Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa

After staying at Miraval in 2011 and having a less than fabulous time, I left a 3/5 star review on Tripadvisor & spa finders detailing what was wrong with the visit. the general manager responded online and invited me back. In 2014 I called to book another vacation only to be told because of my 3 star review I was not allowed to come back. See below for review and emails: My Review from 2011 TRIP ADVISOR REVIEW AND RESPONSE ?Renovations Underway-Lots of Changes-Beware? Reviewed July 15, 2011 1. Renovations: We should have been informed when we booked our stay that the spa was going to be undergoing renovations. The massage was still great but the atmosphere was unacceptable. The Spa Center was the ?heart? of Miraval, and with that missing it was just another all inclusive resort. We always utilized the amenities at the Spa Center, ie; steam room, sauna, whirlpool, especially the quiet room. The quiet room was a great place to chill out and wind down before and after a massage. When entering the Spa Center your whole mood shifted. Everything surrounding you told you to chill out, relax and get ready for fantastic treatments. The music, the smells, the lighting, people talking in hush voices. In its place there was a hot tub behind the salon, and a noisy ?welcome? center. This was my 4th or 5th stay at Miraval and I have to say it was the most disappointing. 2. Activities: This is the core difference between Miraval and other resort spas. The programs and challenges. This is what changes people when they come to Miraval. This is what keeps people like me coming back. However, that has all changed. The sign up process now presents one day?s activities at a time. By only putting one day out at a time, people seemed to feel an undue urgency to sign up for everything they could put their name on. We did NOT get to sign up for one activity and we did NOT get to participate in one activity. We went there at 5:30 am and the lists were already full, including the wait list. We managed to squeeze our name in the margin but of course we never made the cut. When a full week is displayed, people pace themselves and don?t try to do everything in their first one or two days. This is a huge flaw, and left us thinking Miraval is not what it used to be and absolutely NOT worth the money charged. 3. The restaurant: The quality and flavor of the food has also changed, and not for the better. Miraval used to be based on healthy grains and vegetable prepared in fabulous flavorful ways with meat as an afterthought. Now meat is center stage with everything else being the afterthought. Being a vegetarian this was very disappointing. We actually sent a meal back. I don?t do that in regular restaurants. But the lack of attention to detail and careless preparation left a bad taste in our mouths, literally. 4. I hope this is all temporary while the renovations are going on, while you adapt to new owners and managers and implement their changes. I do not feel I could truthfully give a five star rating to Miraval any longer. I would give it a 2.5-3.0 Stayed July 2011, traveled with friends MiravalGM, General Manager at Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa, responded to this review, July 18, 2011 Dear Jo, I?m disappointed reading your posting and sorry that your stay wasn?t all you had expected it to be. I was aware of your dissatisfaction while you were here on property and followed up with you in a personal letter shortly after receiving your guest survey. I?m sorry you still feel unheard. During the time you stayed, our property wide computer system malfunctioned causing chaos in the Spa Village. I believe this was the major portion of the confusion guests felt. In fact, our many time return guests like you have been hailing the new spaces and so much so we have added testimonials to our Facebook page. There was no construction or renovation on property at any time during your stay, just a switch of spaces. We have notified all guests since that first weekend and will be posting photographs of our Spa Village on our website within the month. Unfortunately, timing prevented us from notifying you prior to your stay. We did make an adjustment to your bill for that first week confusion. The change to the programs board was at the request of Miraval guests and a testament that we listen when asked repeatedly. Prior to the new system of two days postings, the third day filled up quite fast and as such guests asked us to go to the two day sign up. You are the first complaint in reference to this change that we initiated in February of this year. I am sorry you feel the food quality and flavor has changed. We continue to have the same Executive Chef that we have had for over three years, and our Executive Sous and Pastry Chefs have been here ten and eleven years respectively. Miraval food ratings continue to be the highest of any area on property and requests for recipes have been so overwhelming we will put out a new cookbook later this year, again at guest request. I will make a notation that you desire total vegetarian and have one of our chefs meet with you on a return visit to personally assure your satisfaction. We have had no change in ownership or management in fact, our voluntary management turnover has been at less than 5% over the past three years. Having personally been here at Miraval for four years, I?m still the ?new guy?. I hope on a return visit we can make your experience everything you expected this time. Michael From: Mary Monaghan [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2014 1:53 PM To: jo; [email protected] Cc: Caleb Oswald; Theresa Dyson Subject: SpaFinders Posting - July 2011 Hi Jo ? Have not received your e-mail message yet. It is my understand that your SpaFinder posting and that of Adriana?s from July 16, 2011 (?Wish this has been my first time?) ? was created after the letter from Mr. Tompkins was sent in which he wanted to set things straight. It is for these reasons, that we suggest you seek another vacation destination. I cannot reverse Mr. Tompkins? decision. Mary Mary Monaghan Executive Assistant to the CEO Miraval Arizona 5000 E. Via Estancia Miraval | Tucson, AZ | 85739 (o) 520.825.5171 [email protected] www.miravalresorts.com Ranked as the #1 Spa Resort in the U.S. ? Andrew Harper From: Jo Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2014 1:29 PM To: 'Mary Monaghan' Subject: RE: Hello from Miraval Mary, Here is a copy of the response posted by Michael Tompkins to my review on Tripadvisor. MiravalGM, General Manager at Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa, responded to this review, July 18, 2011 (response was attached here) From: Mary Monaghan [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2014 1:20 PM To: jo Cc: Caleb Oswald; Theresa Dyson Subject: Hello from Miraval Dear Jo ? I?m not finding the response you saw from Michael with regard to your 7/16/11 posting entitled: ?Spa Under Renovations/Lots of Changes?Beware? Also, you refer to a letter he sent you ? if you would kindly forward that to me, it would be of assistance in securing your reservation. Thank you, Mary Mary Monaghan Executive Assistant to the CEO Miraval Arizona

That is my true sanctuary; they are superior. I started going there when my mother died in 1999. It is in the Catalina Mountains, so you also have to understand that it has beautiful nature all around and that really excites me because I grew up with cancers. They have organic cooking, they have cooking classes, and it is fabulous. I looked the world over for the best Spa to get away with serenity and all that, I mean I looked overseas, I looked everywhere and really researched it and Miraval came up first in my book. I really did a lot of background checking and all that and I went through the top ten in the world. Everybody there wears robes and towels on their head and it is totally relaxing, it is almost like being at home and the place is beautiful, with fireplaces, a little living room, and the bedroom and oh the bathroom, I could just die for! It is my heaven on earth. When I drove in, it was like God had opened his hands and dropped heaven there, they have streams, rabbits, squirrels, and hyenas. If you say, "oh that is a pretty rock", they will pick it up for you and send it to your room, with service like that you don’t lift a finger, which is great especially when you are morning over your best friend-mother that just died. I have been there several times and the first time, I stayed for two weeks and that was a hefty bill because I like to get shocks!