Richmond Ephesus Resort — Hotel in Selçuk

I am writing this comment to explain the issues, deficiencies, and negative experiences we encountered at the hotel, which I also reported to the hotel management via email after our stay. It has been approximately 40 days, and they have not responded yet. I expected a professional response, with an acknowledgment of my feedback and a commitment to address the shortcomings. However, since that did not happen, I felt the need to write a detailed review here. Please note that I am sharing this information to provide an account of the situation, rather than to complain about specific incidents.

We arrived at the hotel by car. There was no bellboy or staff member outside the hotel, and it was empty. We had to carry our own luggage up the stairs since no one offered assistance. When we reached the reception, we encountered a few staff members who were speaking among themselves, not looking at us, and displaying a rather unfriendly attitude. Since we arrived early, there were no available rooms, so we went for lunch at 12:30 PM. When we asked again at 1 PM if the room was ready, they informed us that it was not yet prepared, and they would call us when it was. This was understandable since we arrived early. At 2 PM, I went to the barber shop inside the hotel, and when I returned, no one had called me, and the room was still not ready. We finally received our room at 2:30 PM.

I am unsure if there is a Guest Relations Department at the hotel since I neither saw nor contacted them throughout our stay.

Our room was in Block H, directly facing the Aqua Park. It was clean and beautiful, and all three pools, including the outdoor Aqua Park, were enjoyable.

There isn't much to say about the animation team; they were highly inadequate, dissatisfied, and seemed tired. They primarily interacted with foreign tourists, greeting them in English. However, when I responded in Turkish, they would not engage in further communication. We didn't come to the hotel seeking attention, so I am not bothered by their lack of interest. Nonetheless, the shows performed by the external Fire Show and Moroccan Acrobat Teams were truly excellent.

There was an incredibly high number of mosquitoes, and especially in the evenings, they relentlessly bit us without a moment's rest. When we returned home, our legs and arms were severely affected. Although the hotel carries out pest control measures, something seems to be amiss because there have been mosquito complaints in previous years as well. This indicates that there might be a stagnant water source that needs to be addressed.

When it comes to the meals, there were very few dishes that were enjoyable. The mezes and salads were of high quality, but there were many undercooked or strangely flavored dishes. As a specific example, the watermelon we received had a spoiled taste, and when we called for the chef or a responsible cook with a black hat, he responded in a mocking manner, suggesting that we taste the watermelon that had somehow mixed with others, saying, "Now, let's see how this watermelon tastes." Yet, we had intended to express our dissatisfaction with the éclair dessert as well. Considering it's a five-star hotel, I believe the menu was not sufficient. However, I don't want to give a negative review solely based on the food. Despite the limited selection of red meat dishes, the mezes and salads were excellently prepared.

The number of staff in the restaurant was very low. Some were helpful, while others appeared to be unfriendly. Due to the shortage of waiters, service was a bit slow.

Looking at the reviews here, everything seems perfect, but most guests spend their time at the beach and pools after breakfast and are unable to notice certain problems.

In summary, I don't plan to visit this hotel again as there are many other hotels that offer much better service. The mosquito problem was quite serious, and it seemed that the overall staff number was insufficient. There were also children's play areas available, assuming the children can play there without being bothered...

I stayed in this hotel for 2 weeks in October-November 2018. The garden is wonderful, the sea and sand, too. Spa and massage was good. The stuff of the hotel was mostly friendly and helpful, even though not everybody and not always. But the service was the worst I ever experienced.

Several times in 2 weeks I received dirty towels! In a 5* hotel! Twice in two weeks my room was opened without informing me and without my permission: the first time they said they were controlling the air conditioner, I came back from the beach and I found the door opened and some people at the door, the second time was even worse - a worker of the hotel came with another guest and just opened the door of my room when I was in the room. I was wearing a swimwear when they opened the door of my room. Then, instead of saying sorry and going away immediately, the worker started to ask me when I was going to leave while the other man was staring at my swimwear. It was a mistake of receptionists, and well, such mistakes can happen, but not in a 5* hotel! My holiday there was pretty stressful because of such mistakes of the stuff. Almost every day I called the reception to complain about some problems. When those two men came to my room I insisted to talk directly to the manager. The manager was polite, blocked my key-card (even for me, so that I had to come to reception because I couldn't open the door of my room, but the problem was finally solved) and he sent me some wine and fruits to the room as an excuse. It was nice, but it did not compensate the stress I had there.

Another unacacceptable thing was that from the 1st of November the variety of food at the restaurant is significantly decreased, because there were not so many guests anymore. Animation was completely canceled, hammocks in the garden were removed, there were no more ice cream and coffee in the garden. And neither I no other guests were informed about these changes! It was really absolutely no go. It was like a few guests which remained there after the 1st of November do not worth to take care about. Well, I wasn't hungry at the restaurant, I don't eat too much, but I payed a full price for the 5* quality and I didn't get even 3. I have been in another 3 hotel in Turkey where the service was very much better and when there were only few guests there was a menu for every guest for choice.

My room was quite ok (except for dirty towels), but it was above the balcony of the restaurant and every morning there was a strong reek in my room coming from the restaurant, because something was being fried there. It was a pretty unpleasant smell.

The sand on the beach was wonderful, shining, but the beach was really dirty. I don´t know whether they clean it at all, because children could find anything possible playing in this sand like plastik garbage and cigarette butts.

To finish it positively, the garden gave me a real esthetical pleasure - it was very beautiful. The sand was golden shining, I have never seen such beautiful sand. Sunsets are marvelous there. In November when many of the dishes were missing at the restaurant sometimes I asked the stuff at the restaurant to cook scrambled eggs for me (in October there were scrambled eggs every day) and they usually did it.

The taxi near the entrance to the hotel had acceptable prices and the service was very good. I travelled to Ephesus and to Selcuk by taxi and I am glad I did it.

After my vacation full of stress I talked to the manager again, who was quite a nice guy, and he asked me to write a review about the hotel. Now I finally do it. I am sorry that it is not a positive one, but it was my experience in Richmond Ephesus Resort in 2018. I hope this year they will...

Nestled between the mountains and the sea, this hotel boasts a beautiful sandy beach and a stunning location. The property features a main building along with several bungalows, each offering either garden or sea views. The rooms in the main building provide either direct or partial sea views, making it a picturesque retreat. Conveniently situated between Selçuk and Kuşadası, guests can easily explore both towns via an 85 TL dolmuş ride.||Upon our arrival, which was quite early due to a midnight flight, I guess despite the availability of empty rooms, we would need to wait until noon for check-in. The room itself was adequately sized and included a balcony; however, the minibar was limited to just water and Coca-Cola, which were replenished daily.||While the hotel has great potential, several areas need attention to enhance the guest experience:||1. Cleanliness: Unfortunately, cleanliness was a significant issue throughout the hotel. Litter was commonly found on the ground, with cigarette butts and leftover food items scattered about. There seemed to be a lack of staff attention to maintaining cleanliness. Additionally, the men's restroom facilities were frequently out of water and carried an unpleasant odor.||2. Bar and Beverage Quality: The hotel features three bars located in the lobby, by the pool, and on the beach. However, the bartenders appeared to be amateurs with little knowledge of basic bartending principles. The quality of drinks served was subpar; they tasted mostly like water despite having various names and colors!!! It is crucial to improve the quality of beverages offered to guests.||3. Animation Team: The animation team struggled with punctuality, as many scheduled activities were either delayed or canceled without notice. Evening entertainment was limited to two repetitive guitar singers. During live music performances, the atmosphere was disrupted by loud conversations from guests watching TV or playing billiards in the lobby area.||4. Guest Behavior: The presence of children running around and making noise throughout the hotel detracted from the overall experience. Groups of young football players frequently entered the hotel, creating a chaotic environment that disrupted the peace.||5. Restaurant Experience: The quality of food served in the restaurant was mediocre at best. Leftover items were often reused in subsequent meals with minimal changes, including salads and vegetables. Apart from the delicious San Sebastián cheesecake at dessert, most desserts did not meet expectations.||If I were the hotel manager, here are my recommendations for improvement:||• Hire more professional staff for the bar to enhance service quality.||• Prioritize improving drink quality above all else.||• Separate the television and billiard areas from the lobby to create a more serene environment.||• Implement regular checks and cleaning of restrooms every hour.||• Designate a specific area for young football players to minimize disruption.||• Offer complimentary transportation to town at least twice daily.||• Avoid reusing old food items on buffet tables.||• If there are available rooms, consider offering early check-in to leave guests with a positive impression.||• Increase supervision of staff across all departments to ensure they are attentive and present.||In conclusion, while this hotel has a fantastic location and potential for greatness, addressing these concerns could significantly enhance the guest experience. And by the way, I expect a complimentary one-week voucher for my helpful...