Guest reviews Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast

by andrew23 Melbourne, Australia

BEYOND OVERRATED, JUST PATHETIC!

OVERRATED! That’s one perfect word to describe this hotel in a nutshell. I have stayed at better Holiday Inns than this so called luxury hotel. That was quite an opening statement but I do stand by it because our experience just before Christmas was nowhere near worth the money paid. The photos on their website does ooze opulence but even from our arrival, I could tell that the hotel was way past its used by date. As we pulled into the porte-cochere, there were very clear signs of aging and a lack of maintenance. We could have easily overlooked that but the fact that we were welcomed by a doorman who evidently hates his job and the check-in process was handled by an inexperienced agent who fumbled and struggled to even use their credit card machine, we knew that it was only going downhill from there. It was a long walk through a musky corridor to our rooms. It was certainly very Versace in terms of the decor but again, everything was breaking down. Scruff marks on the walls, stained carpets, water stained ceilings, broken emergency lighting, the list goes on. By the way, the corridor lights in one half of the wing was not working throughout our entire second night of our stay (stayed 2 nights in total) so we had to rely on our iPhones’ torchlights! Thankfully I only tripped and fell once! Let me reiterate again - it wasn't just the corridor lights that were out, the emergency EXIT signs were broken too! The hotel manager apologised but did absolutely nothing to compensate us for the inconvenience. There was absolutely no effort towards service recovery, not a fruit basket or even a free cup of coffee! Opening the door to our rooms, we were quite impressed with the size and furnishings. Again, there was the Medusa’s head on almost everything in the room from the bedhead to the cups to the bath towels! The bed was certainly very comfortable and the spa bath very indulgent. That said, everything in the room was clearly very worn out. The pool area was very beautiful with its tall palm trees and cascading water features but again, nothing was well kept. There were broken sun lounges, leaves in the pool that should have been cleared, even signs of litter here and there. The hotel was not even busy at that time of the year! We had high tea in the lobby lounge one afternoon and that was our only experience with dining in. It was mediocre. There are nicer places to eat just outside the hotel in the adjacent Marina Mirage complex or a short drive to Surfers Paradise! The only highlight of our stay was the overly cute massive Christmas tree in the hotel lobby made out of teddy bears!

by jem912017 Townsville, Australia

Better Than Ever

I stayed at the Palazzo Versace over the Easter weekend. The rooms were well appointed and spotlessly clean. We had a breakfast in the restaurant and it was as it should be . The staff were very attentive is spite of the stress that comes with COVID-19. The lobby and public rooms were in their gilt and mosaic glory and the atmosphere was fantastic. We ended up by the pool one day for a dip and sunbathing but the inclement weather forced us inside. The pool staff were efficient and apologetic for things obviously outside their control. Room service was used twice and we were very happy with the timing of the service and the quality of the food. Checkout was flawless and very friendly. I will definitely stay again hopefully during sunnier weather.

by GARRYOCO

NOT GREAT

Not a great experience Had to change rooms three times. 1st room no TV reception. 2nd room no TV or Internet. 3rd room same issues. Each time offered a wine but seriously! Was offered free breakfast to ‘compensate’ yet in check out this was argued and was advised they meant one free breakfast. Third room shower head fell off and hit me in the head. TV in the lounge part of each room was a 15 year old Sony. Fixtures and fittings very old and you can see they are trying to save money on bandaid repairs. You need three pillows to make one because they are so old. Twice we had to call for more towels as two towels replaced with one. Extremely poor English from most staff. I had to repeat myself on most occasions when calling room service or reception. $50 valet to park your car 50 meters away is just ridiculous. On arrival and unpacking our car the concierge asked me to pull forward because an ‘important’ guest had just pulled up behind me and he couldn’t allow them to wait. Yes, an important guest. I guess they had the $3700 a night room and I was in the cheap $800 a night room. Food was ok but seriously overpriced ($8 a coffee) Perhaps they are just so use to the pretentious clientele. I just wanted to treat my wife and spoil her with the ‘Versace Experience’ but I have to say that this experience was extremely poor and not worth the very high prices. Face Masks and other COVID rules just weren’t enforced with many guests just not wearing masks and filling lifts with 6+ people. They enforce a dress code but many many guests just walking around the lobby bare foot and no care for anyone else - Management didn’t enforce either COVID rules or were to scared to upset guests. Message for the hotel senior management. Spend some money on the hotel Basic English for all staff (the fake Italian accent doesn’t work) Treat all guests the same, not just the Rolls Royce driving $3700 a night regulars

by Aussiegal15 Greater Melbourne, Australia

WONDERFUL HOTEL BUT STAFF LET IT DOWN

We had a 5 day Luxury Escapes package which had been cancelled twice before due to Covid so we were very appreciative of the hotel that they didn't mind moving our dates three times. We arrived on a lovely sunny day and we couldn't have found the front desk staff to have been friendlier or professional. They are excellent as is the Concierge area. Unfortunately, we were booked into a Superior Suite on the 2nd floor overlooking the road, which didn't worry us at all but the air conditioning did and that was the first let down. Not once, not twice but four times did a technician come up to our room and try to fix it. Over the five days, we went from freezing cold, to boiling hot and in the end we were told to turn it off and just put it on when we felt the need!! Not exactly a 5 star experience. Then the cleaning of our room which was very quick as some days we were due to the cleaning staff not arriving until 4pm and then turn down was at 5pm! The worst was that in those 5 days, our sheets were not changed at all. In a 5 star hotel, they are usually changed at least every two or three days. We had a couple of drinks at the bar and the staff were very tardy. Both times we had only asked for a glass of wine each and yet each time it took well over 20 minutes to arrive and that is when they were quiet. Finally, the breakfast staff though they tried hard, they just were very lax. We always had to ask for our fruit, yoghurt and croissants to be delivered to our table and if we ordered juice, tea or coffee, we learnt to order it when we were first seated at our table otherwise it just wouldn't arrive until we had finished our meal. We loved the pool area and the staff who looked after the towels and drinks were excellent. We felt that the hotel needed a few tweaks to bring it back to how we imagined it used to be. It is a beautiful hotel with glorious features, the floors are spectacular and the chandelier in the main foyer is magnificent. Our bed was very comfortable and the shower was great. We also received each day new bottles of Versace shampoo, conditioner, bath salts, body lotion and body wash even it the old ones hadn't been used. So very generous. The seafood platter we received as part of our L.E. package was fantastic as was the Tiramisu Dessert. I also had a wonderful mushroom risotto when dining on another occasion. Overall, it could and should be a destination in itself as the features in the hotel and around the grounds are incredible.

by John A Melbourne, Australia

Cassidy Wilson great entertainment

Cassidy was most entertaining with his music. Very good entertainment with the Piano. he made our day so special. His recital was amazing and the best music ever played for us. We will certainly be back to listen to Cassidy’s music which we could’ve get enough of.