One of the things I loathe is poor customer service, especially when you expect much better from an established and a reputable establishment. Taal Vista Hotel staff in Tagaytay have left a bitter taste in my mouth which resulted in us having to cross the venue off our list. For the last few months our search for a suitable reception venue came down to a handful of candidates – Tagaytay Highlands, Spendido, Ville Sommet and of course Taal Vista Hotel. Taal Vista was for a while the front runner and we were 80-90% convinced that they had the best package for what we had in mind until we actually set foot on their doorstep on the 5th of May 2010. We were greeted with contempt at reception, disorganized and unwillingness to give us a proper tour of the place. While I was busy looking around the lobby I saw that Donna was starting to get annoyed due to the reception staff passing us around to other staff that weren’t interested in showing us around.
Finally our party of six which included a staff member from Getting Married (wedding planner) was handed down to the bellhop. Apparently the half million pesos that we were prepared to spend on the ballroom alone can sufficiently be handled by a bellhop. While I left the discussions between the wedding planner team & Donna, by the time we were shown the room that was included in the package, the bellhop only allowed us to stay a a few minutes before he started to usher us out of the room. He then proceeded to walk back towards reception without even the courtesy to walk with us and seemingly quite happy to see the back of us.
By the time we got back to the reception our party was visibly upset by the way the visit was handled and I can see that Donna’s blood was on the boil. I requested the contact details of the manager which was written on a piece of scrap paper, not even a business card. This hotel is passing themselves of as a premiere hotel in this region but the standard of customer service is not even close to what it should be. Now I can only speculate that we were perhaps looked down upon because we didn’t roll in to their valet in a Mercedez Benz, BMW or some other type of luxury car. So what if we weren’t draped in designer clothing and expensive jewellery. At the end of the day, we have a budget and we were prepared to spend the money at their establishment.
After this unfortunate incident I was tempted to contact their management but I had too many other things to do that needed attention. I waited until two days ago before I sent a lengthy email to Taal Vista Hotel’s Director of Sales & Marketing outlining the issue. To their credit I received a letter of apology within 24 hours which I was pleasantly surprised with, I also received an email from the Hotel manager who requested that I give permission for her to contact Kutchie (Getting Married) directly to coordinate a package in which she and the the Director of Sales & Marketing will be directly involved with. I declined. I stated that I while appreciated the efforts to resolve the issue, it was not necessary as we were in the process of finalizing the contract with Tagaytay Highlands. This gesture on their part has somewhat redeemed Taal Vista’s tattered image in our eyes.
So there you have it, a case of judging a book by its cover & loss of revenue on their part. Not to mention the bad publicity because we’ve told this story to most of the people that asked us about our visit to Tagaytay. If you choose Taal Vista as your accomodation or reception, I certainly hope you receive a far better treatment than us.
Hi,
We are planning to get married on December 2011 and we are considering to do it in Tagaytay Highlands. If you don’t mind is it ok to ask if you are a member of Tagaytay Highlands? If not, how are you able to book for the event. Actually we are looking for a member that can endorse us for months already but we have been very unlucky to find one.
Thanks.
Hi Sheryl,
We’re not members @ the highlands but I believe if you go through a wedding planner they should be able to get you in.
Kutchie organized this for us, I can give you her email address if you like.
Regards,
Ron
Hi,
We are planning to get married on December 2011 and we are considering to do it in Tagaytay Highlands. If you don’t mind is it ok to ask if you are a member of Tagaytay Highlands? If not, how are you able to book for the event. Actually we are looking for a member that can endorse us for months already but we have been very unlucky to find one.
Thanks.
Hi Sheryl,
We’re not members @ the highlands but I believe if you go through a wedding planner they should be able to get you in.
Kutchie organized this for us, I can give you her email address if you like.
Regards,
Ron
is it ok kng mgrequest po kmi ng inyong organizational chart?? requirements po kc nmin s subject nmin n inhotop.. i came from sti balayan..
Hi Karla,
Not sure what mean by “organizational chart” this is a personal website. If you’re looking for the Taal Vista hotel management, it’s best that you contact them instead.
here are their contact details.
Taal Vista Hotel
Kilometer 60, Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay City 4120, Philippines
Tel No: +63 (46) 413 1000
Fax No: +63 (2) 886 4325
+63 (46) 413 1225
Manila Sales Office
Ground Floor, OneE-comCenter
Harbor Drive, Mall of Asia Complex CBP-1A
Pasay City 1300, Philippines
Tel No: +63 (2) 403 1000
Fax No: +63 (2) 799 8526
is it ok kng mgrequest po kmi ng inyong organizational chart?? requirements po kc nmin s subject nmin n inhotop.. i came from sti balayan..
Hi Karla,
Not sure what mean by “organizational chart” this is a personal website. If you’re looking for the Taal Vista hotel management, it’s best that you contact them instead.
here are their contact details.
Taal Vista Hotel
Kilometer 60, Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay City 4120, Philippines
Tel No: +63 (46) 413 1000
Fax No: +63 (2) 886 4325
+63 (46) 413 1225
Manila Sales Office
Ground Floor, OneE-comCenter
Harbor Drive, Mall of Asia Complex CBP-1A
Pasay City 1300, Philippines
Tel No: +63 (2) 403 1000
Fax No: +63 (2) 799 8526
Hi, I’m in the middle of planning my wedding next year and we’re also planning on having it in Tagaytay. I saw that Splendido was one of your choices. It’s also one of our current choices. I’m curious why you didn’t pick Splendido. 🙂 We’re also looking at Hacienda Isabella and Taal Vista. I’m planning on visiting Taal Vista soon and I sure hope I won’t be greeted with the same lukewarm reception. 🙂
Thanks in advance for your reply.
Hi there,
Splendido is a fantastic venue and was in our top three choices, we were only concerned about the capacity and if we would be able to sit our guests, the band, crew etc.. comfortably without spilling out the sides.
The Spanish-Mediterranean inspired setting of Splendido works very well if you’re looking for that theme, it has a nice view of the Taal Lake and wide open spaces which suggests it will be quite cool and comfortable there at night.
Apart from the reception we received from Taal Vista staff, their ballroom didn’t work for us, there just didn’t seem be enough privacy and a sense of exclusivity during the event because that verandah overlooking the volcano is open to the rest of the hotel guests. So your event is exposed. Perhaps they may have staff on-hand during the reception to keep randoms away but our guide on the day of our visit didn’t provide us with that info.
Taal Vista has one of the most spectacular views of Taal that I’ve seen and you’d be tempted to have your reception there based on that view alone but don’t forget the sun will go down and you won’t see anything out there for the rest of the night.
Hacienda Isabella was suggested to us by our wedding planner and as beautiful and full of character that this venue is, unfortunately it was sitting on the wrong side of the highway and not overlooking the lake. 🙂
Based on our needs and an overall “gut feeling” – Tagaytay Highlands / Midlands was the venue for us, it had an amazing atmosphere and I felt relaxed just being there. I’ve been meaning to write a review of the place but just had not had the time.
hope that helps and good luck with your wedding preparations.
regards,
Ron Gabriel
Hi, I’m in the middle of planning my wedding next year and we’re also planning on having it in Tagaytay. I saw that Splendido was one of your choices. It’s also one of our current choices. I’m curious why you didn’t pick Splendido. 🙂 We’re also looking at Hacienda Isabella and Taal Vista. I’m planning on visiting Taal Vista soon and I sure hope I won’t be greeted with the same lukewarm reception. 🙂
Thanks in advance for your reply.
Hi there,
Splendido is a fantastic venue and was in our top three choices, we were only concerned about the capacity and if we would be able to sit our guests, the band, crew etc.. comfortably without spilling out the sides.
The Spanish-Mediterranean inspired setting of Splendido works very well if you’re looking for that theme, it has a nice view of the Taal Lake and wide open spaces which suggests it will be quite cool and comfortable there at night.
Apart from the reception we received from Taal Vista staff, their ballroom didn’t work for us, there just didn’t seem be enough privacy and a sense of exclusivity during the event because that verandah overlooking the volcano is open to the rest of the hotel guests. So your event is exposed. Perhaps they may have staff on-hand during the reception to keep randoms away but our guide on the day of our visit didn’t provide us with that info.
Taal Vista has one of the most spectacular views of Taal that I’ve seen and you’d be tempted to have your reception there based on that view alone but don’t forget the sun will go down and you won’t see anything out there for the rest of the night.
Hacienda Isabella was suggested to us by our wedding planner and as beautiful and full of character that this venue is, unfortunately it was sitting on the wrong side of the highway and not overlooking the lake. 🙂
Based on our needs and an overall “gut feeling” – Tagaytay Highlands / Midlands was the venue for us, it had an amazing atmosphere and I felt relaxed just being there. I’ve been meaning to write a review of the place but just had not had the time.
hope that helps and good luck with your wedding preparations.
regards,
Ron Gabriel
Hi Ron,
Would you mind if I ask the Wedding package of Tagaytay Highland.
Hi Maida,
I’m not sure what they’re wedding packages are anymore. You can check the link below and request them to provide you with information on their packages.
http://taalvistahotel.com/taalvista/weddings-and-social-events
we did receive this info initially but it may be outdated and no longer relevant.
regards,
Ron
Hi Ron,
Would you mind if I ask the Wedding package of Tagaytay Highland.
Hi Maida,
I’m not sure what they’re wedding packages are anymore. You can check the link below and request them to provide you with information on their packages.
http://taalvistahotel.com/taalvista/weddings-and-social-events
we did receive this info initially but it may be outdated and no longer relevant.
regards,
Ron
Hi Ron!
Thanks for your info. At least I know that I was not the only one treated badly. On top of the tedious wedding preps, I personally wanted to have first hand experience of meeting my suppliers and so I put a high value to first impression because that is one my gauge on how they would handle my D-day. When I arrived in the lobby, I approached one of the receptionists to inform them that I am inquiring for a wedding reception. I was told to proceed on the reception desk on the other side, with no explanations, nor a greeting, nor a smile (I am expecting this from a service oriented business). When I approached the reception desk on the other side, the receptionist just told me ‘ok’. I was waiting for her to provide instructions to proceed somewhere, but there was none. And so I approached my fiancee who was standing in the middle of the lobby and we were kept there standing! It has been for minutes until finally I approached back the receptionist and told her, if she’s not going to at least lead us to a receiving area where we can at least sit because people are passing by…aside, we traveled all the way from Malabon just to be treated that way. Anyway, even if the Sales Manager was courteous in showing us around, it did not create impact to me anymore – the worse, after giving all the information for our wedding and giving her my calling card, I did not receive any feedback from them if the venue is available for us or not. I am totally disgusted that I emailed on the 4th day to inquire, and I have not received any response from them. A very remarkable experience that when I shared with my friends, they told me that they had the same experience with that hotel.
Hi Ron!
Thanks for your info. At least I know that I was not the only one treated badly. On top of the tedious wedding preps, I personally wanted to have first hand experience of meeting my suppliers and so I put a high value to first impression because that is one my gauge on how they would handle my D-day. When I arrived in the lobby, I approached one of the receptionists to inform them that I am inquiring for a wedding reception. I was told to proceed on the reception desk on the other side, with no explanations, nor a greeting, nor a smile (I am expecting this from a service oriented business). When I approached the reception desk on the other side, the receptionist just told me ‘ok’. I was waiting for her to provide instructions to proceed somewhere, but there was none. And so I approached my fiancee who was standing in the middle of the lobby and we were kept there standing! It has been for minutes until finally I approached back the receptionist and told her, if she’s not going to at least lead us to a receiving area where we can at least sit because people are passing by…aside, we traveled all the way from Malabon just to be treated that way. Anyway, even if the Sales Manager was courteous in showing us around, it did not create impact to me anymore – the worse, after giving all the information for our wedding and giving her my calling card, I did not receive any feedback from them if the venue is available for us or not. I am totally disgusted that I emailed on the 4th day to inquire, and I have not received any response from them. A very remarkable experience that when I shared with my friends, they told me that they had the same experience with that hotel.