooms — something I have never come across, and is not the norm in Tunisia or elsewhere. A deeply greedy move by management, in an attempt to force all requests, including water, to be charged through room service or restaurants. Having to sneak snacks in to have in my room felt, and was absurd. Restrictive dress code (no swim shirts for men, no full-body swimwear for women) that was displayed prominently in rooms, but not enforced. Twenty-five dollar deposit for towels — but only for the pool, not the beach, and I was never asked to pay it, other guests were. This property exhibits an odd desire to control guest behaviour that is wildly out of line for a self-proclaimed upscale property. Cleanliness standards very low. Hairs throughout my room, liquid splatters on chairs, towels tossed haphazardly by housekeeping. Forty-five minute wait and three phone calls to receive a bathrobe and slippers when housekeeping failed to leave the same in my room upon check in. Check in took 25 minutes. Perks associated with loyalty status not honoured or even mentioned. Breakfast crowded, with lines several guests deep for all live cooking stations. Buffet options identical to those I saw at properties a third of the price elsewhere in Tunisia. Tables not cleared quickly, contributing to a lack of seats. Cheap cost cutting evident across the property. Ten cent bottles of water not replaced in the room, and bottled water chargeable when requested. Plastic loungers on the beach, indoor banquet furniture used to replace outdoor restaurant tables and chairs. No in room coffee facilities other than a kettle and instant sachets, also not replaced daily. Beach not cleaned or raked daily. Sellers permitted to approach guests on the beach, even in the shallow water. The pool area was well cared for however, and staff were excellent at removing towels left to claim seats or by guests who had left. Also ample loungers available at both the pool and beach. One staff member at the front desk exhibited service consistent with a five star property, all others ranged from indifferent to polite, but not proactive. This property would struggle to earn four stars, and is better seen as an overpriced three star hotel. It is exceedingly poor value, and by far the worst four- or five-star property I have visited across 40+ countries. I left this property after two nights with the distinct impression that management views guests as a nuisance to be controlled and exploited. Amenities, comfort, and service all fall well short of a four-star property, and the price charged is...