For about our last 10 trips we have stayed in Negril on our day of arrival in Jamaica. Always show up at Hedo first thing the next morning after a good night’s sleep. Never been an issue. We know we aren’t going to get a room until after lunch but always welcome to store our luggage in the bell hop closet until then.
Everything changed this trip. We arrived by cab at about 8:30 AM. (Have done this many times before.) The guard told us there was a new policy and we were not allowed on the property until 11:00 AM. Having already checked out of our Negril hotel we didn’t know what to do. We told the cab driver to unload our bags and we would sit on the curb by the guard shack until 11. So we sat. About 20 minutes later one of the bell hops recognizes us and rolls the luggage cart down to the guard shack and says, “this is a new way to check in”. We explained we were told we can’t come on the property. He took our luggage to be stored in the bell hop closet and left us on the curb. (He did apologize for the new policy.) Another 20-30 minutes goes by and someone comes down to the guard shack and tells us we are going to be allowed to wait in the lobby but can't enter the resort. After about 15 minutes in the lobby, someone tells us we are welcome to enter the resort. To protect those that “helped us” by breaking the rules, I won’t name any names but thanks.
If the whole process wouldn’t have been so absurd, we would have been frustrated. We just laughed at the impression people must have gotten seeing 2 people sitting on the curb with their luggage. Later in the week we ran into a mid level manager we know and she confirmed the new policy of not allowing new guests on the property until 11:00 AM. Imagine if you were a first time visitor and this was the greeting you received upon arrival.
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