Aug 05, 2013 02:52 PM
6658 Views
We're members with club mahindra since 2002 and it had been a hate-love relationship. the hate part is when you have to call in and reserve a decent holiday, love part is when you enjoy a superb meal at their resort- ooty has been our families favorite last minute holiday destination- we fell in love with Ooty when we visited club mahindra danish villa until then we had a very much cliched notion for Ooty- danish villa is a place perfect for family holiday unfortunately that was taken up by zest (club mahindra sis concern), and then with a hiatus of about a year club mahindra derby green was opened in the exact same place where the erstwhile dasprakash was situated of course with the touch of club mahindra's interiors.
I was guest to this property during the 1st year, I was happy with the property, but this time round it seems that club mahindra has become extremely ambitious and made it a lil more commercial than the niche product it used to be, I am surprised by the way club mahindra has maintained this property, lousy couches in the room, we even had a visitor except that we had to jump on the couch as soon the visitor entered sniffing around for food, lifting its black tail, probably we could have made history by sketching this visitor if we could hold our wits oops mickey mouse-tom & jerry have already made big small & medium screens.
Lets start with the check in procedure- calling 39880000 and negotiating a deal for which you've already paid up is surely a class to attend to learn negotiating skills-i'd advise for those who wish to become members-that there is no need to pay expensive membership fee and annual subscriptions-instead be smart go online to several travel sites book yourself a holiday at club mahindra or even sometimes some better options at the same price range. being a member I feel has no advantage.
Club mahindra has many tricks up its sleeves, 1st they offer 2nights 3days gift vouchers via lucky draw so these promotions take up most of the inventory they have for members, for argument sake club mahindra says that these vouchers are for off peak season, and peak season is strictly for members, during peak season resorts are over booked along with the gimmicks of club mahindra, and during off peak the resorts are sold outside membership or lucky drawn so when do members get to travel? all we have to do is to call up 39880000 and draw battle lines. now the resorts our most recent trip to ooty derby green club mahindra is capable of throwing nasty surprises at you, the rooms are in shabby condition, the toilets stench, the sheets are damp, the change in quality is visible, the furniture including the doors are in worst conditions, I can actually draw up a hocus focus of photos from then and now of club mahindra derby green. the rooms are a big damper.
Service- service was commendable-people are responsive but its like slitting your throat with a silver knife.
Food- Food is great, presentation, quality & taste are all at par. The problem is with a unruly reservation system where members have no say the online reservation is just an eyewash, the complete inventory is never provided to members but also sold outside the membership when club mahindra is an exclusive members only organisation.
Back in 2002 when we decided to become members of club mahindra after being invited to club mahindra munnar it was a pleasure experience, we intended to become members for purple season but the salesman discouraged us and pushed us to become members for the red season telling us that we'd be just throwing money if we take up purple season as it is the highest and red being just one level below will satisfy all our holiday needs, but we never realised that we are not welcome for certain resorts during peak season like club mahindra goa for over 10 years in our membership we have hardly traveled during red season and never to goa during the new years, does it take 10 long years to holiday at a place we wish to and at a time we wish to.
Every time we call up for reservations for club mahindra goa to stay during the new years we are turned down saying that it is full and it gets full at least a year before. during the last couple of weeks I have raised these issues with club mahindra member relations who have infact revealed many facts to me about their process and have agreed that they sell holidays outside memberships but only during off peak they say it optimises the costs and lowers the annual subscription costs.
My argument is that over the years the subscription costs have never been lowered but only hiked and that too on a year on year basis also when we have already paid for our subscription along side one lakh twenty thousand members with one time membership fees which when calculated clearly shows that the inventory is already sold and the money paid up the only pending thing in the process is the guest to come and experience the stay for which they have paid, however club mahindra throws away this inventory to lucky draws and selling outside memberships.
It is extremely disheartening to see club mahindra resorts being sold online and by travel agents while we have to fight, haggle with their member relations for a decent holiday. Membership with club mahindra makes no meaning and sense.
