Goodwood Park Hotel

hi wee wel

what u c on pic maybe slightly different from the actual br. just take a look nxt wk when u hv more time.
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I so wanna RANT!

I met up with Priscilla last month and made a tentative booking for the date I wanted.
But when I contacted Priscilla to meet her again, she told me that she is resigning and her colleague will contact me.
So I waited over the weekend and when no one contacted me, I called Goodwood again.
The receptionist that answered said that someone will contact me. So I waited again!

Another week passed and when I called Goodwood again today, the receptionist kept apologizing for no one calling me.
I told her that about the tentative booking I made and someone else made another tentative booking on the date I wanted since it's been over two weeks when I made mine!
I told her that I want someone to call me today and NO ONE CALLED!

I am SOOOOO UPSET!!!
 
Minou...

I do feel for you... So sorry this is happening to you. Maybe you can try to send an email to the F&B Manager?? I would think he'll be able to straighten this out for you in no time.
 
Hi L.S.
It's just that getting them to respond is getting from bad to worse.
Their staff turnover is so high.
I have no idea what is happening within the department itself....
 
i think based on the std of it's hotel, they should be able to sort things out soon... They might be very busy during this period of time... since it peak season for banquets...
 
Goodwood finally contacted me today and was quite apologetic.
But I'm already losing confidence in them.
I'll be arranging to meet their sales manager and hope I can get all these sorted out.
Haizzz
 
Wee Wei,

Always ask for 2 nights stay in the Bridal Suite. Also, you can try to increase the no. of people during food tasting to 8 or 10. Not to worry... food protions are huge. Request for free corkage. Some hotels are very firm on this policy. But, no harm in asking, ya? Who knows, if you ask in a really really nicely, they might allow it!
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Extra room for your helpers (till 8p.m. usually). The amount of beer too sometimes can be increased. Good luck!! You probably will not be able to get everything you ask for. This is after all, a business. But most hotels are willing to work with their their clients in order to customized a package that meets their needs.
 
Hi Wee Wei, maybe you should discuss with your hubby and whoever that decides on the banquent on your priority perks that are important to u.
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Hi toschian

We are choosing June's florist as I find that their design are more new and modern. It depends on individual's preference.

Floralbel had been working w GWP for many years and have been reliable so far, according to my coordinator in charge.

LS, what flowers did u use during yr wedding? We will be using gerberas. I am wondering what colours will be nice, esp under the warm lighting. Any advice? I like a cheery and bright/happy atmosphere
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HI moo,

We first settled on our colour scheme... cream and purple with hints of blue. Then Bee Tin from Florabel suggested cream coloured roses with purple eustoma with sprays of lavender caspere. Lovely combination! I'm sure your choice of flowers will be most beautiful! We actually had 2 additional floral stands (larger and more elaborate arrangements on the stage of the Tudor Ballroom). No regrets there! They added a very nice touch to the atmosphere!
 
went to GWP last sat... I must say Tudor looks nice... but it's a little cramp... but that make it cosy as well... Abit woried if the walk-in will be very narrow...
Also, worried about the std of the dishes as well... although I know it's from minjiang... shld be good hor??
For the perks, I am not too sure if they allow us to neg for another night... anyone here suceeded in doing so?
 
Hi Wee Wel, mine is 2 nights stay
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If yr no of tables are bet 18 - 23, shld be ok. Tudor caters to a smaller grp of guests, unlike windsor.
 
wee wei,
We managed to stay for 2 nights as well. After all the activity and excitment of your wedding day, one night's rest isn't enough!!

Are you planning for a dance floor? If yes, the max no. of tables the Tudor can hold is probably 20. Unless of course, you wish to have tables situated beyond the pillars. If you're not considering a dance floor, then the ballroom can probably hold up to 24 tables.

As far as food goes, it was good. No complaints.
 
i'm considering having hi-tea or lunch @ gwp. can share your experiences?

Also, i'm think of a free seating arrangement if i choose hi tea. feasible?

Any helpful thots would be welcomed...
 
hi papsam

it will be good if u can check w yr coordinator on yr free seatg query.

cant help u on yr query on hi-tea/lunch also.

maybe other bride can help u
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posting this up as a reference for those who're considering GWP, and for those who've already booked the banquet with them.

I held my wedding at Windsor ballroom on 1st Oct. I've done events management as well as helped out at more than 5 weddings. Never have i experienced a wedding that saw so many glitches!

I've sent an email to the F&B director, and a week has past without anyone calling to apologize or offering any explanation.

Disappointed is the word.

Read the email below that I sent for reference.

Not trying to sway your decision. This hotel has got its charms, as well as great food that guests rave about. But honestly, if my only concern is food, i could have booked a restaurant at half the price i paid goodwood park hotel. Enough said.
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----- Original Message ----
From: Christina Lum <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, 16 October 2006 12:17:16 PM
Subject: Attn to Jadgesh Kumar - 1st Oct Wedding at Windsor Ballroom


Dear Sir,

I'm writing with regards to my wedding held on 1st Oct 2006 at Windsor Ballroom. The evening was marred by several glitches that were so blatant that many of my VIP guests left wondering how Goodwood Park hotel could allow such errors.

From the day I made a tentative booking for the ballroom to the day I inked the contract, there were news of wedding sales consultants leaving at short notice, and I have to admit that affected my confidence level in this hotel. Why was the hotel suffering from such high turnover rates? Could there be some issues within the managament that affected the staff morale? Could the staff be still as attentive?

My final coordinator, Jasmine Neo, was a gem. She was attentive and obliging, often anticipating our requests even before we bring it up, and reminding us constantly of deadlines, ensuring that all the nitty gritty details were well-taken care of.
I can safely say, she's the only good thing that came out of my experience with Goodwood Park Hotel.

I enclose the day's happenings below, and hope that the hotel can give me a reasonable explanation.

On 1st Oct, at 530pm, the Windsor Ballroom was still occupied, and I understood from the Banquet manager that the previous group whose booking of the room was till 5pm, had not left the room.
And as this group were regular patrons of the hotel, they can not be chased away.
As my booking of the room starts only at 6pm, I felt it was not in my capacity to demand anything.
When we questioned how we were to go ahead with the rehearsal at 6pm, as the staff had not even started to prepare the ballroom, the banquet manager assured us that the group will definitely return the room before 6pm.
We gave him the benefit of doubt, as we were certain that a hotel as prestigious as Goodwood Park Hotel, will not allow small glitches like these to affect its reputation.

At 630pm when I went for my rehearsal, the staff were furiously preparing the whole place, the florist had not even finished doing up the place.
I went ahead with the rehearsal and even convinced my husband to leave it to the banquet manager, as you guys will be experienced enough to handle it.

To my horrors, at 7pm, I was informed by my helpers that all the hotel projectors still could not work, my cds could not be played on the hotel's projector, despite us coming to the hotel 3days prior to test out the system with the banquet manager and another group of technicians.

When the technician was questioned, he replied that "this is programmed by the system, if can't play then there is nothing that I can do"
Is this the level of service I expect from Goodwood Park hotel? Have your staff been briefed prior on customer service?

Fortunately I had a group of friends who helped me patch the system, and the slideshows could finally play at 730pm when my guests started streaming in.
I shudder to think what could have happened if I did not assign friends to assist in the playing of slideshows.
We had helped out at weddings at other less prestigous hotels and the technicians took charge of the whole process without us having to worry about it at all.
I could not fathom why I had to rely on my own resources to ensure that my cds could play on the hotel's projector.
What would have happened if we had trusted the hotel and relied on your technician?
No slideshows will be played because the technician can't do anything?
This is unacceptable!

My March-ins also met with its fair share of glitches. As there were 2 doors to the entrance of the ballroom, I would expect both to remain closed once my march-in music starts and before I start marching in.
To my horror, a waitress opened the door to my right and walked in with drinks, while my march-in music was playing in the background and I was waiting outside the door with the banquet manager. I could see my guests at the right side clapping away, thinking that the waitress was opening the doors for us! Thinking that this is minor, i didn't mention anything. At the 2nd march-in, the exact same thing happened AGAIN. Can anyone explain to me, why weren't the staff briefed prior? Was it not common sense for the service staff to know that no one is allowed to enter the ballroom for that 10s before the march-in?

During the 1st dish, there were no dimming of lights and music could not be heard. Is this not the basic requirements/standard procedures for all weddings?
I'm not even expecting any fancy lightings, just the simplest task of turning up the ballroom sound system so that guests can hear the music and anticipate the 1st dish.
Apparently, the hotel did not feel that ambience was important as the technician told my helpers that lights could not be dimmed, and the sound system could not be adjusted.
During my slideshow presentations, requests to dim the lights and increase the music level were ignored, simply as the technician couldn't comprehend how to manage the system. Many of my guests didn't even know that I played the slideshows, as they were expecting lights to dim or at least, for the music. Luckily, I reminded my emcees to announce, else both presentations would have gone unnoticed.
Throughout the dinner while there were no slideshow presentation, the projector screen was down with a blue screen displaying the system brand as the technician couldn't figure out how to retract the screens, until we neared the end of the dinner.
Is this the service level expected of Goodwood Park?

Servers at individual tables were young and inexperienced. One waiter told my guests that "Would you like me to serve you or will you prefer to do it yourselves? But anyway, I don't know how to". This happened at my colleagues' table, and my bosses were there. It was a pity that I only heard about this a week after my wedding, had I knew this on the banquet night, I would have demanded a change of waiter IMMEDIATELY! I am fine with the hotel engaging extra hands at banquets as this is economically efficient. However, the least I expect was that they will be briefed prior on what they were supposed to do or say. Is this not common practice for Goodwood Park? Or was the briefing sacrificed as there were insufficient preparation time due to the previous group clearing the ballroom late?

There were no pedestal tables at the reception to display the wedding photo album, in the end, my guests had to bend forward to browse through the album. Perhaps the hotel could look into purchasing a few pedestal tables so that visually, it'll be more desirable?

I've worked as an event organizer, as well as planning several weddings for my friends.
But never have I encountered a wedding with so many glitches!
I'm not even comparing Goodwood Park hotel to other 4star hotels in Orchard or Marina bay area. As I told Jasmine (my wedding coordinator), even Furama Hotel's banquet team handled everything on their own without glitches and the wedding couple could return to the room to rest at 6pm!

When I first chose Goodwood Park Hotel, many friends were apprehensive as they've not attended weddings there before. I was willing to take the risk as I adored the facade and colonial feel of the hotel. And I had confidence in the food of the hotel as we were frequent patrons of the restaurant. Today, I can only advise my friends to consider other hotels, it is definitely not worth risking your once-a-lifetime wedding with this hotel.

What is the point of us paying a premium price for a product that was apparently inferior!
There's no point in spending marketing dollars to promote your newly renovated ballroom when the basics of all basics are not taken care of.
I regret to say that this F&amp;B department has single-handedly tarnished the good reputation that this hotel painstakingly built up throughout the years.

Regards,
Steve&amp;Christina


----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Christina Lum <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Cc: steve <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, 18 October 2006 10:14:32 AM
Subject: Re: Attn to Jadgesh Kumar - 1st Oct Wedding at Windsor Ballroom


Dear Sir,

Another point that we demand to get an explanation, the 2nd 30L barrel of beer was opened about the time that my 4th Dish was served (as per my wine coordinator who confirmed with the F&amp;B staff).

But my guests commented that they were told there was no more beer from the 3rd dish onwards, and subsequently, no staff had informed them that we had opened the additional barrel of beer. So for the rest of the night, many of my guests went away thinking that we had run out of beer, and continued to order wine instead.

Does that mean that the additional barrel of beer was opened WITHOUT notice to service staff, and thus, no one informed my guests that there was beer ready to be served? This is embarrassing!
We paid for additional barrel of beer that was not served? So why are we still paying?

Appreciate your investigation into this, else we demand a refund of the additional barrel!

Regards,
Christina
 
Hi there, can anyone tell me who are the wedding coordinators @ Goodwood now? i need to change my wedding date urgently.

I signed my contract with Priscilla few months ago. Just found out she is resigning from this forum. This is getting soooo worrying....After reading Steve&amp;Christina's complain..even more worrying.
 
chrisssy,

Wow. I'm so sorry about your less than great ecperience at the GWP. It's a far cry from the service we recieved during our wedding last year. I really hope they get in touch with you soon about this matter. I do agree that they should at least deduct the cost of the 2nd barrel of beer. It's also a pity you could not have your slideshow presentation till much later. All these are glitches that could have been avoided if there had been time for the technician to run thru' everything before the banquet. I do sympathise with you and your husband. I think it's a good thing that you're bringing this matter to their attention.
 
hi sharon

maybe u like to check w Benedicte, maybe she can help u? i do not hv her hp w me right now, u may like to check with the reception staff.

good luck.

hi chrissy

sorry to hear about your bad encounter with gwp. wish they will settle your matter fairly.perhaps u like to call the director directly and demand immediate attention to the matter? sometimes emails may not be effective as the other party may not receive the email or he is on leave.
 
Chrisssy,

Sorry to hear that as well... I thought a hotel with such class should have a minimum standard of service... This seems like lack of coordination and time on that day due to the event before your wedding...
I guess i will need to remind my coordinator about such things... I have talked to Jas before, I felt that she's ok, quite friendly and attentive.
 
hi

for those who are interested to know abt my food tasting, it went pretty well except that the food given is not exactly the one that we had requested for. thus, perhaps for all those who is going for their food tasting, perhaps u like to double check w yr coordinator the food dishes to minimise errors.

overall, thumbs-up for chef chan ( i think ).

oh, try not to choose the cream of almond w glutinous rice for the dessert as it is really a diaster :p

we will be choosing the mango w pomelo and sago for dessert. heard that it is v gd and popular
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ya thx for the kind words... i just thot that the brides here should be warned, so that they can prepare better prior. I thot i was well prepared enough..... anyway, the hotel has reverted with a whole lot of excuses that although the ballroom was returned late, their efficient team still managed to do up the ballroom in time. duh! in time meaning 720 before my guests arrive?? what kinda explanation is there? the frustration is really mounting!!!

but what can i do? the damage is already done....
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hi chrissy,

Sorry to hear that you have an unhappy wedding banquet. Shock to hear that my wedding coordinator has quit and she has just joined GWP this April/May.. Thanks for all the advices
 
Returned to GWP yesterday for the 1st time since our wedding last year. It felt so good to be strolling around the hotel again!
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Love GWP. Had hi-tea with friends at the Coffee House. Delicious. I'm just so sad for the couples who are going thru a difficult time with GWP. My heart goes out to you. Really. Your wedding is a special event and as such, GWP should do everything in their power to see that you are happy.
 
Hi Shimin,

who is ur coordinator??

I went down to view the setting for wedding banquet last sat... was nice but i felt that the stage is a little empty... Do they have any option to add more flowers/deco to the stage??
 
wee wei,
When we had our wedding banquet in the Tudor Ballroom last year, we added, at our expense, 2 additional flower stands (larger and more elaborate) on the stage. Cost us $120 each. But, we have no regrets! They were lovely and they added a nice touch to the decor! Enhanced the room.
 
I'm still deciding on who to choose for the flower deco. June Florist or Florebell? Please advice.

Hi wei wei,

Who is the florist for last sat? What was the stage deco like?
 
toshichan,
I can only comment on Florabel. Worked with Bee Tin. She's such a nice lady! We had no problem with their service. I actually went to their shop at Riverside Point to discuss my floral needs for our wedding celebration. She did the flowers for both our daytime solemnisation ceremony by the Main Pool and our dinner banquet at the Tudor Ballroom. She had lots of ideas!
 
hi toshichan

u can ask yr coordinator to show u the different floral design and centerpiece by each florist.

both have their own strengths. it depends on what u like and want.

we chose june florist
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u may like to visit the florists? hv fun deciding.

hi tulip

i suggest u meet up with yr coordinator and make an appt with her to view the place when their is a similar wedding buffet lunch.
 
hi moo,

thanks for your reply. i've seen the floral deco from my coordinator's folio, not the real set up, just photos. but i still can't decide. i prefered june's stage deco but flowers of their centerpieces and stands are small and less flowers. as for florabell, the flower centerpieces and stands have got more flowers but stage deco doesn't attract me. oh no!... confuse.

any idea where to get reasonable price sashes for the chairs? it looks too white and bare.

moo, did u choose the roman pillars for the stage deco? appreciate if you could send some pics for me to view for the overall look of the ballroom flower set-up.

thanks! my email: [email protected]
 
hi moo
i called up my cordinator
she told mi tt for florabell the pics r all v old. and for june florist i can go to the webside
i tink mostli i will get florabell
 
Hi Tulip,

Benedicte is still around, I talked to her on the phone a few days ago. You can try calling her in the morning, I find that that's the best time to reach her.
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Hi wee_wei,
My coordinator was Priscilla, but she has left GWP in sept. Now my case is handled by Benedicte. I will say she is not bad in terms of turn around time of queries. And i am happy with her service. However, she mentioned that my case might be transfered to the new recruit if they manahed to find one ... probably I will request for her service to be continued...
 


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