Room was great (homiest room we have ever stayed in), relatively clean, check-in/checkout seamless, bath/kitchen amenities well stocked, furniture in good shape, and mattresses comfortable. I have been going to D-Sands for over 35 years and have seen many changes. Here are 3 considerations for the future, and which drove my rating from a normal 5 to 2.
1. Making a reservation was difficult, and email contract signage was ridiculous. Worse - your new cancellation policy is horrible. You should allow full refund within 24 hours of stay. Cannot plan large groups anymore because invariably somebody has to cancel.
2. Pool hours from 10am to 7pm are ridiculous for adults. Adults want to visit the pool and hot tub in the evenings. Go back to open through 10pm. Hot tub was broken during stay and could not access - reason was automatic chlorine system was broken. You could have just dropped in some chlorine tablets.
3. New security locks are minimally secure. There is no secondary chain lock or standard hotel throw-lock. The single lock can be opened simply by the code, which is easy to obtain by anyone. Several times forgot to reactivate the lock on exit - something you never had to do before. Felt less secure than ever staying there. Could even be a building code issue. Install secondary (user-only) door lock. In addition, multiple lights were out in the building and parking area. All of your planning, including no maid service, is clearly meant to reduce onsite personnel. I can deal with no maid service, which only started during Covid, but security is another matter. Will be looking for other venues in the future.