Earlier, I shared some initial thoughts on our stay at the Reykjavik EDITION, which I enjoyed, for the most part. As I mentioned in passing in that post, we had an interesting experience in the restaurant, which I’d like to cover. I have to give the hotel and restaurant credit, because it’s the best service recovery I’ve experienced in a long time.
In this post:
Why we had dinner at TIDES at the Reykjavik EDITION
Reykjavik has a really vibrant food scene, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect. We enjoyed several great meals outside the hotel, but also decided to have dinner at the hotel one night, at TIDES, the signature restaurant. Why? Well, a few reasons. For one, it was a Monday night, and many restaurants in Reykjavik are closed on Mondays (at least the three top restaurants on my list were).
Next, the restaurant is actually well regarded, and it’s recommended in the Michelin guide (not that I place that much value on it, but my point is simply to say that this isn’t just some random restaurant in a hotel lobby serving a “locally sourced Westin burger,” or something).
Next, we had a lot of hotel credits to burn through. We booked our two night stay through the Marriott STARS program. That ordinarily offers a $100 property credit. On top of that, there was a promotional credit through STARS for an extra $225 property credit. Then the hotel has a nightly destination fee of around $56, which can be spent at the restaurant. In other words, we had nearly $400 to spend on the dinner. 
A lovely and long meal, with shocking service recovery
Iceland is known for being expensive, but the pricing at TIDES is on the very high side even by those standards. It’s not like I was concerned about the price, given how much credit we had to spend, but still, there’s quite the sticker shock (for what it’s worth, 1 USD is roughly 125 ISK).
Ford and I started by ordering a couple of cocktails, and then we both ordered appetizers. I selected the lobster and langoustine croquettes (~$36), while Ford chose the black angus tartare (~$38). Around 30 minutes after ordering, our friendly server stopped by to apologize for the delay, explaining there was an issue with our “ticket,” or something, and he said it wouldn’t be much longer.
He said that dessert would be on the house, which was a nice touch, and seemed appropriate. It definitely took an unusually long time, but we were in a good enough mood, so weren’t bothered. The appetizers ended up showing up around 45 minutes after we ordered, and they were quite good.
Once our appetizers were cleared, there was again a long gap. We each ordered another cocktail, and waited… and waited… and waited. We didn’t express frustration toward the server, but we were just a bit confused. If there was an issue with putting the appetizer order in, you’d think they’d make sure that the main course would be put in as efficiently as possible, so that the same thing doesn’t happen.
A little under 45 minutes after clearing our appetizers, our server once again apologized, and said it shouldn’t be much longer, and that there was again a delay. Our main courses were served around two hours after sitting down, which was a long time, but we weren’t too bothered.
Here’s what shocked me — when our meals were brought out, our server apologized once again, and said the whole meal would be comped. That seemed overly generous, so I pushed back, and said that really wasn’t necessary. He said it was a done deal, and the manager insisted. I asked if we could at least pay for our drinks (which were delivered promptly), and he said no.
For what it’s worth, I ordered the cod (~$64), while Ford ordered the lasagna (~$59).
And despite us saying we were full, a dessert was still brought out for us.
So I’m not sure what exactly went wrong that caused the meal to take so long, but this was honestly among the best (or most over the top?) service recovery I’ve had anywhere in a long time.
The irony was that to begin with, we were basically spending “monopoly money,” given the credits we had to redeem. And even with the high price of alcohol, we couldn’t actually redeem our entire credit over the course of our stay, given that this meal was comped, and we weren’t just going to drink to the point that we couldn’t walk anymore.
So anyway, kudos to the staff at TIDES at the Reykjavik EDITION for impressive service recovery. At Marriotts I’ve sadly become so accustomed to more of a “it’s not going to be great, and you better like it” approach, so this was a pleasant surprise. Even at Four Seasons I would’ve found this level of service recovery to be above and beyond, but at a Marriott, it was shocking.
Bottom line
We had a delicious but very drawn out meal at the Reykjavik EDITION’s signature restaurant, TIDES. It took a really long time for both our appetizers and main courses to come out. It’s a little puzzling to have some sort of serious delay with both courses, but to the restaurant’s credit, they comped the entire meal. That was overly generous, but then again, we were mostly paying for the meal with hotel credits anyway, so…
$59 for small slice of lasagne. Were they wearing a balaclava because you were robbed blind.
Service sounds like an all around disaster at this hotel, to be honest. A comped meal should be expected with those waits. I have gotten meals comped at random BBQ restaurants in the rural South for less wait time than that, lol.
10 years ago I was vacationing at the Hilton Lima Miraflores.
The shower water never got above barely warm that morning.
That afternoon I got a Hilton email asking about the stay.
I replied that with no hot water, I probably would not be eating at the restaurant.
Three days later after a side trip to Machu Picchu I returned to find an apology from the manager, a free meal for two at the restaurant, and a three room suite upgrade.
I'm sure having a famous and well-followed travel blog had nothing to do with it. You may not tell people who you are, but they know.
Uh, if you waited 45 minutes for appetizers and another 45 minutes after those were cleared, then any decent restaurant should be comping that meal.
I love a good lasagna (of course not at $60 or so), but I can't imagine ordered it in Iceland. But, if seafood or lamb isn't isn't an option for a person, then . . .
It actually is a lamb lasagna, and it also includes truffles. Not every lasagna has to be boring :)
Mushrooms in your lasagna??? OMG!!
I am still waiting for 1990's comment. It's always fun to hear from the budget traveler crowd, and I don't mean that negatively.
Some people just don't have that many resources and we shouldn't judge.
Iceland is a lovely country.
I visited for a couple days back in 2004.
I was a backpacking college student on my way to Russia for a summer exchange program.
Icelandair was (by far) the cheapest option across the Atlantic. They always offer free stopovers on their tickets, and they were running a promo offering a free day rent-a-car with a stopover.
They also flew out of my home airport (BWI). Why wouldn't I take...
Iceland is a lovely country.
I visited for a couple days back in 2004.
I was a backpacking college student on my way to Russia for a summer exchange program.
Icelandair was (by far) the cheapest option across the Atlantic. They always offer free stopovers on their tickets, and they were running a promo offering a free day rent-a-car with a stopover.
They also flew out of my home airport (BWI). Why wouldn't I take that, even if a little squeezed for funds?
I haven't been back (to Iceland or Russia) since, but Iceland is a lovely country, even as a poor college kid.
As a European, I agree! Iceland is wonderful. I didn't find it to be all that budget-friendly, but I am glad our friends like 1990 might be able to afford it.
Would you go so far as to say it's the 'Europe-light' destination for people whose home finances may get harder tomorrow due to SNAP ending?
Glad they comped it. I would have lost it if I endured a 2hr wait.
Uhhh I dunno if that was over generous to comp the entire meal. 90 minutes from sit down -> main course served is absolutely crazy
I misread. 120 minutes including the time to eat the appetizers!! You could've sat down to have a late lunch and ended up having a midnight snack
"...and it’s recommended in the Michelin guide (not that I place that much value on it..."
I think this is actually one of the resources that you can put value on that is left.
Rather than manipulated Google reviews, where every hole has 4.4 stars.
Yeah, it's kind of rich for Ben and Ford to disregard the Michelin Guide. I love them, but they have absolutely zero taste. Even for Americans. Even for Americans from Florida.
Michelin knows what they're talking about.
I actually think that as Michelin has expanded the number of their guides in recent years in a pretty blatant cash grab, they have become far less reliable and their ratings less consistent. Even beyond that, their "recommended" lists (as opposed to the stars) have always felt like a hodgepodge of hit-or-miss places that never made much sense.
While they are still better than Google or Yelp reviews, you would usually be better off crossreferencing...
I actually think that as Michelin has expanded the number of their guides in recent years in a pretty blatant cash grab, they have become far less reliable and their ratings less consistent. Even beyond that, their "recommended" lists (as opposed to the stars) have always felt like a hodgepodge of hit-or-miss places that never made much sense.
While they are still better than Google or Yelp reviews, you would usually be better off crossreferencing a couple local restaurant review websites (especially for restaurants without stars and just with "recommended" status).
Agreed. I've been to over 60 restaurants with Michelin stars (I treat it as a bit of a hobby) and of those I felt two didn't deserve the star at all and one 2* I thought was more a 1* (and it was downgraded to 1 not long afterwards). The rest I've been at least happy with and in some cases delighted - I'll take a 95%+ hit rate.
It can also be hard for Americans to understand Michelin standards. Michelin is, by nature and culture, European and decidedly French.
Americans value getting a meal done as fast as possible. Europeans don't. Americans want plastic cups with ice water - and lots of them - while Europeans prefer a good mineral water.
Americans typically prefer very sweet, single-minded wines, whereas the European taste is a lot more complex.
And finally, the...
It can also be hard for Americans to understand Michelin standards. Michelin is, by nature and culture, European and decidedly French.
Americans value getting a meal done as fast as possible. Europeans don't. Americans want plastic cups with ice water - and lots of them - while Europeans prefer a good mineral water.
Americans typically prefer very sweet, single-minded wines, whereas the European taste is a lot more complex.
And finally, the big thing: Americans think big portions = good. Europeans don't.
All-in-all, it's understandable you don't get it. Even if you consider yourself well-traveled, you're still from a culture that values other things than what the Michelin guide values.
I looked at the menu. $90 for an 8oz tenderloin, wow. I wonder if it was expensive because it's a nice restaurant, if Iceland is just that expensive, or both.
It's a nice restaurant in Iceland. So both :)
Iceland is that expensive.
Basically the only things they don't need to import are seafood and sheep.
For an island of 200,000 people, you're not getting any economies of scale in your transport. Your cargo is either going in on small ships (more expensive per tonne than a fully-loaded large ship), or belly-freight on the Icelandair 757s and 737s (break out the wallet and also start counterfeiting money).
Similar positive/negative experience at one of the Tokyo EDITION's restaurants.
Breakfast (just eggs) took 45 minutes to come out, and when they did it was swimming in sausage grease. I explicitly excluded the sausage as a pescatarian. They were apologetic and offered to remake it, but at this point I needed to leave for meetings and insisted I just pay for my coffee.
The next morning the restaurant manager provides a copy of the...
Similar positive/negative experience at one of the Tokyo EDITION's restaurants.
Breakfast (just eggs) took 45 minutes to come out, and when they did it was swimming in sausage grease. I explicitly excluded the sausage as a pescatarian. They were apologetic and offered to remake it, but at this point I needed to leave for meetings and insisted I just pay for my coffee.
The next morning the restaurant manager provides a copy of the full menu with no prices and says to order whatever I'd like, and I returned that evening to a huge orchid in my room (they knew I like flowers)
My general review of that EDITION (you can guess which of the two) is that it's a factory, but they will absolutely go above and beyond when something goes wrong - especially if you treat the employees as humans
"My general review of that EDITION (you can guess which of the two) is that it's a factory, but they will absolutely go above and beyond when something goes wrong - especially if you treat the employees as humans"
I've personally had the same experiences with Ritz-Carlton properties. I've stayed at a few frequently because to conferences, and while they are resort factories, I've always had above and beyond service from certain people at each...
"My general review of that EDITION (you can guess which of the two) is that it's a factory, but they will absolutely go above and beyond when something goes wrong - especially if you treat the employees as humans"
I've personally had the same experiences with Ritz-Carlton properties. I've stayed at a few frequently because to conferences, and while they are resort factories, I've always had above and beyond service from certain people at each property - especially if you treat them like humans.
I'm assuming they offer a "Japanese breakfast".
Yeah, you're getting a lighter meal of fish and rice, but the flavor is often excellent, and the presentation is second-to-none.
Western breakfast is very hit-or-miss in Asia. Go for the local food any time of day in Japan or Korea (in China, it all sucks).
Hah, maybe the fact that they can comp a meal like that (assuming your a random sample of their customers) is part of the reason, or a reflection of, that the prices are sky high.
The prices are the prices.
Iceland imports everything (other than lamb or seafood) via air or relatively small ships.
The transportation costs they need to eat are astronomical, and just about everything in the country is very expensive as a result.
You could have ordered a bottle or two of wine with your credits and kept them unopened. I'm sure you could have drank them at home or gifted to someone.
@ FNT Delta Diamond -- We weren't checking bags, and given that a $12 (at retail) bottle of wine was listed on the menu for $130, it just didn't seem worth the effort.
Wow. $130 for a $12 bottle of wine? If my math is right, that's a 980% markup. I'm sure alcohol taxes are high in Iceland but even still ...
Any chance you were recognized as the famous blogger that you are :)
@ mangoMan -- Lol. If that were the case, you'd think they would've brought the food out in a timely manner, no? :p
@Ben, did you eat Hàkarl - fermented shark with a delightful ammonia smell and Svio - boiled sheep head. I’ve eaten surströmming in Sweden which is vile. I’ve never been to Iceland and would love to. I’ve only ever interacted with one Icelandic person, as far as I’m aware, and it was Björk while she was out and about with what was then her infant daughter.
What did you end up spending the credit on?
@ Vin -- Since breakfast was included and we had lunch and dinner plans, a lot of coffee and alcohol (adn there was still some left over).