When heading to a place like Cancun, Mexico, I’m not going on a jungle-trekking adventure or anticipating anything much more rugged than rough water during a snorkel. I’m going for a getaway from the daily stress of my workaday world, which means that I’ll be expecting good service all the way around.
On my recent visit to the Hyatt Regency Cancun, I mostly got it although I quickly learned the meaning of a “Mexican minute”—multiply by 15—when it took me three emails and a phone call to the hotel concierge just to arrange a pickup from the airport. How hard was “American Airlines; 10:40 a.m., terminal 3” to schedule a car service for? I learned my transportation needs would be addressed in a Mexican minute, not on my schedule but on someone else’s. A driver was waiting for us when we arrived, though.
For the rest of our visit, the hotel’s service was fine—understated, not in your face, but capable. If I was sitting in a beachfront cabana thinking now would be a good time for a straight-up margarita, someone soon would be seeking to fulfill my most pressing dream. The cleaning staff managed to spruce up our room while we were out of it; the spa was able to accept walk-ins looking for massages, the hotel restaurant served food that tasted far better than I thought it would be, and the deli made caramel lattes that put anything offered by Starbucks to shame. If the transportation back to the airport and my real world were a little slow to arrive, I’d be too relaxed to be upset.
© Lori Tripoli