Collective Retreats Governors Island

Lack of accurate information Honestly most of the stuff that was problematic was beyond their control

Wow! There is a lot to say about our stay. There were so many issues with facilities, communication and staff and DEFINITELY not worth the luxury price tag .
1. Despite confirming our arrival one week prior, plus a phone call 30 min prior as directed, plus other phone calls and texts no one met us at the ferry and we had to walk .5 miles in 100 degree heat. Had similar issue trying to leave the facility at check out. Additional lack of communication during our stay was very negative. No info in room regarding breakfast times, yoga time, emergency number or location, etc. we felt very secluded.
2. Facilities have not been kept up and are very far from luxury or glamping. Beds are rickety, furniture in tent broken, coffee cups in room chipped, inside tent walls filthy, bathroom doors (zippers) were almost all broken. No paper towels in any of the bathrooms to dry your hands. No robes or slippers or shower shoes provided - or would have been nice to have been told in advance they are all necessary. One bed had just a thin comforter with two flat sheets and the other bad had only a thin blanket with two top sheets. Linens were not comfortable.
3. Food was poor. Had a 5:30pm dinner reservation and already out of multiple items. Service extremely slow. S’’mores marshmallows were old and squished and graham crackers were stale and broken into tiny pieces. Breakfast was horrific - worse than a travel motel - sliced bread, fruit and yogurt. Out of pastries after first 1.5 hrs of breakfast - out of sugar and sweetener for coffee - no staff members in sight to assist. (See photos)
Overall if they had charged maybe $300 per night and not sold it as a glamping experience I would have just dealt with it. But calling it part of the Collective group of hotels/resorts and calling it glamping there is no way any of it justifies a $1000 price tag for one night. Hugely disappointed and would honestly expect a partial refund considering all.

This experience was next level — in all the worst ways. The concierges couldn’t find our reservation (and two other couples) and had us call their reservations department to sort it out. Was on hold for 25 minutes to spend 3 minutes for the person to tell me the room I booked wasn’t available. Then it took 10 minutes for the girl to copy my ID which is highly uncomfortable considering she took it behind a piece of canvas for far too long. All the while watching guests walk up and ask questions about things on the island and the concierges literally told people to use google. Meanwhile my partner was waiting near the restaurant and got a drink at the bar. Unprompted, the bartender goes on to tell him how much they hate working there and how disorganized the company was. Finally we check in. The room was fine but again, not what we booked. Fast forward to dinner where we order off of the special July 3rd menu with custom items to be told that they didn’t actually have two of the items listed. Never mind that it’s made especially for that day. In any case, it didn’t matter as a storm swept in and we watched all of the staff whip out their phones to video it instead of making sure guests were safe in 70 mile and hour winds. Not once did anyone look remotely in charge. No manager stepped forward to be proactive in ANY capacity. They were too inept to have any sense of hospitality and safety. Once the storm calmed, they simply closed the restaurant after most guests had not eaten and said good luck. S’mores came out but not before they looked at you with disgust if you actually participated. Rude all around. I’d also like to note that there was never any communication about an on-call phone number, about breakfast or about the opportunity to use a golf cart to be taken somewhere. Breakfast was served with Saran Wrap covering everything and no spoons or serving utensils. Truly - next level TERRIBLE.

The restaurant is lacking. Same EXACT menu as last year. Too fru-fru. Why not have a delicious cheeseburger on the menu?? Simpler would be better!!

Extremely bad experience at the restaurant. There should have been breakfast but there was none. I went there with three young kids and they were starving. No chef and no food and nothing on the island either. At dinner, the meals took forever to be served, kids got so impatient and we even ended up canceling one dish! Why wasn’t there standby kitchen staff?

The retreat seemed understaffed. Check in had a line at 4pm, as much of the staff gets tapped to chauffer guests short distances via golf cart, leaving the front desk sparsely attended. We were staying in one of the furthest tents, still only a 3 minute walk.

Additionally, the complimentary breakfast only had one attendant (we only attended for 1 morning) and they seemed to be hustling to keep the stations stocked (pastries, yogurt, granola, chopped fruit, coffee, juice). For the price, the lack of staff to ensure great service seemed off for a luxury stay- even with the glamping conceit.

Reservation was mixed up and had to move to another room after first day. Loud, late night music from Brooklyn or NJ was unexpected. Restaurant was good, not great. Spouse waited for coffee to be made for him but it was taken by other guests and staff didn’t say anything.

While Some staff were really kind and special and lovely, others were very rude and dismissive and I felt the vibe like I was being low key hated on by them, and one staff member just seemed extremely flustered And overworked and I felt bad for her.

Also it’s true about the party boats it’s an insane rave on the water around 4am and it’s thumping so loud the earplugs are useless. Next time I’m brining my anti sore headphones. I don’t fault the property for this there’s nothing they can do but yes they should disclose this issue

The restaurant used to be amazing and now it’s pretty good but not the same. The breakfast was kinda sad considering the price point you expect more the chef seemed completely uninterested in cooking and I had to ask him multiple times to make more hard boiled eggs and coffee. They should have more staff and better options with the breakfast cuz you are pretty much stuck there with that as the only option and it’s just not really up to the luxury standard they put out

The staff were a bit lost/clueless when we first got there. This absolutely is a retreat, so be aware of that when booking. No WiFi, a truly unplugged experience.