Hôtel Le Bailli de Suffren

We were excited to stay at Hotel Le Bailli de Suffren after experiencing phenomenal resorts in Antibes and Saint-Tropez. The location and reputation of the hotel had us looking forward to our visit. However, the check-in process on Monday, 9/9/2024, at around 5 PM with the front desk staff (Caucasian man with short brown hair) was shockingly rude. In our many years of traveling to France, we've never found the stereotype of rude French people to be true, which made this experience all the more surprising. When he greeted us, he was curt and brief, asking for our passports and whether we had ever visited France before. After mentioning we had visited many times and even greeted him in French, he remarked, 'I’m surprised your French isn’t better.' Both my wife and I were taken aback, unsure if he was joking or being intentionally dismissive. When we mentioned our road trip from Italy, instead of engaging, he corrected my pronunciation of cities, smirked at his colleague, and left us feeling mocked. It was entirely inappropriate and immediately soured our impression. Over the next few days, I avoided interacting with him, but unfortunately, he was the only one at the desk during check-out on Thursday, 9/12/2024, at 6 AM. Again, he showed no interest, failed to ask how our stay was, and acted disinterested in his role. I settled the bill and left, determined not to let his bad attitude ruin our day. If management can identify him, I urge them to address his behavior, as it does not reflect the professionalism expected in hospitality. His dismissive attitude was detrimental to the guest experience and the hotel’s reputation. This was particularly unfortunate because the manager we met at the pool was incredibly kind and courteous. I considered mentioning the incident to her but chose not to avoid causing tension, especially as I didn’t want my wife to know how much the interaction upset me. Sadly, we will not return to this property. While the manager was wonderful, I cannot get past how rude this individual was and how it has lingered with us. The South of France offers plenty of phenomenal resorts that know how to treat paying customers, and we will happily take our business elsewhere. What a disappointing end to an otherwise beautiful trip!

The welcome at our entrance to the hotel was very bad. Especially the hotel manager, who said that he had 11 years of experience, put customer satisfaction in the second plan and even if some conditions were not in his hands, it was a rudeness that we did not experience in any hotel accommodation.

This was our 4th stay at the hotel. We love the position and the ambience of the hotel; the fresh fish must be ordered in advance for dinner but if you do this you will not be disappointed. Our two lunches at the restaurant on the beach, were excellent. The pool/bar staff in particular were superb.