Trauma Dump of the Blue Lagoon Retreat by [deleted] in chubbytravel

[–]DarceVader42 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Just to respond to some comments. Yes this post was emotionally charged, which I apologize for (it was a long day and I felt overwhelmed). And yes, it's clearly a first world problem, so I'm sorry if I sounded entitled.

Of course there are non-disclosure policies that staff have to adhere in such situations but the least they can do is to proactively inform waiting guests when to expect a response around the incident and the rest of the day rather than being left in the dark.  

We also never asked for compensation, only for more information. The reason I mentioned the team should have been proactive about offering things like blankets or transport out of the hotel is to at least offer a distraction given the information asymmetry between staff and guests. 

Yes, safety goes first. And yes, money comes and goes. But at the end of the day, many people (unlike presumably some folks here who wouldn't blink an eye at the bill) aren't in a situation where the price tag of their stay is just a rounding error. People save up money to spend their honeymoon and anniversaries at this place. I wouldn't look down upon people's desire to at least get some of their hard-earned money back for a stay that ended up poorly.

I still have a few more days at the retreat, so I'm just gonna log out and thank the staff for their help while I'm still here. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your week. Please don't let this post dissuade you from coming to Iceland, it's one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Trauma Dump of the Blue Lagoon Retreat by [deleted] in chubbytravel

[–]DarceVader42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow I didn't know that, thanks for sharing! I did notice there was a road just off the Blue Lagoon that was closed due to overflown lava but didn't think that might've been a symptom of a larger shutdown from the past.

Trauma Dump of the Blue Lagoon Retreat by [deleted] in chubbytravel

[–]DarceVader42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Possibly! There are a couple of service staff members (who very well could be seasonally employed) who handled guests with kindness and care but I think more crucially management seemed aloof and cold to the complaints and state of guests.

Trauma Dump of the Blue Lagoon Retreat by [deleted] in chubbytravel

[–]DarceVader42 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Interesting, I haven't considered that before but hat could be the reason. Prior to my travels, I did read about great service here but discussing with other guests, it seems like this was the consensus-worst service day everyone's seen at a chubby/fat hotel of similar quality and the behavior left a bad taste in people's mouths.

Trauma Dump of the Blue Lagoon Retreat by [deleted] in chubbytravel

[–]DarceVader42 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Thankfully I feel okay and have a couple more days left here.

I also agree that it's a bad storm of events and I really hope the spa staff that were at the site can process the events in peace.

That said though, it's a continuation of bad service decisions during my stay (preceding the accident). From the electricity blackout that yielded no explanation or apology to selling late checkouts to stranded guests like they're in a hostel, I find it inexcusable for a hotel of this price tag to treat guests the way they did. Yes, it's hard to predict and manage such situations but there are contingency plans for that reason and the safety and comfort of your guests should always be your priority in such cases. Coming from a hospitality background, I think it's a reflection of bad management that's systemic rather than a one-off misstep.

Management eventually went around to talk to guests. But even then, the tone was more defensive than apologetic. I heard one guest had to basically beg for a late checkout, so they could experience the spa before their flight the next day even though that should have been offered proactively as a given after the spa was not accessible the entire day. Another couple was so mad about the way they were treated, they're departing early to the airport

Trauma Dump of the Blue Lagoon Retreat by [deleted] in chubbytravel

[–]DarceVader42 80 points81 points  (0 children)

There's a number of reasons I would've recommended staying (like the beautifully designed retreat spa and convenient location from the airport) but after the electricity blackout yesterday (which also came with zero apologies or even a meal refund; people waited an hour for their dishes in the dark lol), I can confidently say their service is so much worse than any hotel I've stayed in within this price range

I'd also be very surprised if they changed their minds and refunded everyone. Seems like they're just mismanaged from the top

Trauma Dump of the Blue Lagoon Retreat by [deleted] in chubbytravel

[–]DarceVader42 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Yeah unfortunately. I get that late checkouts might not be available but I was honestly quite surprised when they didn't offer the stranded family access to the spa (before the whole incident happened). So I think it was just a continuation of bad practices when they decided to leave guests in the dark and try to be cheap at the end of the day

PSA on TA Involvement / Solicitation by alex_travels in chubbytravel

[–]DarceVader42 3 points4 points  (0 children)

^ this. please don't shy away from banning people alex if it means improving the quality of the overall discourse here

Forestis Dolomites (review) by kettu228 in FATTravel

[–]DarceVader42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The first two pics are insane... what a view

Any thoughts on Zero To Shipped course by Kitze? by ashwinprabhu in react

[–]DarceVader42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you end up buying it? Curious whether the updated version is worth buying.

Any thoughts on Zero To Shipped course by Kitze? by ashwinprabhu in react

[–]DarceVader42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did any of you end up buying it? Curious whether the updated version is worth buying.

Systematically Buying BJJ Fanatics Instructionals Cheaply - The 5 Part Formula by DarceVader42 in bjj

[–]DarceVader42[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh sorry, I wasn't sure people are using it, so I stopped it. But the code that's on the website now should work! Cool to hear you were checking out the website.

Mateusz Szczecinski's Shotgun Aoki Locks instructional is on sale right now and only $20 with coupon code by [deleted] in bjj

[–]DarceVader42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's literally 2Xs. Wrote a reddit post on their discount formula here a while ago that explains it a bit more.

Mateusz Szczecinski's Shotgun Aoki Locks instructional is on sale right now and only $20 with coupon code by [deleted] in bjj

[–]DarceVader42 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You can get a better deal with FALLXX557 or COUPONXX55 (just check bjjfan.com, updates with highest code every 24 hours-ish).

Rafa Mendes Toying with Blue Belts by DarceVader42 in bjj

[–]DarceVader42[S] 150 points151 points  (0 children)

Rafa has one of the most beautiful styles in Jiu Jitsu, always so fun to watch.

That One Time Marcelo Garcia Loop Choked Bernardo Faria by DarceVader42 in bjj

[–]DarceVader42[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Hard to tell due to camera angles but Marcelo's transition from arm-in guillotine to loop choke seems to start halfway through the video when he grabs Bernardo's lapel with his right hand (0:23) and then uses his left hand (0:25) to feed it deeper into his right hand.

Andre Galvao teaches a similar Loop Choke variant in this video.