"At the bar, drinks were being served, but the cocktails took longer to arrive. The bartender informed me that they would be brought to the table. There were only nine people in the bar/lounge area, three of whom were men. After waiting for 15 minutes, I noticed some foldable napkins and asked for the cocktail. The bartender pointed to the bar where a server was busy with other patrons. It was quite odd, as he seemed completely uninterested and looked at me as if to say, "How dare you ask?"
In the restaurant, which had about five tables occupied, my daughter ordered a gin and tonic with Hendrick’s gin. The server returned and said they didn’t have it, so we agreed on Bombay Sapphire instead. After the server came back again, she informed us that they were out of Bombay Sapphire as well. On her third visit, she regretfully said they had completely run out of gin. My wife requested black pepper, but the waitress mentioned they only had white pepper available in a shaker on the table.
Halfway through our meal, we saw the restaurant manager rushing by and asked about the black pepper. She assured us she would get some. Eventually, after 80% of our meal was finished, a server finally brought a pepper pot to our table. She explained it took so long because they hadn’t realized how to open it. To our surprise, my wife showed her that it was actually a pepper grinder!
Despite the good food and friendly service, it was clear that the staff lacked proper training. This experience at the Marriott Highcliff Hotel in Bournemouth did not reflect well on the Marriott brand. The atmosphere felt poorly managed, and no one seemed responsible or genuinely interested in providing good service. It was a rather strange experience overall."
