Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection — Hotel in Fairhope

Overall Impression:

The hotel offers a beautiful setting with a wide range of activities. While the overall experience was pleasant, it was somewhat average. The hotel features an array of activities and amenities, but the service does not stand out. Guests should be proactive in staying informed about offers, discounts, and important hotel details, as the staff tends to be less proactive. Despite these shortcomings, the well-maintained grounds, engaging activities, and exceptional spa services make it a place worth revisiting.

PROs:

Accommodation: The hotel was accommodating with an early check-in request, having our room ready by 12:30 PM, which facilitated our couples massage appointment.

Grounds: The property is visually appealing, featuring well-maintained trails, lighted pathways, water features, and attractive landscaping.

Activities: The hotel offers a diverse range of activities, including feeding ducks, croquet, golf, kayaking, and biking. There are approximately 71 activities available, providing numerous options for guests.

Family-Friendly: The hotel is highly suitable for families, with numerous activities for children, such as a rock-featured pool, an activities lawn, fire and s'mores events, and dive-in movies.

Spa: The spa experience was outstanding, with world-class massages and excellent amenities such as a whirlpool, sauna, steam room, and complimentary drinks and snacks. While the spa's facilities were not the most modern, the quality of the massage therapists was exceptional.

Rooms: The large spa room was comfortable and relaxing, with most rooms offering a water view.

Concierge: The concierge provided helpful assistance in navigating the grounds and activities.

Food: The property offers various dining options. The market, while convenient, was expensive and the quality did not justify the price.

CONs Check-In: As a "Gold" Elite Marriott member, the check-in experience was underwhelming, with no acknowledgment or welcome gift. There was also confusion regarding a spa voucher, which was not provided at check-in and required follow-up with the front desk. Limited information was provided at check-in about the property’s activities, dining options, and breakfast details. Many details were only discovered through the hotel app, which was not mentioned during check-in.

Checkout: Although a late checkout was approved, housekeeping arrived at noon, disregarding the "Do Not Disturb" sign.

Family-Friendly Atmosphere: The hotel is heavily oriented towards families, with a high number of children present throughout the property, which might not suit all guests.

Room Updates: The rooms, while spacious, could benefit from modernization. Features such as the bathtub, tiles, and cabinets appeared dated.

Beds: The beds were extremely firm, leading to uncomfortable sleep.

Service: Service was below average, with no exceptional elements. While the staff was courteous, the overall experience did not stand out.

Spa Merchandise: There was confusion regarding a 10% discount on spa merchandise, which was not automatically applied. Additionally, there was reluctance in providing samples of products after being advised it was an option.

Dining: The Southern Roots Cafe was fully booked, necessitating advance reservations. The alternative, Bar 1847, operated on a first-come, first-served basis. The lack of available dining options within the hotel led us to dine off-site.

Recommendations for Improvement:

Introduce adult-only hours or areas to complement the family-friendly environment (ie. S’mores experience) -Add seating at the fire pits Update and modernize rooms and spa facilities. Improve the check-in process and overall communication between departments. It was nonexistent. Enhance proactive customer service and ensure consistency in guest experiences across all departments. -Employees knowledge seemed severely lacking (spa,...

I've been visiting The Grand Hotel at Point Clear for four decades. My recent visit was wonderful and this resort is awesome! Everything changes, but The Grand has aged well! The brick walkway borders the property on Mobile Bay. The grounds are immaculate! I took dozens of photos on an early morning walk along the Bay. The ancient Live Oaks stand the test of time and weather. The trees, plants, flowers and shrubbery along the way make for a sublime stroll. I stopped at Julep Point to look out over the bay, and struck up a conversation with a fellow resident. Afterward, I strolled along the Bay walkway to the pool area, and sat for a while in a swing overlooking the beach, next to the cabanas. Then I walked over to the Pond walkway where I was greeted by a family of ducks. The fountains in the pond sounded so pleasant, and it's so beautiful, that I could have sat there all day. The old oak trees around the pond are absolutely gorgeous! Several are like old friends to me, that I have the pleasure of visiting occasionally. I didn't take the walkway completely around the pond.

The hotel lobby and adjacent rooms feel like home to me. The lounge next to the lobby, with the fireplaces, is my favorite area of the property. I especially love the way that it is decorated at Christmas time. I always request a room in the original main building. They are older, but I have sentimental memories of staying there with my family in that building. Plus, it is conveniently located for eateries. My room was great! It was near the stairs, and had a partial view of the Bay. The staff at The Grand are excellent! Every one of them! The Grand Hotel is owned by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, and well managed by Marriott. It makes me proud that my retirement system has such a fine asset.

The food at The Grand is exceptional! It's delicious and it's presentation is extraordinary! The same can be said for prepared beverages. There's nothing like enjoying a refreshing beverage while sitting around a fire pit with friends or relaxing with a special someone in a swing overlooking the Bay. Or, listening to an accomplished musician playing blues on the piano in the lounge. Don't forget that The Grand has a full service Spa and a challenging golf course. There are specially priced packages for both.

In summary, if I could, I would give the Grand Hotel and the Staff 10 Stars! I highly recommend this resort and also shopping in the lovely...

What an amazing experience we had at The Grand in Point Clear! The lady on the phone who helped us book on 12/23 was so patient and kind and took 15 minutes of her time to make sure we received the correct booking. We purchased tickets to the New Year's Eve celebration and were so excited at the thought of ringing in the new year this way! I have stayed at The Grand numerous times for both business and pleasure, so I know the level of service you consistently provide. The experience your staff provided us with surpassed all my expectations and hopes for an amazing getaway. We got engaged Monday night at The Grand overlooking the bay at sunset. I was so excited and after calling close family and friends, I posted to my social media about our engagement with pictures.Your Social Media Manager is amazing because the next day we had congratulations from the resort posted to our photos! I was so excited after such an amazing night that on our in-room dining order for breakfast that we placed on our door the night before delivery I wrote in the notes - "We Got Engaged!!!" After enjoying our breakfast (that was phoned ahead to us before delivery to confirm the order was correct by the kitchen) on New Year's Eve we decided to walk the property and I left a note for the housekeeping staff to please leave extra creamers - we like our coffee! She left a sweet note and said to please let us know if we needed anything else. When we returned to the room we had a note to please call the front desk as an amenity delivery had tried to be made, but we weren't in the room. We called and they said they didn't know what was trying to be delivered, but they would locate it and if we were in the room for the next five minutes they would have it delivered. So we hear a knock at the door and a bottle of champagne on ice, two glasses, a logo chocolate box filled with truffles and a bride and a groom chocolate dipped strawberry was set up on our table in the prettiest display by Daniel who delivered it. Enclosed in a hand addressed envelope was best wishes from "The Grand Family" on our recent engagement! We were so surprised and delighted that this busy resort would take the time to do that for us! We arrive at the NYE event where the band announced our engagement, wished us well and asked all newly engaged and all married couples to join us on the dance floor. A bottle of champagne was sent to our table in congratulations. Your attention to detail is...