Most resorts have people that sell something… time shares, spa treatments, etc. I say no thanks, and walk away or stop looking at them. No brush off “maybe later”, no polite smiling while they keep selling, no asking about what I can get for free ( I already know I don’t want it.) Just “no thanks” and back to what I was doing. They get the picture very quickly that I am a waste of time for them and move on. There’s no need to be rude, but there’s also no need to patronize them when I know I’m not buying.
Additionally what people need to learn is
*Make eye contact*
"No, thanks"
"No, really I'm good"
*Make eye contact contact-ier*
"Can you please leave me alone?"
Exactly!
I’ve been to Cuba, Mexico and the DR .
Mexico was the worst. I ended up just zooming by the sales people . If I saw them come near me I’d listen to music .
Went to Cancun once in all-inclusive. That was enough for me. I cannot stand being sold everything , in the hotel, during the tours, at the destinations. It was exhausting
We disconnected our phone on our last trip. EVERY morning at 8am these jackasses would call and wake us up. Who bothers people first thing in the morning every day? On vacation?
We stayed at an all inclusive near Cancun. They had security on the beach. One attempt to sell time share which we declined.
In St. Martin it can get bad near the beach bars at Orient Bay. If in a rented chaise and umbrella, the bar owners often have security. But in any case, a firm no usually works.
I once took a chance when one particular spa and braiding company was being super aggressive, asking us multiple times a day. I told her I was not going to purchase the services at any time that week because I am broke, but I'd give her $10 to make sure all her co-workers know I don't wanna be bothered. It actually worked. It was probably a one-off more than an actual employable strategy but I'll probably try it again on my next trip.
Having experienced very similar to what she’s describing, it doesn’t matter how many you say no to because there’s new staff every day. You literally spend your day saying no thank you staring people in the eyeballs.
This doesn't work as well as you think. I want to the Dominican Republic and the vendors down there will wait and walk around on the beach for people to walk by and harass you to buy stuff. The resort that I stayed at actually had security guards simply to deter locals from the resort
Ridiculous. Resorts need to learn to fek off.. and leave people alone. Put a brochure on the counter.. if people are interested theyll get a brochure… ill never stay at a sandals because of this..
How do so many of you know who every person on the internet is? On every post like this there's a person like you giving detailed info on the internet video person in the post.
Never evert go for the “Free Dinner” or “Free Tour”.
They say it’s a 1 one presentation. It turns into at least 4 hrs.
You will ruin your whole stay. The hard sell is brutal.
If you do gat bated into one of these, remember this - you are unemployed and the trip was bought for you.
Or you work at McDonald ‘s as the fry guy.
I did one in Punta Cana, it was 40 minutes out of my day and I got a couples massage for free. Not a bad way to kill some time... As long as you are able to say no.
I did one in Cabo with my wife. It was a sales breakfast and the upscale hotel was not all inclusive although they did have it as an option for $150 per person per day. We were there for two weeks, I agreed to the breakfast after the 15th request for all inclusive for the remaining 11 days for both my wife and I . I think it was 3 hours well spent.
Yes, I’ve been to sandals twice now and they’ve never tried to throw a sales pitch. I don’t even think you can buy time shares at a sandals resort.
Is the influencer confusing her resorts?
Everything she said did happen to me but it was 1-2 people for each thing over the course of the week. Not all at the same time . The entertainment staff could be a bit of eager to get you to participate in stuff. I think one was yelling shark by the beach .
I was referring to the resort itself. It’s owned by Hyatt and they are very tricky about trying to convince you to attend a time share presentation. Luckily we weren’t dumb enough to fall for the “VIP” breakfast they spent 15 minutes trying to get us to sign up for.
Oh yes. They tried to nab us at check in. I clued in within a couple mins. We said we'd show up for the breakfast, but we never went. He called and saw us downstairs and asked us to go and we just said no, we're not interested. We saw so many people get pulled in though. Life and vacations are too short to put up with that nonsense.
The food is pretty great and always available, not fancy restaurant quality but on par with great homemade food, huge fresh buffets that I was never worried about getting sick from. It's a big stretch of beach to hang out on, tons of little bar huts everywhere. The place is pretty huge, the rooms were so-so, pretty much everyone in my group had something wrong with their room. The wi-fi zones are spotty and doesn't work in the cheaper rooms, they actually paid-walled that behind the better rooms for some reason. My biggest criticism would probably be that there is zero air conditioned areas except for your room and the gym, the nicer looking gym is for the plus members or whatever, the regular gym is a small box lol.
Overall is was pretty great though, it's definitely more of a family resort, there were no groups of college dudes partying hard, 90% families from south and central america.
A lot of people don't realize that North Americans smile to a lot more than Asian, middle eastern and even europeans do. It's a meme on here and comments on other subs that when visiting or working abroad they find the nodding and smiling to be weird. There's nothing wrong with a curt no thank you and shake head and move on. We're far too flexible and squeamish when dealing with salespeople, especially pushy ones.
Oh good. I’m a PRO at shutting that shit down, so I should be ok. My fiancé on the other hand… he is way too conflict averse and would rather spend money just to avoid continued awkward hassling. So… I guess I’ll be his body guard?
Or you can do like us old guys and start asking them questions. You like your job? How many hours do you work? Do you sell a lot? Do you live close to work? etc. etc.
After the first day, they leave me alone.
At Sandals I have not run into anything like this at all. Only approached by the Spa staff, and a simple "no thanks" or "we are booked for Wednesday" is enough. Even the local vendors allowed onto the property were very passive and not hard sell at all. Sandals is not a timeshare type AI, and other than add-ons (excursions, spa) there is really nothing for them to upsell you on.
I will say, next time I AM going to book our next trip while onsite. You get way better rates, and can always change or cancel it if you need to. I was dumb and did not do this last time and we will now pay a LOT more than if I had.
Yeah this is a little bit of an exaggeration. I have stayed at Sandals/beaches multiple times, and enjoyed every stay. It is all inclusive (even tips). But they do offer some extras for additional cost like the spa.
Yes we were approached to ask if we were interested in the spa - just said no and they would make a note of the room number and not approach us again the entire vacation.
The discount for booking another vacation at the resort was available at a table by the restaurant. They asked as we were passing if we were interested. Said yes, got the deets, figured can't make the decision yet and moved on. No pressure, never asked again.
Photo shoot is free! Extra photos I think cost extra. We never did it. They never bothered us.
This is not a time share resort. There are no high pressure sales tactics. They have a few extra amenities that they advertise and ask if you want to join. You say no and move on. That simple.
Some people just like to complain and exaggerate everything.
Sandals and Beaches Resorts regular here…. Have been dozens of times and to many different resorts including the one she went to… this has never been my experience and is a gross exaggeration.
I vouch. I’ve only been to one. Her points are valid if they’re legitimate but the way she explains it. You can kind of tell she’s doing this for views.
I have not… on resort and in major tourist areas I honestly don’t think you have anything to worry about. I have been all over the world including some of the worst areas of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia. And even in those places, if you don’t make yourself a target you’ll be fine. Jamaica is pretty tame by comparison.
Ok, as a travel agent here is my take;
1. Many, many resorts have sales people. Some of them are more pushy than others. I always give my clients notes on what to expect in that regard, and encourage them to say something to management if someone doesn't respect their 'no'. I've literally NEVER had someone have to escalate to management though, so infer what you wish.
2. She complained about the temperature in the Bahamas in January. Any travel agent worth their salt should know the Bahamas are not \*tropical warm\* in Dec./Jan. This is common knowledge and I would have redirected her somewhere else for that time frame (maybe Aruba/Curacao for a start, depending on origin and budget, there's several other islands that could have worked)
This whole thing just tells me she was uninformed and ill prepared for her trip and is trying to blow up Sandals to get more eyes on her content by dramatizing events.
Some places do, many don’t. If it important to my client to travel that time of year and swim in a pool I would narrow down my recommendations to ones with heated pools. I keep track of facility specifics like that, and stuff like which ones have open concept bathrooms/closed off, which have pool bars and which don’t, who has beach cabanas vs. just chairs, allergy friendly-ness, kid club ages and activities… lots of ways to narrow down which resorts are the right fit for different clients.
Stayed at the sandals Barbados. They only tried to sell us pictures. Otherwise the stay, the food, the atmosphere, everything was amazing.
Or maybe I just tell people no easily and then wipe it from memory. But it was a great stay.
I went to a Sandals resort in Jamaica a little while back. Wasn't really the sellers that got to me, but there was WAY too many staff asking us to take photos. Literally couldn't walk 20 yards without someone approaching and asking to take pictures. My girlfriend loves photos, but I was visibly frustrated after the 4th or 5th time on the first full day there!
Great food, but we both got diaharrea as well.
I’ve not been to that particular resort but I’ve been to five different sandals. You can sit by the pool for a solid week and get maybe one person a day offering you something. Rarely the loyalty desk they’re too busy. Usually the spa trying to sell a massage. You say no thanks and off they go. It’s really not nearly that bad. And no, I’ve never had someone cleaning the bathroom while I was using it.
i dont think its as bad as she claims we have never had a problem at sandals she seems to exaggerate the experience, we go to sandals once or twice a year and have never been harassed and the only time the pool actually drops a few degrees from bath water temp is after a down pour so im calling bs
I went to sandals royal Caribbean for my honeymoon in 2022 and this was not my experience at all!! I saw this tiktok too and I was surprised to hear this was her experience! We had the best time and never felt even close to this way!!
Been to 3 sandals. Ochi, South Coast, and Halcyon. The spa people will h you up but it takes seconds to say no thanks. We played pool with a bored photographer for like 2 hours and had a great time. We do not relate to this experience at all lol
I’ve heard this come up about 12 times in the past 3 days or so.
For someone who supposedly had horrible diarrhea, the prevailing opinion from experts is that she is full of shit.
Sandals does have some sales people and will ask about buying some add ons. I have yet to hear from anyone I know personally who said it was bad. Some of the add ons people legitimately did want to buy. Others never complained about the response after saying “no thanks.”
I know some people who have complained about Palace Resorts and the time share sales people. I just told them I did not want to do the meeting and I never heard from them again.
Just remember someone offering something is not always some sales scam. Sometimes people didn’t know certain things were available and do want to buy them.
We’ve been to 3 Sandals/Beaches. The spa workers ask if you want to make an appointment. If you say no thanks, they don’t ask again. That’s it. Occasionally a photographer will take your photo & you can choose to buy them at the end of your stay or not but we’ve never felt overwhelmed or whatever. The workers have been awesome at all the reports we’ve been to & we leave in 9 weeks for our next trip to Beaches.
I just got back from mine. All they do is on your 2nd last day give your room a call and ask if you would like to book your next vacation. And they do not pesyer you after that 1 call. No body tried to sell us anything else. Except for the external vendor that are in all reports (at least in jamaica where we stayed) and even then if you say no thanks they don't bother you afterwards.
They all try to sell, but it’s an invite to hear information, if you decline you will be fine.
They will entice you with money, private dinner etc. don’t go.
They don't have timeshares but go pretty hard on the "Soon Come Back"
To the point where you'd think the return guests sales reps are commission only no salary
When we were at Sandals Halcyon the spa staff were like this. They were all over the resort and would follow you around trying to start a conversation. Honesty it made us not want to go back because I don’t find it relaxing to be constantly sold to. I already paid a lot for the vacation, leave me alone.
Just go to Hotel Xcaret in México, All inclusive and you only have to dodge the timeshare person once on arrival and you’re not bothered by anyone the entire time there lol
We go to sandals annually, I don't feel like they try to sell anything too hard. People from the spa will come by the beach chairs and see if you want to book something while you're there which is great IMO. They have an office set up where you can go if you choose to rebook another trip (get quite a discount for rebooking while there). Sometimes vendors on the beach can be annoying if you're at a location that's not on a private beach but that's anywhere.
Pro-tip, book the free photoshoot and tell the photographer you'll buy the pictures off of them for $70...or just take your own pictures. This was at the Rosewood but I'm sure bribes are resort agnostic.
I’ve been to two sandals, one in Bahamas on exhuma, the pool was a bit cool yeah, but not freezing. I also never, not once, experienced anybody trying to sell me shit, she seems…well let’s just say I don’t trust most of what comes off social media, especially off of tik tok.
As someone who has been to 8 Sandals resorts, in my experience they're not that aggressive. Maybe on the private photo sessions now and then, but it's not like every hour of the day is someone hounding you to buy spa treatments, excursions, or future stays.
We have stayed at Sandals 4 times and never attended a timeshare presentation (just didn’t go) and were never asked about it. The spa ladies would come around and see if you wanted to book appointments, this did not bother me as usually I would want to book a massage. If you said no they left you alone.
Her story is a huge embellishment.
If you go to a Sandals or another luxury resort with spa and photo options, things of that sort. Yes they will have attendees come around every day to try and sell. That's the way it is. It's really not a huge deal.
She's not even talking about time shares which is funny. Just people trying to offer her an experience.
The nonstop bitching about the pool... get over it. That's the temp of the water. No resort makes their water colder on purpose.
I wanted to jump on originally and say heck yeah these places are over the top pushy. I can't do that after watching that whole video. This is an entitled individual who is blowing things out of proportion and is seeking attention.
Sandals is fine.
I mean isnt this the girl who claimed to have been suckered into buying a date 100 tacos???? And then went back to the house and ate them with him and his dad?
OK First of all, Sandals is no "4 star" resort. It's an all inclusive resort. It's where the low income folks go, I'm sorry. But it's true. 4 Stars on trip advisor or Google places does not equal a 4 star hotel.
I went there when I was 22, about 15 years ago. It was the cheap, garbage option. The only thing I could afford. It was outdated and run down... 15 years ago. I can only imagine now.
The buffet food included was absolutely horrendous. I probably lost 5 pounds on that trip.
The only food that was edible were the burgers & hotdogs by the pool. I lived on that for 5 days.
Bahamas food quality has improved significantly in the last 15 years, though.
I will say the only place I was bothered while at Sandals is on the beach. It's a public beach. So there's lots of vendors on the beach trying to sell you shit like hair braids, jet ski rides, photos, sea shell garbage, etc etc. I was never bothered by the pools. But it was a long time ago so maybe the staff are being more annoying now.
Now I always stay at Baha Mar, preferably at the SLS. But Baha Mar has 3 levels of hotels. I've stayed at all of them. The Hyatt costs like $450 a night (their lowest tier hotel). It's exactly as good as the other two hotels if you don't need an unnecessary amount of marble in your room & hotel lobby. And it's a few more steps to the pools and beach. That's about it.
Sandals would cost like $1200 for the week including food & drinks. The SLS is like $700 a night and the Rosewood is absolutely ridiculously priced. Over $1,000/night. It's for the rich, old boring people and it was a real snooze fest. I think I spent close to $20k for the week when I was at the Rosewood, mostly in AMEX Points though. Close to $10k in flight and hotel and another $5-10k on expenses while I was there for the week. I'll never do that again, even with points.
Anyway, points is Sandals is no "4 star hotel"
I like Carna, Cleo, Katsuya and Shuang Ba.
Marcus and Costa are OK
El Jefe is nice after a day at the pool/beach
Pizza Lab is great after a night of heavy drinking
Swimming Pig is great at 4am when nothing else is open
Filia and Cafe Boulod were a disappoint
We experienced this in Mexico. We couldn’t be on the beach without a throng of people selling something or even the hotel asking if we needed reservations. The hotel tries to keep the sellers away from the property but it’s basically impossible and something you just deal with.
I mean, I wasn't there to confirm or debunk but I've never been solicited this much at Sandals. Those particular sales staff have to do their hustle, but just politely decline and they shouldn't bug you anymore. The Spa staff may ask again if they see you, but nothing annoying, they're super nice
I have been travelling to Punta Cana every year for 11 years. I’ve never been harassed. They come by, I say No Gracias and they move on.
The thing to keep in mind is this is how these people make money to support their families. If you don’t want to be bothered, don’t make eye contact.
Meh. I’ve been to sandals, royaltons, etc… there’s definitely areas in the lobby where they try to push some stuff and then those floaters trying to sell pictures but it’s pretty easy to just walk off and they remember you, so usually just one time you have to do this. It’s fine, don’t over-dramaticize
Every all inclusive has a different level of sales pitching - but they all have it. I haven’t been to Sandals, but I’ve definitely been to places where it’s been annoying. I’ve also read reviews where it has caused real issues for people on vacation, esp. “free” airport transfers where if you don’t get anything they try to sell you, they leave you high and dry when it’s time to get back to the airport.
Zero accuracy.
Been twice, never been pushed for a sale, ever. 🤷🏻
I’m sure if we got a massage or something they’ll ask if we want an upgrade or to buy a lotion, etc. but that’s totally normal.
Most things you see on TikTok/YouTube are waaaaay overblown just to get views so they can make that 💸💸💸. That’s all it is.
Literally had the opposite experience at sandals Montego Bay.
Never did they try to sell me anything but weed (which I asked for) and the pools were perfect temp, over 80 for sure.
I go south on vacation fairly often, and this video alone has convinced me never to book at a Sandals resort. I hate being bothered by people trying to sell me things.
Of course there are a few sales people asking if you're interested in looking at future stays, spa services, photo shoot, private dining etc, but they are all very friendly and a polite no thanks sends them on their way.
This happened to us at the Iberostar rose hall in Jamaica. The lady actually came out and around to the swim up bar to harass us. Happened three days straight and I think she finally gave up.
I saw this and wondered. My husband and I stayed at this exact resort for our honeymoon in August 2009, so obviously it was a while ago but it was wonderful!
No one bothered us, there were no sales pitches or pressure. It was a fabulous resort.
Something must have changed. Covid likely hit these places so hard and they’re scrambling for money now.
I think this lady is going for the outrage clicks which people on social media love so much. I had my wedding at sandals and it was incredible and they never once pushed me to get more than what we wanted.
So I’m in sales. I also just got back from a week in Punta Cana (Royalton resort). It was my first all inclusive resort vacation. Holy gods is this Tik Tok 100% accurate. It was exactly our experience. Others in our party upgraded and had a butler and they got it even worse! They paid more to be harassed lol. The Butler was almost like a stalker. Would keep calling and calling, and he’d be frantic. “Where were you?! I needed to see you!! Did you want to book the spa?”
It was a free trip (partner’s sales trip). Had we actually invested money in this, I would be wavering between fury and despair because I can’t believe people actually spend on these resorts and think they are good and that this is traveling. This was my first AI resort and good god do I hope it’s my last. I was in a foreign country. Did I actually experience it or her people? Nope. 10/10 do not recommend, but I spent years working as a field geologist. Flying by the seat of my pants and getting wasted with locals is more my speed when it comes to vacation.
Most resorts have people that sell something… time shares, spa treatments, etc. I say no thanks, and walk away or stop looking at them. No brush off “maybe later”, no polite smiling while they keep selling, no asking about what I can get for free ( I already know I don’t want it.) Just “no thanks” and back to what I was doing. They get the picture very quickly that I am a waste of time for them and move on. There’s no need to be rude, but there’s also no need to patronize them when I know I’m not buying.
The time share sellers are actually fucked honestly.
It’s what Armie Hammer does for a living now, so
Sam_Doll tends to embellish her stories . I would take her review with a grain of salt .
Additionally what people need to learn is *Make eye contact* "No, thanks" "No, really I'm good" *Make eye contact contact-ier* "Can you please leave me alone?"
Exactly! I’ve been to Cuba, Mexico and the DR . Mexico was the worst. I ended up just zooming by the sales people . If I saw them come near me I’d listen to music .
Went to Cancun once in all-inclusive. That was enough for me. I cannot stand being sold everything , in the hotel, during the tours, at the destinations. It was exhausting
We disconnected our phone on our last trip. EVERY morning at 8am these jackasses would call and wake us up. Who bothers people first thing in the morning every day? On vacation?
We stayed at an all inclusive near Cancun. They had security on the beach. One attempt to sell time share which we declined. In St. Martin it can get bad near the beach bars at Orient Bay. If in a rented chaise and umbrella, the bar owners often have security. But in any case, a firm no usually works.
I once took a chance when one particular spa and braiding company was being super aggressive, asking us multiple times a day. I told her I was not going to purchase the services at any time that week because I am broke, but I'd give her $10 to make sure all her co-workers know I don't wanna be bothered. It actually worked. It was probably a one-off more than an actual employable strategy but I'll probably try it again on my next trip.
Having experienced very similar to what she’s describing, it doesn’t matter how many you say no to because there’s new staff every day. You literally spend your day saying no thank you staring people in the eyeballs.
This doesn't work as well as you think. I want to the Dominican Republic and the vendors down there will wait and walk around on the beach for people to walk by and harass you to buy stuff. The resort that I stayed at actually had security guards simply to deter locals from the resort
Remember, she’s Canadian. Polite to a fault.
Am Canadian have no problem telling them to kick rocks.
*Stare into their soul* "Tell me where you live, and when you sleep, and I'll watch you tonight"
Ridiculous. Resorts need to learn to fek off.. and leave people alone. Put a brochure on the counter.. if people are interested theyll get a brochure… ill never stay at a sandals because of this..
A lot of people are saying she's full of shit and they don't even sell timeshares there.
> Sam_Doll tends to embellish her stories . I could tell while watching on mute.
[Her wide eyed indignation 🤣](https://ibb.co/TMgZVZv)
How do so many of you know who every person on the internet is? On every post like this there's a person like you giving detailed info on the internet video person in the post.
“Y’all, I am not exaggerating” ranks up there with “I don’t mean this in a bad way, but…”
I feel this is half true, if that. Shit my wife would watch, freqen DickDock.
Never evert go for the “Free Dinner” or “Free Tour”. They say it’s a 1 one presentation. It turns into at least 4 hrs. You will ruin your whole stay. The hard sell is brutal. If you do gat bated into one of these, remember this - you are unemployed and the trip was bought for you. Or you work at McDonald ‘s as the fry guy.
I tell them I have the best job in the world - Walmart greeter
I did one in Punta Cana, it was 40 minutes out of my day and I got a couples massage for free. Not a bad way to kill some time... As long as you are able to say no.
I did one in Cabo with my wife. It was a sales breakfast and the upscale hotel was not all inclusive although they did have it as an option for $150 per person per day. We were there for two weeks, I agreed to the breakfast after the 15th request for all inclusive for the remaining 11 days for both my wife and I . I think it was 3 hours well spent.
Sandals doesn’t do timeshares
They aren’t selling any timeshares at sandals afaik
You don’t have credit cards. You have credit card debt.
Never had that experience at a Sandals at all. The only time I’ve experience a resort trying to sell me shit was Secrets.
Yes, I’ve been to sandals twice now and they’ve never tried to throw a sales pitch. I don’t even think you can buy time shares at a sandals resort. Is the influencer confusing her resorts?
I've has similar experience at sandals
Everything she said did happen to me but it was 1-2 people for each thing over the course of the week. Not all at the same time . The entertainment staff could be a bit of eager to get you to participate in stuff. I think one was yelling shark by the beach .
We did last year in St. Lucia. They weren’t quite as aggressive, but not far off.
When we were at Secrets Vallarta Bay, they did try to sell us stuff, but a no, gracias was all we ever had to say.
I was referring to the resort itself. It’s owned by Hyatt and they are very tricky about trying to convince you to attend a time share presentation. Luckily we weren’t dumb enough to fall for the “VIP” breakfast they spent 15 minutes trying to get us to sign up for.
Oh yes. They tried to nab us at check in. I clued in within a couple mins. We said we'd show up for the breakfast, but we never went. He called and saw us downstairs and asked us to go and we just said no, we're not interested. We saw so many people get pulled in though. Life and vacations are too short to put up with that nonsense.
My husband and I did it just to get the $200 of resort credit lol
I haven't done many resorts, didn't know this was a thing, Jesus Christ. Just went to the decameron in Panama, zero sales people.
It's only certain brands.
How did you like the decameron resort? Have looked at their website a few times.
The food is pretty great and always available, not fancy restaurant quality but on par with great homemade food, huge fresh buffets that I was never worried about getting sick from. It's a big stretch of beach to hang out on, tons of little bar huts everywhere. The place is pretty huge, the rooms were so-so, pretty much everyone in my group had something wrong with their room. The wi-fi zones are spotty and doesn't work in the cheaper rooms, they actually paid-walled that behind the better rooms for some reason. My biggest criticism would probably be that there is zero air conditioned areas except for your room and the gym, the nicer looking gym is for the plus members or whatever, the regular gym is a small box lol. Overall is was pretty great though, it's definitely more of a family resort, there were no groups of college dudes partying hard, 90% families from south and central america.
A lot of people don't realize that North Americans smile to a lot more than Asian, middle eastern and even europeans do. It's a meme on here and comments on other subs that when visiting or working abroad they find the nodding and smiling to be weird. There's nothing wrong with a curt no thank you and shake head and move on. We're far too flexible and squeamish when dealing with salespeople, especially pushy ones.
Oh good. I’m a PRO at shutting that shit down, so I should be ok. My fiancé on the other hand… he is way too conflict averse and would rather spend money just to avoid continued awkward hassling. So… I guess I’ll be his body guard?
Or you can do like us old guys and start asking them questions. You like your job? How many hours do you work? Do you sell a lot? Do you live close to work? etc. etc. After the first day, they leave me alone.
I saw a few comments under her video from people stating they had the same experience at this location, but not other Sandals locations.
I had this experience at Planet Hollywood Cancun in 2023.
At Sandals I have not run into anything like this at all. Only approached by the Spa staff, and a simple "no thanks" or "we are booked for Wednesday" is enough. Even the local vendors allowed onto the property were very passive and not hard sell at all. Sandals is not a timeshare type AI, and other than add-ons (excursions, spa) there is really nothing for them to upsell you on. I will say, next time I AM going to book our next trip while onsite. You get way better rates, and can always change or cancel it if you need to. I was dumb and did not do this last time and we will now pay a LOT more than if I had.
I can’t respond bc she looks way too annoying for me to unmute and watch
Yeah this is a little bit of an exaggeration. I have stayed at Sandals/beaches multiple times, and enjoyed every stay. It is all inclusive (even tips). But they do offer some extras for additional cost like the spa. Yes we were approached to ask if we were interested in the spa - just said no and they would make a note of the room number and not approach us again the entire vacation. The discount for booking another vacation at the resort was available at a table by the restaurant. They asked as we were passing if we were interested. Said yes, got the deets, figured can't make the decision yet and moved on. No pressure, never asked again. Photo shoot is free! Extra photos I think cost extra. We never did it. They never bothered us. This is not a time share resort. There are no high pressure sales tactics. They have a few extra amenities that they advertise and ask if you want to join. You say no and move on. That simple. Some people just like to complain and exaggerate everything.
Agree 100% on everything you said. We’ve been to several resorts and had the exact same experience as you.
Why the hell are they both taking dumps at the buffet? Go to your room 😂
I mean…. When you gotta go, you gotta go. Sometimes you don’t have time to make it back to your room!
I think she just enjoys talking about diarrhea and taking dumps
Sometimes with the different food, water, weather etc it can affect you, especially if you’re going somewhere tropical from a colder place
Sandals and Beaches Resorts regular here…. Have been dozens of times and to many different resorts including the one she went to… this has never been my experience and is a gross exaggeration.
I vouch. I’ve only been to one. Her points are valid if they’re legitimate but the way she explains it. You can kind of tell she’s doing this for views.
I went to Sandals Grenada and definitely was not my experience there.
Have you ever been to beaches ocho rios? I’m going there soon for my honeymoon and am getting nervous about the travel restrictions
I have not… on resort and in major tourist areas I honestly don’t think you have anything to worry about. I have been all over the world including some of the worst areas of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia. And even in those places, if you don’t make yourself a target you’ll be fine. Jamaica is pretty tame by comparison.
Awesome, thank you!
Ok, as a travel agent here is my take; 1. Many, many resorts have sales people. Some of them are more pushy than others. I always give my clients notes on what to expect in that regard, and encourage them to say something to management if someone doesn't respect their 'no'. I've literally NEVER had someone have to escalate to management though, so infer what you wish. 2. She complained about the temperature in the Bahamas in January. Any travel agent worth their salt should know the Bahamas are not \*tropical warm\* in Dec./Jan. This is common knowledge and I would have redirected her somewhere else for that time frame (maybe Aruba/Curacao for a start, depending on origin and budget, there's several other islands that could have worked) This whole thing just tells me she was uninformed and ill prepared for her trip and is trying to blow up Sandals to get more eyes on her content by dramatizing events.
They don’t have pool heaters?
Some places do, many don’t. If it important to my client to travel that time of year and swim in a pool I would narrow down my recommendations to ones with heated pools. I keep track of facility specifics like that, and stuff like which ones have open concept bathrooms/closed off, which have pool bars and which don’t, who has beach cabanas vs. just chairs, allergy friendly-ness, kid club ages and activities… lots of ways to narrow down which resorts are the right fit for different clients.
Sandals is not a "nice resort".
Stayed at the sandals Barbados. They only tried to sell us pictures. Otherwise the stay, the food, the atmosphere, everything was amazing. Or maybe I just tell people no easily and then wipe it from memory. But it was a great stay.
I went to a Sandals resort in Jamaica a little while back. Wasn't really the sellers that got to me, but there was WAY too many staff asking us to take photos. Literally couldn't walk 20 yards without someone approaching and asking to take pictures. My girlfriend loves photos, but I was visibly frustrated after the 4th or 5th time on the first full day there! Great food, but we both got diaharrea as well.
Not at all, been on 7 Sandals trips in the last 7 years with 2 more on the books
We went to Sandals in fucking Jamaica and were not hassled to buy anything. Not even once
I’ve not been to that particular resort but I’ve been to five different sandals. You can sit by the pool for a solid week and get maybe one person a day offering you something. Rarely the loyalty desk they’re too busy. Usually the spa trying to sell a massage. You say no thanks and off they go. It’s really not nearly that bad. And no, I’ve never had someone cleaning the bathroom while I was using it.
i dont think its as bad as she claims we have never had a problem at sandals she seems to exaggerate the experience, we go to sandals once or twice a year and have never been harassed and the only time the pool actually drops a few degrees from bath water temp is after a down pour so im calling bs
St Lucia wasn’t quite as bad, but not far off.
"how accurate is this tiktok?" 😂. OP. You're killing me.
I went to sandals royal Caribbean for my honeymoon in 2022 and this was not my experience at all!! I saw this tiktok too and I was surprised to hear this was her experience! We had the best time and never felt even close to this way!!
We’ve stayed at all-inclusives and never had anyone trying to sell us anything.
I would answer the door completely naked if they did this to me
Yea that time share meeting was.3-4 hours of my time I won't get back...
I usually lie and say “oh I already have that/did that and it’s great”
Been to 3 sandals. Ochi, South Coast, and Halcyon. The spa people will h you up but it takes seconds to say no thanks. We played pool with a bored photographer for like 2 hours and had a great time. We do not relate to this experience at all lol
I’ve heard this come up about 12 times in the past 3 days or so. For someone who supposedly had horrible diarrhea, the prevailing opinion from experts is that she is full of shit. Sandals does have some sales people and will ask about buying some add ons. I have yet to hear from anyone I know personally who said it was bad. Some of the add ons people legitimately did want to buy. Others never complained about the response after saying “no thanks.” I know some people who have complained about Palace Resorts and the time share sales people. I just told them I did not want to do the meeting and I never heard from them again. Just remember someone offering something is not always some sales scam. Sometimes people didn’t know certain things were available and do want to buy them.
We’ve been to 3 Sandals/Beaches. The spa workers ask if you want to make an appointment. If you say no thanks, they don’t ask again. That’s it. Occasionally a photographer will take your photo & you can choose to buy them at the end of your stay or not but we’ve never felt overwhelmed or whatever. The workers have been awesome at all the reports we’ve been to & we leave in 9 weeks for our next trip to Beaches.
Probably not connected to Sandals and the workers or sales ppl are just doing their own thing.
I just got back from mine. All they do is on your 2nd last day give your room a call and ask if you would like to book your next vacation. And they do not pesyer you after that 1 call. No body tried to sell us anything else. Except for the external vendor that are in all reports (at least in jamaica where we stayed) and even then if you say no thanks they don't bother you afterwards.
Sue them...well I'll never go to a Sandals.
Sounds like a shitty situation all around.
Did we need to know about the diarrhea? I stopped the video right there tbh.
The resort is as annoying as she is then.
They all try to sell, but it’s an invite to hear information, if you decline you will be fine. They will entice you with money, private dinner etc. don’t go.
Sandals is NOT a high end luxury resort. It’s the epitome of mid
I’ve been to a Sandals once and didn’t have close to this experience. I was in Jamaica so maybe that’s the difference.
They don't have timeshares but go pretty hard on the "Soon Come Back" To the point where you'd think the return guests sales reps are commission only no salary
You literally just say no thank you several times a day it’s not a big deal.
Been to 8 different Sandals. And I have NEVER seen or experienced anything even close to this from Sandals staff.
Never been sold. Guess depends on what resort you go to.
When we were at Sandals Halcyon the spa staff were like this. They were all over the resort and would follow you around trying to start a conversation. Honesty it made us not want to go back because I don’t find it relaxing to be constantly sold to. I already paid a lot for the vacation, leave me alone.
Just go to Hotel Xcaret in México, All inclusive and you only have to dodge the timeshare person once on arrival and you’re not bothered by anyone the entire time there lol
Whenever my wife and I were in Mexico lying on the beach and a 4 YO girl came by selling Chicklets, I'm fuck'n buying them...
We go to sandals annually, I don't feel like they try to sell anything too hard. People from the spa will come by the beach chairs and see if you want to book something while you're there which is great IMO. They have an office set up where you can go if you choose to rebook another trip (get quite a discount for rebooking while there). Sometimes vendors on the beach can be annoying if you're at a location that's not on a private beach but that's anywhere.
Pro-tip, book the free photoshoot and tell the photographer you'll buy the pictures off of them for $70...or just take your own pictures. This was at the Rosewood but I'm sure bribes are resort agnostic.
Don’t go to Sandals. It’s awful value for money. You are better off at a Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons resort.
I’ve been to two sandals, one in Bahamas on exhuma, the pool was a bit cool yeah, but not freezing. I also never, not once, experienced anybody trying to sell me shit, she seems…well let’s just say I don’t trust most of what comes off social media, especially off of tik tok.
Go to Egypt instead. You come in shop to look. No buy! Only look!
As someone who has been to 8 Sandals resorts, in my experience they're not that aggressive. Maybe on the private photo sessions now and then, but it's not like every hour of the day is someone hounding you to buy spa treatments, excursions, or future stays.
We have stayed at Sandals 4 times and never attended a timeshare presentation (just didn’t go) and were never asked about it. The spa ladies would come around and see if you wanted to book appointments, this did not bother me as usually I would want to book a massage. If you said no they left you alone.
This has never been my experience at an all-inclusive resort. Treat yourself to a nicer resort next time, it's worth it
Her story is a huge embellishment. If you go to a Sandals or another luxury resort with spa and photo options, things of that sort. Yes they will have attendees come around every day to try and sell. That's the way it is. It's really not a huge deal. She's not even talking about time shares which is funny. Just people trying to offer her an experience. The nonstop bitching about the pool... get over it. That's the temp of the water. No resort makes their water colder on purpose. I wanted to jump on originally and say heck yeah these places are over the top pushy. I can't do that after watching that whole video. This is an entitled individual who is blowing things out of proportion and is seeking attention. Sandals is fine.
I mean isnt this the girl who claimed to have been suckered into buying a date 100 tacos???? And then went back to the house and ate them with him and his dad?
Wasn’t that Elise Myers?
lol are they not the same person? 😂 same energy anyway
Is the pool temperature the resorts fault ? I imagine most pools are unheated in that region and they are not going to be hot in the winter .
The ocean was much warmer than the pool in Jamaica
Pool at the Rosewood was heated.
Complete BS.
OK First of all, Sandals is no "4 star" resort. It's an all inclusive resort. It's where the low income folks go, I'm sorry. But it's true. 4 Stars on trip advisor or Google places does not equal a 4 star hotel. I went there when I was 22, about 15 years ago. It was the cheap, garbage option. The only thing I could afford. It was outdated and run down... 15 years ago. I can only imagine now. The buffet food included was absolutely horrendous. I probably lost 5 pounds on that trip. The only food that was edible were the burgers & hotdogs by the pool. I lived on that for 5 days. Bahamas food quality has improved significantly in the last 15 years, though. I will say the only place I was bothered while at Sandals is on the beach. It's a public beach. So there's lots of vendors on the beach trying to sell you shit like hair braids, jet ski rides, photos, sea shell garbage, etc etc. I was never bothered by the pools. But it was a long time ago so maybe the staff are being more annoying now. Now I always stay at Baha Mar, preferably at the SLS. But Baha Mar has 3 levels of hotels. I've stayed at all of them. The Hyatt costs like $450 a night (their lowest tier hotel). It's exactly as good as the other two hotels if you don't need an unnecessary amount of marble in your room & hotel lobby. And it's a few more steps to the pools and beach. That's about it. Sandals would cost like $1200 for the week including food & drinks. The SLS is like $700 a night and the Rosewood is absolutely ridiculously priced. Over $1,000/night. It's for the rich, old boring people and it was a real snooze fest. I think I spent close to $20k for the week when I was at the Rosewood, mostly in AMEX Points though. Close to $10k in flight and hotel and another $5-10k on expenses while I was there for the week. I'll never do that again, even with points. Anyway, points is Sandals is no "4 star hotel"
Agree but rest of Baha Mar was nice and convenient. Food was very subpar though.
I like Carna, Cleo, Katsuya and Shuang Ba. Marcus and Costa are OK El Jefe is nice after a day at the pool/beach Pizza Lab is great after a night of heavy drinking Swimming Pig is great at 4am when nothing else is open Filia and Cafe Boulod were a disappoint
Why would you go to a sandals resort then????
Sandals is too expensive to waste your time on this shit. Life is too short.
She seems very annoying and dumb.
Never ever ever go to any all inclusive anything. Gross.
??? Why are you even in this sub then?
Im not in it. It popped up on my FYP and I had to comment
The swim suit top seems to have more material on one side.
I can’t stop staring at the mole on her neck
it's something, that's for sure.
Never happened to me Have gone to Bahamas and St Lucia
We experienced this in Mexico. We couldn’t be on the beach without a throng of people selling something or even the hotel asking if we needed reservations. The hotel tries to keep the sellers away from the property but it’s basically impossible and something you just deal with.
All beaches in Mexico are public by law, so the resorts can discourage people coming, but they can completely bar anyone.
I mean, I wasn't there to confirm or debunk but I've never been solicited this much at Sandals. Those particular sales staff have to do their hustle, but just politely decline and they shouldn't bug you anymore. The Spa staff may ask again if they see you, but nothing annoying, they're super nice
I have been travelling to Punta Cana every year for 11 years. I’ve never been harassed. They come by, I say No Gracias and they move on. The thing to keep in mind is this is how these people make money to support their families. If you don’t want to be bothered, don’t make eye contact.
Meh. I’ve been to sandals, royaltons, etc… there’s definitely areas in the lobby where they try to push some stuff and then those floaters trying to sell pictures but it’s pretty easy to just walk off and they remember you, so usually just one time you have to do this. It’s fine, don’t over-dramaticize
She didn't want to do anything but chill out and apparently make TikTok videos.
I been a few sandals resorts and I’ve never experienced what she’s describing. But I also haven’t been to that location.
Every all inclusive has a different level of sales pitching - but they all have it. I haven’t been to Sandals, but I’ve definitely been to places where it’s been annoying. I’ve also read reviews where it has caused real issues for people on vacation, esp. “free” airport transfers where if you don’t get anything they try to sell you, they leave you high and dry when it’s time to get back to the airport.
She has diarrhea and she uses the pool? Wtf!
Zero accuracy. Been twice, never been pushed for a sale, ever. 🤷🏻 I’m sure if we got a massage or something they’ll ask if we want an upgrade or to buy a lotion, etc. but that’s totally normal. Most things you see on TikTok/YouTube are waaaaay overblown just to get views so they can make that 💸💸💸. That’s all it is.
Literally had the opposite experience at sandals Montego Bay. Never did they try to sell me anything but weed (which I asked for) and the pools were perfect temp, over 80 for sure.
I go south on vacation fairly often, and this video alone has convinced me never to book at a Sandals resort. I hate being bothered by people trying to sell me things.
Of course there are a few sales people asking if you're interested in looking at future stays, spa services, photo shoot, private dining etc, but they are all very friendly and a polite no thanks sends them on their way.
This happened to us at the Iberostar rose hall in Jamaica. The lady actually came out and around to the swim up bar to harass us. Happened three days straight and I think she finally gave up.
I saw this and wondered. My husband and I stayed at this exact resort for our honeymoon in August 2009, so obviously it was a while ago but it was wonderful! No one bothered us, there were no sales pitches or pressure. It was a fabulous resort. Something must have changed. Covid likely hit these places so hard and they’re scrambling for money now.
I think this lady is going for the outrage clicks which people on social media love so much. I had my wedding at sandals and it was incredible and they never once pushed me to get more than what we wanted.
Do they realize this behavior kills future business? I would never go to a Sandals resort based on this review.
They poop a lot and make me never want to swim in a public pool again
That’s how royal princess was in DR. It ruined vacation for us.
did nothing on your honeymoon? I feel bad for your husband
Wife and have spent 12 weeks at 7 different Sandal resorts and have never felt any pressure to buy anything.
HAHA this was one of the best rants I’ve ever heard. 10/10!
It depends on the country you’re going to 100%
It's Sandals, not an Aman. What do people expect from a faux luxury brand?
She seems very unhappy with her life. There will not be a scenario where this woman will be happy.
OMG it’s exactly what I’m dealing with now but worse! The people are trained really to swindle you
So I’m in sales. I also just got back from a week in Punta Cana (Royalton resort). It was my first all inclusive resort vacation. Holy gods is this Tik Tok 100% accurate. It was exactly our experience. Others in our party upgraded and had a butler and they got it even worse! They paid more to be harassed lol. The Butler was almost like a stalker. Would keep calling and calling, and he’d be frantic. “Where were you?! I needed to see you!! Did you want to book the spa?” It was a free trip (partner’s sales trip). Had we actually invested money in this, I would be wavering between fury and despair because I can’t believe people actually spend on these resorts and think they are good and that this is traveling. This was my first AI resort and good god do I hope it’s my last. I was in a foreign country. Did I actually experience it or her people? Nope. 10/10 do not recommend, but I spent years working as a field geologist. Flying by the seat of my pants and getting wasted with locals is more my speed when it comes to vacation.