Review: Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Rey

@lucky hmmm I find your comments about Ritz Carlton quality puzzling

I find that although as you say some westins are nicer in general across the board you get a more consistent higher quality at Ritz Carlton whereas at Westin Marriot the standard is lower.. a good comparison would be the Marriot and Ritz in berlin which are just across from each other, although the ritz there isnt memorable it is just a tad better than the Marriot and this is so at most properties, it is just a matter of maybe preference or if you notice. now the Hyatt brand is a mixed bag, because they segregate their brand into Park, grand and regency etc... whereas Ritz is more of a category thing.. the only Ritz Ive seen that is really shabby I think is the one in Seoul...which is one I can think of which just by looking online I wont consider staying.. a low end Ritz which isnt memorable but I would return to is the RItz Carlton Pacific Place jakarta which is great value if you book the club, comes with 5 HOURS ! of alcohol haha...

And in the end i think it is just a preference and if you notice the little details... quality of finishes etc...

I've stayed there three times over the past 5 years for conferences, and it is, at best, an average hotel. I don't understand how this is in the same league with the other RC's at which I've stayed: Dana Point and Half Moon Bay in California are much nicer. Hong Kong and especially Singapore (amazing hotel!) have RC's that are so much better that it's hard to believe they're part of the same company.

The hotel decor is downright depressing. Without the balcony and view it would be pretty tragic.

Brian - I've stayed at Ritz Half Moon Bay and found the service marginal at best and a good many of the rooms cramped. I've never really gotten what the Ritz hype is about.

Some more details about the room service breakfast. What did you order, the quality, etc, and is it worth it without the credit from the hotel?

Wow...35 Dollars for the Salmon and 7small pieces of vegetable . Good eating is soo expensive in the US 🙁

Ritz Carltons here in the States really give the brand a bad name.

I too find the Ritz-Carlton properties to be uninspiring. On the other hand, they're very, very safe and, given that their prices are usually quite high, I can't help but believe their target market are older people than you or I. These rooms are almost identical to the one I had at the Ritz-Carlton Cleveland, and, believe you me, I didn't dig that hotel, but my parents, who are in their 70s, would have loved it.

That said, I've stayed in other R-C properties that were much, much more inspiring.

While the $100 credit is higher as a percent of room stay on a one night stay, it locks you in. It's extremely rare that I want to eat in the hotel unless I"m in Asia. In the US, hotel restaurants (absence an anchor restaurant that you would want to go to even if not there) in general are blah.

To be fair, Ritz does organize its properties into tiers so unlike say a Four Seasons, you should expect some inconsistency. But overall, yes, compared to Laguna Niguel, Palm Springs, Dove Mountain, Half Moon Bay, the Marina del ray property is absolutely underwhelming.

Also, meant to say the properties in Asia look amazing. We're staying at Tokyo and Hong Kong RC's with club level upgrades soon and are looking forward to it so much (using club level upgrades from RC credit card!).

I stayed at RC Marina del Rey a month ago (for a one night layover in LA) and had the same impression. Super underwhelming for a supposed luxury chain. But for people comparing to Four Seasons, the generic "grandma's house" lackluster room decor wasn't substantially different than the Four Seasons Dublin (now Intercontinental) IMO.

After that one night stay I flew to Japan and stayed in the RC Tokyo and RC Kyoto; both are like a completely different caliber of hotel, both in hard and soft product. The hard product in Kyoto is especially impressive: the design is stunning.

I've stayed at this property a couple of times (as well as the RC in downtown LA - totally different vibe). Is it particularly awe-inspiring? No. Are there better Ritz Carlton properties? Yes. Is it a solid bet when you're in the LA area? Yes. We like it because it's generally pretty quiet on the weekends and the views are nice. Their club lounge is pretty solid, too. I find their staff to be pretty accommodating and friendly in a completely unobtrusive way. With stay credit, it ends up being a pretty good deal - for us.

What was the total cost through Amex Fine Hotel program and how much would it have been otherwise?

I think my grandma would love the Ritz Carlton brand. It screams "upscale assisted living."

@Ben I was glad to read that you "don’t find Marina Del Rey to be especially convenient for what I like to do in the LA-area" as, while I think it's great that you are exploring different areas of LA, while close to LAX, it is quite isolated and not where I think you'd prefer when considering moving to LA. Of course I don't know where your boyfriend lives (or, perhaps, travels to work), but think 1) you'd better enjoy a more central neighborhood, like West Hollywood or, if you prefer someplace further west, Westwood or Brentwood.

The RC's in Denver and Cleveland are similar in being past their prime. However, the staff at both locations are wonderful and they are both conveniently situated in the downtown cores.

There are two bonuses at the Denver location. First, there is an Elway's steakhouse, and second, you get access to a full service commercial gym next door.

At the RC in Toronto, the staff are also great, and the hotel is new, right downtown near plenty of restaurants, bars, attractions, etc., and has terrific dining. It also has a fantastic gym (probably because it is a combo hotel-residence). The club lounge in Toronto is also excellent.

Gyms and steak are two priorities for me when booking hotels!

Ritz in DC area provide more value....Half Moon Bay a much better property and Club Room is better than LA but the labor is below luxury standards.........

I kind of prefer the MDR Marriott having stayed at both. I have not used FHR rate so no food and beverage credit in my case but also no lounge access at RC as Marriott Platinum.
MDR Marriott has excellent elite recognition and is a shorter walk to resturaunts along Washington Blvd.

Hey Lucky -

Interesting to read about the chain I work for. Would love for you to experience my Ritz-Carlton property in Georgetown, Washington DC. Very unique from traditional Ritz-Carlton hotels. If you are in the DC area needing a hotel, please contact me at [email protected]

@JustSaying If by labor you mean the staff I'd have to disagree. I've always found the Half Moon Bay staff wonderful. Granted, I haven't been back in a few years and some friends that live in in HMB have said the quality at the Conservatory has gone down hill.

What an incredible property though. Nothing like evening drinks by one of the fire pits overlooking the Pacific.

I suspect it doesn't get old being able to describe someone as "my boyfriend" in the blog. Happy to read it!

I agree with beachfan that the $100 credit does seem to lock you in to use the hotel restaurant. Good review!

My sister-in-law used to work in the luxury hotel industry, and she told me that one of the criteria on which hotels seeking a five-star rating are judged is that employees must use a guest's name three times in any interaction. There are other inane criteria that I don't remember right now (I vaguely recall something to do with folding over the first sheet of toilet paper....). So, it's not necessarily that hotels think it's a valuable practice to rattle off a guest's name over and over again, but more so that the rating agency is telling them they have to.

I think an interesting way to view this property might be as the ultimate airport hotel. You noted the proximity to LAX at the end of your trip report, Ben, but I know a lot of Angelenos -- particularly those who live in the Valley or Pasadena -- who spend their first night of their honeymoon (or vacation, or what have you) at the Marina Ritz before flying out of LAX early the next morning.

It's about a 5-10 minute drive from the terminals, and while not marketed as an LAX airport and not AS close as the hotels on Century Boulevard, if you consider it an airport hotel (as some Angelenos do in practice), it's a really nice airport hotel.

That must be the worst RC room I have ever seen.
Try the RC Abu Dhabi next time

Stayed at the Maria del Rey RC a few years back when RC had the MB offering, where for a package you got a room and MB for your entire stay, that was a bargain. Over all thought the hotel was just OK.. But the 550SL was great!

just noticed the date on this review and all be darned we may have just missed one-another. happened to be my bday 9/27 and we pretty much camped out in the club, a couple day before thru the 27th. i'm at this place a ton, 10-15 times per year, using my corporate rate, which makes it all worthwhile.
i stay at the ritz mdr because i love the location on the marina, it's just down the street from my daughter's college campus, and i've become friends with everyone in the club lounge who've been at the property since it opened. feels like family up in the club.
absolutely agree on your assessment of the food, front desk's scripted dialogue (a ton of turnover at the front desk), and condition of hotel! the rooms are in dire need of a major reno, as well as the club which i believe begins this month.
something lovely - the bikes downstairs off the gym. you can ride along the beach path in either direction upwards of 30 miles and get a wonderful workout or not. i hop on one of the cruizers and ride to redondo...pure joy and it's like $10 bucks.
and
a little secret - I PARK ACROSS THE STREET ($7/day) in the county lot and run like hell to avoid getting killed on that insane street. the valet fees add up quickly and are ridiculous when you're there as much as I am.
hope to bump into you somewhere...maybe san ysidro ranch...just up the street from LA 🙂