Onix Fira seems like a junior hotel in that it has a great deal of potential, but consistently falls short and seems to be having some crisis of identity and growing pains as a hotel.
TLDR: I would not stay here again at the rate I paid at booking. It is a decent hotel, but one should only pay $105-$120/night for what it offers.
Here’s what’s going right for it:
- very clean facilities and room
- located across from a mall that also has a grocery store , which is great for grabbing anything you forgot to pack or raw veggies
- a nice 2nd floor reading area
- a nice rooftop terrace for doing yoga if you bring a mat
I have 3 years of experience working for major brand hotels. Here’s where I think Onix Fira can stand to improve:
- greeting guests at reception (did a guest have a long journey? Express curiosity, compassion and enthusiasm for the effort they’ve already made. No one wants to be on a 14 hour flight and be received by someone in a bad mood who looks like they have better things to do).
- common sense fixes: a) put hooks on the bathroom doors so guests can hang wet towels, b) have a soap dish for your soap, c) the consequence of imitation stainless steel buttons for the toilet.. they leave fingerprint stains that look gross, d) have a blanket or bedspread available in the room and not just the top sheet even though it’s hot out, e) add hair dryers in bathroom, f) have a complimentary bottle of water ready for guests when they enter tthieir room, especially if it’s 90 degree weather in the summer. That’s humane. And no one charging $200/night+ has any business offering less
- more pool lounge chairs during the summer
- advertise with photos that don’t use a fishbowl lens, be honest that the pool is small
- advertise honestly that one must climb 1.5 slights of stairs to reach pool. That’s an accessibility issue for disabled guests
- have replenished towels available for guests
- have the pool hours actually open during posted hours
- offer activities for solo travelers to socialize; you have a whole beautiful 2nd floor level that could be a great space for games, wine tasting, a silly interaction of your choice. I never saw anyone use this space and activities could make the stay more worthwhile.
- offer concierge services and recommendations
- have a manager on duty available to talk to guests 7 days/week
-consider different hallway lighting than red light; red light feels like a *******
Some specific stuff that went wrong in my stay:
- key card for room stopped working after one night
- power/electricity/AC went out 3x in one night
- no one advertised there was construction in front of the hotel .. a total eyesore and noisy during weekdays
- drunk guy wandering my floor thst no one stopped at reception and/or no one accompanied him to his room to make sure he wasn’t upsetting
- no manager or person with decision making power was available to answer questions
- no complimentary services offered for various inconveniences, not even empathy offered
Hope things get better!
