Newport Harbor Island Resort — Hotel in Newport

I came to Newport Harbor Island Resort with my sister to celebrate a 30th birthday, and from the very start of the trip we encountered issues that have not yet been rectified, despite attempts that we have made to reach out, both in person and via email.

Before our stay, we saw that the hotel offered packages for guests that are traveling from New York and also a package for healthcare workers (which we both are). When I emailed the hotel to inquire, they responded promptly and said that they would reach out via phone call, which they never did. We figured this wasn’t a big deal and that we would follow up once we arrived on the property. After sitting in 6 hours of traffic, we were excited to begin our weekend, but when we went to check in, we were met with a very unpleasant and abrasive man that worked the front desk.

There were 3 issues that we had with this specific worker which unfortunately tainted our entire experience from the very start of our trip: He was extremely rude and unhelpful when we explained that we never received a phone call regarding the aforementioned accommodations, despite inquiring before our stay. He made zero effort to offer us any explanation or solution. We figured that, for the money we were paying, they would at least try to remedy the situation by offering some aspect of these packages such as the free parking for New Yorkers or the free bottle of wine for healthcare workers. My sister had her service animal and when we were checking in, this worker slapped a piece of paper in front of her and told her to sign the agreement without any explanation. When she tried to say that he was a service dog, he repeatedly cut her off saying, “ma’am you still have to sign the paper” in an increasingly hostile tone. My sister, who has a medical condition, was extremely distressed by this situation and it almost caused a medical episode. A family member had called before our arrival to book us a massage. Even though this family member specified it was a surprise, the front desk worker told us we had these massage reservations and when we acted confused, he bluntly told us that if we didn’t know about it he could cancel it. Again, there was zero effort to look into the situation further, and if we took his advice and canceled the appointments we wouldn’t have been able to visit the spa since it was fully booked the entire weekend. He also told us the wrong appointment time/day, which we only clarified after speaking to this family member afterwards. This was not only frustrating for us as guests, but it was also frustrating for the family member who went out of their way to do something special for our trip.

Starting off our trip with such an unpleasant experience was very disappointing, as we’ve stayed at the property when it was owned by Gurney’s, and were blown away by their excellent customer service.

On top of this interaction, we also had an issue with our room’s fire alarm. While we were asleep, the fire alarm went off at 8am and, while staff was quick to respond, the issue went unresolved until the second time that it went off, not even an hour later, and they decided to remove the alarm completely. This was also very distressing for my sister and her service dog and they had to leave the room each time it went off.

Although there were aspects of our trip that were pleasant (i.e. beautiful property, an outstanding waitress while dining on-site, and a relaxing spa experience), they were overshadowed by our mistreatment at the front desk and the inconveniences we experienced during our stay. We reached out to customer service via email, but were ultimately left with three emails that went unanswered. The lack of response from the resort regarding these issues is deeply disappointing, considering we would have liked to make this resort a part of our annual RI trip. As I mentioned, the property itself is amazing, but, compared to the extraordinary experience we had while it was owned by Gurney’s, we’re not sure we’re comfortable staying here again under this...

I am a little jaded - we stayed here several times when it was Gurney's and absolutely loved it.

The new management is missing something. The hotel looks very nice and they did a great job in the remodel. You can see they are hard at work on the outside of the building which to me looks like Gurney's may have given up on the place. The building does need work and it does look like the new owners are committed to the place in a big way.

The restaurant staff is very nice, and accomodating. We had Adrian at our last meal and he was quick and lovely. You can see that your valets also are very nice (I watched as they spoke to people etc. ) , but the front desk staff doesn't give you the WoW we are so happy to have you staying with us! Those are the first people that greet guests - they need to add a couple more smiles and some joy to their attitudes. Ansel was very nice in helping us get another room reservation when I screwed it up on Amex - (we were here earlier last week - then went to Bar Harbor ME and came back for a night) . We have had their breakfast and it was wonderful (although pricy - to be expected) - we are sorry that they don't seem to have a full dinner service here like Gurney's did - the food was incredible when it was Gurney's kinda miss it -

The other evening I had an appetizer of some bizarre goat cheese that I thought would be like a little baked goat cheese (or like they do with liked baked brie) and then have roasted tomatoes instead it came in a full on tomato sauce - with a clump of goat cheese in the middle - it looks more like a weird tomato soup - hmmm was strange - with little toasted bread pieces. I ate it a little - anyway - it just felt like a weird appetizer - word to the chef - go with a baked brie and bread - better app choice. (I am the daugther of a French Chef that taught at the Culinary Institute of America - I do know food very well).

The rooms are very clean - nice - we had ocean view - with a deck it was lovely. We didn't hear any noise which was very nice as our room was a little off in a corner.

I guess if I would really say the down points are:

they need to get their front staff more peppy and friendly - come on guys you are in the hospitality business - smile. look like you enjoy your job and make guests feel at home.

Figure out some better food to put on the menu for outside (or full on dinners would be nice) - please put a real drink menu together so people don't struggle to see what you know how to make - it just makes it easier to ask for different types of drinks.

Also get a blender up at your top deck!!! People are on vacation and you should have two blenders to make frozen drinks upstairs as well. Silly we asked for a frozen drink and were told the downstairs pool bar wasn't open so therefore they couldn't make one.

More activities for guests on the lawn kinda thing. If you have a social activity person they should be present and really encouraging people to use the facilities to the max. If you don't have one - get someone who knows Yoga, meditation, water arrobics etc. work with a local work our place to get someone to do things in the morning or something in the pool in the morning - that would be nice.

Also keep Spa costs in line with local hotel competition - you're not off completely but the added 5 or 10 bucks is more than say Marriott and for me that extra would go to the providers tip.

I own two customer driven businesses (a bridal salon with moms gowns and tuxes and custom stationery as well as a marketing and branding company) - customer service is KEY you folks are following in very big shoes (Gurneys) they really really had the hospitality down pat.

You folks are just missing a tiny bit. Go for it and get it done. You deserve to have great reviews - you are trying really hard in making the place beautiful and relaxing just work on getting it to the awesome place we...

UPDATE: after writing this review, Eugene emailed us…ridiculous that a bad review is what sparked him to respond. He told us he would get us refunded by the end of the week and that was two weeks ago. We have not heard from him since.

This review is for Eugene Meoni, the head of the food and beverage department at this resort. After calmly, expressing our concerns while staying at the resort with Eugene and David Smiley (General Manager), we did not receive what we were promised following our conversations. Here are the encounters we experienced while staying at this resort:

-Pool Service - On the 4th of July, we had expected the pool area to be full but by 11am, it was at full capacity. We asked the pool service if there were some chairs we could find and he scanned the pool for 5 seconds and said no but said we could go to the adult only section. Rather than showing us where it is and setting up our chairs for us, he threw us towels and pointed where to go. While in the adult only section, there were many kids in it! Running back and forth and making it an unenjoyable and not a relaxing experience. That was our only day at the pool.

Downstairs Bakery - I am going to assume that the Bakery is meant to serve as a grab and go spot if you are in need of something quickly or prefer to take it back to your room. This is NOT a grab and go spot. Everyday the line was out into the lobby and service was extremely slow. As we got closer to the line, we were listening to what others were ordering to get some idea of what was offered. While people were ordering, they were told that the item was "sold out" or when people asked what was on the breakfast sandwich or the omelette, the employees looked puzzled and were uneducated about their own menu!

Torpedo Lounge Breakfast - We went downstairs for breakfast at 9am and were told that no one could be seated and we had to wait 20 minutes. There were many tables open but we wrongfully trusted the hostesses judgement. 40 minutes go by and we go to check on the table, the hostess sees us and gives us a face as if she finally remembered us. Upon being seated, we were told that the toaster machine was broken and the breakfast sandwich was not available. After making other selections, we see other families ordering the breakfast sandwich and pieces of toast. Not sure where the miscommunication happened between back of house and servers. After receiving our food, we were not checked on and were not asked for drink refills. We paid our bill and decided not to come back for breakfast the rest of our stay and go elsewhere.

1639 Dinner - Our last night staying, we wanted to try the upscale dining on property. When we walked into the restaurant we asked for a table for two. The host/manager looked extremely hesitant and responded with "ummm". He then asked us if we checked in with the Torpedo Lounge before coming to 1639. We responded with no and then he said "yeah....we have room here". All with extreme hesitation. I will add that there were only two tables seated in the entire restaurant besides us. Not sure why we wouldn't be able to be seated. Our experience at 1639 was fine afterward. However, there was another menu item that was not available (the spinach and artichoke fondue).

We informed Eugene of our concerns following our stay on July 4th and after going back and forth with Eugene for over a month, he said he would process some refunds for us on August 9th which he still has not. We gave Eugene the opportunity to make things right and not loose potential customers. But after completely ghosting us and not fulfilling his promise, I am left to leave this review. I am disgusted by the lack of customer service and expected much higher from a place that used to be Gurney’s. I hope no one ever has to experience what we have and choose not to stay at a classless resort.

Eugene, if you are reading this, do the...