$$$$ • Mediterranean • La Barceloneta
When we originally booked dinner, we were told that we could stay afterward for the club. Our dinner reservation was at 9:30, and we were told that we would need to move tables sometime before 11:00. We had no problem with that and were happy to move to the sofa seating area when asked.
We were then told that we were still welcome to stay for the club, so we continued enjoying our evening. We eventually paid our dinner bill, but afterward we were told that we needed to move again because the sofa area was considered VIP seating.
At this point, we had already spent approximately $200 on drinks alone. My dinner bill was another $260, so we had already spent approximately $460 that evening. If we had been told upfront that we needed to purchase a bottle in order to stay, I could have put the additional $200 I spent on drinks toward a bottle instead.
Instead, we were told that we had to leave because we did not want to purchase a bottle. The issue was not being asked to move—we were completely accommodating. The problem was the lack of transparency and communication.
If VIP seating or a bottle purchase is required to stay for the club, this should be clearly explained upfront. After spending $460, it was very disappointing to be told at the end of the evening that we could not stay unless we purchased a bottle. We should have been given the option to make that decision before spending the additional $200 on drinks.
Overall, I feel the policies regarding seating, bottle service, and staying for the club should be communicated clearly from the beginning. With better communication, we could have made a different choice and the experience would have been much more positive.
