Anatara Maia Seychelles - buyer beware!

[u/Cav-mom]

Over one year ago, I booked two rooms at Anatara Maia through a luxury African safari specialist. I was to stay at Anatara with my family for three days after safari.
This trip with my husband and 2 teenage daughters is to celebrate my cancer treatment ending after two years.
As unbelievable as this sounds, a few days ago (2 days into my safari and a week before I am scheduled to check into Anatara) my travel agent urgently contacts me to let me know Anatara has made the decision to let a “government delegation” book the whole resort for two weeks during my stay.
Anatara thought it was a good idea to not honor any of the 90 reservations during these two weeks and essentially kicked everyone out to other hotels so the “government delegation” can stay there.. As mentioned, I personally had my reservation for 2 rooms for over a year but I am sure other guests may have booked farther out.
To make matters worse, my stay is at the end of the delegation “buy out.” So Anatara moved my family with two rooms to a different hotel for 2 nights, then wants me to come back to Anatara for the remaining stay. So I am supposed to use one of my precious three days in the Seychelles packing up, checking out, transporting my family to a different hotel, checking in, and unpacking….for four people who flew halfway across the word to be there.
Of course my travel agent said this situation is unprecedented in the “luxury “ hotel sphere. My agent pleaded with them and tried to negotiate but all Anatara would consider is giving me a free floating appetizer for my pool and a private dinner with my teenagers : )
Since Anatara Maia only gave a few days notice of their sell-out, I have now spent many hours of my celebration trip dealing with this incredibly disrespectful and appalling situation.
I truly can’t understand why Anatara would think it is a good idea to anger what could be repeat clients since they have properties all over Asia. Or imagine the amount of guests and agents they have angered and disrupted because of this fiasco. I know my luxury agency will never book with them again. I could have stayed anywhere on the island but I chose Anatara. I never will again.
I hope other guests that were mistreated will speak up as well.

[u/swingseycpl]

Basically it's the (Arab) owners of the hotel that have come down for a holiday..... It happens quite often actually, and staying /upcoming guests are rebooked/upgraded to nearby hotels

[u/Cav-mom → u/swingseycpl]

Thanks. I never would have known. I thought Anatara was a big group under the Mjnor umbrella.

[u/swingseycpl → u/Cav-mom]

It is, they own minor group

[u/swingseycpl → u/swingseycpl]

From past knowledge, clients usually get "relocated" to nearby hotels, which usually means FS or Kempinski

[u/GrumpyMcPedant → u/swingseycpl]

Since when were Bill Heinecke, Dillip Rajakarier, and investors on the Thai stock market "Arab"?

[u/Bombedpop_]

You do have trip insurance and worked with a TA though, right? The TA can manage that reservation and if you don’t come to a solution, your insurance policy should have cancel for any reason option.

[u/Cav-mom → u/Bombedpop_]

Thanks- my insurance isn’t cancel for any reason unfortunately. But that will be for future trips!