Great Experience with Some Issues
Hotel: o The room was extremely small for three adults, and I would never book a room like this even if there were only two of us. Certainly not a five-star hotel type of room o On quite a few occasions we smelled pot in our room. Once it was because the room attendant decided to open our windows. During the last day of stay the smell of pot got into the room as soon as we turned on the air conditioner. o The distance from the hotel to the bus pick-up location was 10-15min, which wasn’t easy for some elderly people in our group. o The streets we walked through in the morning on the way to the bus pick-up smelled of urine. On one occasion during the morning walk to the bus we ran into an either high or a drunk person carried by two other individuals. This wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience in an old city. o During the check-in I noticed that the restaurant opening did not coincide with the pick up time and we would not have enough time to have breakfast before getting on the bus, especially on Sunday when the pick-up time is much earlier than during the first two days. It looked like hotel staff were not aware of the schedule. However, they were able to correct it and the restaurant was opened earlier to accommodate F1 Experiences customers. While I was not staying in Holiday Inn, based on the announcement by the F1 Experiences staff on the way back from the track, as of Saturday night, it was still not clear if the hotel would be able to open restaurant early for breakfast on Sunday to accommodate F1 Experiences. Hopefully, this was resolved. o With all these issues, I do have to give the hotel staff credit for being extremely polite and helpful. Transportation: o Transportation was anything, but smooth as F1 Experiences advertises. We certainly had a better experience with transportation. o On Friday, our driver missed the special entrance for buses and had to drive around and stand in traffic with other cars. We got to the track more than 30 min later than other buses. o On Saturday, our driver, although standing in front of other buses, decided to leave last and got stuck in traffic. In addition, by the time he got to the track the road leading to the parking lot was blocked and we had to get off and walk to the shuttle stop at triple the usual distance. Again, we got to the Paddock club at least 30 min later than the rest of the patrons. o The distance between bus parking and Paddock shuttle stop was further than at any other tracks we have been and up the hill. Many elderly folks struggled walking this distance. o The shuttle service was chaotic and there were not enough shuttles. The shuttle services stopped at 6pm, way before the Paddock Club closing and last activity on the track. F1 Experiences rep Nicole was able to arrange for a special shuttle after 6pm through her connections with the track security. On Sunday morning, only one shuttle was running, which created a long waiting line. Paddock Club/Hospitality o Upon arrival at the Paddock club on Friday, due to the bus arriving late, we could not book a Track Tour as the first session was fully booked and we couldn’t get to the evening session as it was scheduled after the bus return to the hotel. The same happened on Saturday. Fortunately, Nicole came through again and was able to get me and my family passes to the first session. However, many fellow F1 Experiences clients were not so lucky and completely missed this fun experience. o When we got to the hospitality suite on Friday, we were seated all the way in the back with a very limited view, with my back against the fire extinguisher. After complaining to the F1 Experiences team, we were put in a more central location with a better view and access to the balcony. o Other than these two issues, everything else was great at the club: service, food, F1 Experiences team, paddock access, etc. Gift o The gift selection was the worst ever. There was nothing to pick from except for a few pictures and hats, and a couple of pens. o The link to the gifts did not work for me. I contacted the Memento Group with this issue. They did respond promptly. However, they could not fix the issue and sent me a separate link to the catalog and asked to respond to email with my selections so they could place an order. They were able to order only one item, as other items were gone by the time they were ready to order them for me. Fortunately, Kirsty, their Customer Service Executive, offered to wait until they restock the inventory. I ordered the last gift a couple of days ago as it just became available. It literally took me a month to complete the order for all three items. I understand that it requires a huge coordination. However, the price tag is not small, so expectations are set accordingly, especially when I have had great experiences many times before.