- Introduction: Two Times To Latin America
- Review: LATAM Lounge Miami Airport (MIA)
- Review: LATAM Business Class Boeing 787 (MIA-SCL)
- Review: Ritz-Carlton Santiago, Chile (I’m Conflicted)
- Review: LATAM Lounge Santiago Airport (SCL)
- Review: SkyTeam Lounge Santiago Airport (SCL)
- Review: Delta One Business Class Airbus A350 (SCL-ATL)
- Review: Amex Centurion Lounge Atlanta Airport (ATL)
For the first hotel stay of my two times to Latin America review trip, I spent a night at the 205-room Ritz-Carlton Santiago, which is the brand’s only property in South America. Santiago has a fair number of chain properties, though not many that I’d consider to be luxury. At least in terms of name recognition, the Ritz-Carlton is probably one of the city’s two most luxurious properties, along with the Mandarin Oriental.
How was my stay at the Ritz-Carlton Santiago? Well, “you get what you pay for” comes to mind, I guess. The property is totally fine, and it’s one of the less expensive Ritz-Carlton properties out there. However, there’s also nothing particularly luxurious about the hotel, it could use a renovation (especially in common spaces), and I found the service to be a mixed bag.
I’m not saying anyone should avoid this property, though I doubt most people will be blown away, so I’d just recommend coming in with reasonable expectations.
In this post:
Booking the Ritz-Carlton Santiago
For the night I was staying, the Ritz-Carlton Santiago was charging $259. It was a no-brainer to book this through the Marriott STARS program, so that I’d receive complimentary breakfast, plus a $100 property credit. Keep in mind that Marriott Bonvoy Platinum members and above don’t ordinarily receive complimentary breakfast at Ritz-Carlton properties, which is why booking through these kinds of programs is valuable.
But I actually took it a step further — Ritz-Carlton properties are known for having incredible club lounges, so I figured I should spring for the club experience, which cost an extra $110, bringing the rate to $369. I don’t want to say that’s an insignificant amount, but some other Ritz-Carlton properties charge hundreds of extra dollars per night for a club room, so I figured it was worth giving a shot.
That being said, suffice it to say that it’s kind of hard to maximize the club lounge food and drinks, restaurant breakfast, and a $100 credit, all on a one night stay.
I didn’t even consider redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points, given the reasonable cash rate, plus the great value of booking through Marriott STARS on a one night stay.
Ritz-Carlton Santiago location
The Ritz-Carlton is located in Santiago’s Las Condes neighborhood, which is basically an upscale business district, and is quite central. The hotel is next door to the Hyatt Centric, and just a couple of blocks from the W Hotel.
In terms of getting to and from the airport, the Ritz-Carlton is about a 25-minute drive from Santiago Airport (SCL). Fortunately Santiago is one of the few big cities in South America that doesn’t have horrible traffic, in my experience.
Ritz-Carlton Santiago lobby & check-in
Unless you’re really into decor from the early 2000s, the Ritz-Carlton sure doesn’t make a very good first impression. My gosh, the lobby feels outdated. The hotel first opened in 2003, and underwent a renovation in 2018, though I think that refresh was focused on the guest rooms rather than the public spaces.
The lobby space doesn’t feel old enough to be historic, but also doesn’t feel new enough to… well, not feel kind of shabby.
Once inside the lobby, I headed to reception, which was located straight ahead and to the left. I had arrived way ahead of check-in time, so was of course prepared to have to wait. Fortunately a room was ready within about 45 minutes.
I didn’t receive any upgrade on account of my status, beyond just the king club room I had booked (which I didn’t mind, given how early I was able to check-in). I did find the service to be quite strange, though. I’m used to Ritz-Carlton properties having overly scripted service.
In this case, I think the front desk associate and I exchanged maybe a couple dozen total words. Once my room was ready he just handed me the keys without explaining anything about the property. The whole thing was weird.
With keys in hand, I headed to the elevators, located across from reception. The hotel has 15 floors, and I headed up to the 11th floor, where my room was located.
Ritz-Carlton Santiago club room
I was assigned room 1119, a 430 square foot (40 square meter) king room. Upon exiting the elevator and turning left, my room was about halfway down the hallway, and once again on the left.
Unlike the lobby area, the room had clearly been renovated in recent years, and felt fresh. Before entering the main part of the room, the entry hallway had the bathroom to the right and the minibar area to the left.
Then the main part of the room had a comfortable king size bed with a bench at the foot of it.
There was a daybed in the far corner of the room, with a small table that could be moved around.
Then on the opposite side of the room was a desk with a chair, plus a wall-mounted TV.
The room had pretty views of the surrounding area. As mentioned above, this is basically the business district of Santiago, and I think the views reflect that. Sadly my room didn’t have a view of the mountains, which are visible from other parts of the hotel.
Back toward the entrance was the minibar area, which had a complimentary Nespresso machine and tea selection, plus a variety of drinks and snacks for purchase.
The bathroom had a sink, a bathtub, a walk-in shower, and a toilet in a separate room.
I loved the Diptyque amenities, and appreciated that there were also a variety of bathroom amenities in the room, so that you didn’t have to call down to request them.
As is common for hotels that undergo a renovation on a budget, the bathroom generally still shows the property’s age, and this was no exception, as you could definitely tell that the bathroom was a couple of decades old, aside from some new wallpaper.
All-in-all, I thought the room was quite nice. Now, I’m not sure it necessarily felt any more luxurious than a new Westin or Sheraton Grand, but given the price point, that wasn’t an issue.
A few hours after checking in, I was brought a welcome amenity consisting of some sweet treats. However, upon reviewing the card, I realized that it wasn’t actually intended for me, as it was addressed to someone else.
Then later in the day I was brought a second welcome amenity, consisting of a bottle of wine, which was addressed to me.
Ritz-Carlton Santiago spa, pool, and gym
The Ritz-Carlton Santiago’s wellness area is located on the 15th floor, and it’s quite a large complex. The architecture is cool, plus I like how much natural light the space gets. There’s both a pool and hot tub, and plenty of seating surrounding the pool.
There’s even a little bar area of sorts, plus an outdoor deck.
The gym is located up a level of stairs from the pool, and it’s quite small and basic. It has a few treadmills, a couple of exercise bikes, and a couple of ellipticals, plus strength training equipment.
The catch is that it gets outrageously hot up here, as this is basically like a greenhouse. Even when it’s cold outside, the sun makes this place swelteringly hot. I was sweating before I even started my workout.
I do have to give the hotel credit for having little mini-protein bars that guests could help themselves to, as it’s something I wish we’d see more hotels offer.
The Ritz-Carlton Santiago also has a spa in this area, but it’s really kind of an afterthought in terms of design. There are three treatment rooms, a sauna, and a steam room, but definitely manage your expectations.
For example, below is the relaxation area in the spa. I don’t think anyone would guess the below picture would be at a Ritz-Carlton.
Ritz-Carlton Santiago club lounge
The Ritz-Carlton Santiago club lounge is located on the 10th floor. Ritz-Carlton club lounges are known for generally having five food presentations per day. This location only had four, as there was no afternoon tea. The lounge is open from 7AM until 10PM, with the following presentations:
- Breakfast is available from 7AM until 10:30AM
- A light lunch is available from 12PM until 2PM
- A light dinner is available from 5PM until 7PM
- Dessert is available from 7PM until 9PM
The club lounge is nicely appointed, and is on the small side. It consists of two(ish) rooms, with the first room mainly having dining tables, and the second room mainly having couches and other seats designed for lounging around.
The first thing I noticed about the club lounge is that the attendant working the lounge simply wasn’t friendly. I’ve usually found Ritz-Carlton club lounge attendants to be overly friendly and almost annoyingly chatty (at least as an introvert), and to constantly check on guests. I spent quite a bit of time in the lounge (since I spent much of the day working from there), and she barely ever acknowledged me, let alone asked how my experience was, if there was anything I needed, etc.
Anyway, let’s take a look at some of the food and drink offerings. Throughout the day there were soft drinks, a coffee machine, and several freshly baked treats.
The lunch selection included small sandwiches, salad, fruit skewers, pita and dip, veggies, nuts, and cupcakes. Then there was a single hot option, which was soup.
Around dinner, the cold selection was roughly comparable, with the major difference being a couple of additional hot options.
Wine was available starting at lunch and until the lounge closed, and liquor was also available in the evening. It was a pretty basic selection, and there was no offer for the attendant to prepare a cocktail (as I’ve been offered at some other Ritz-Carlton locations).
Lastly, there was a dessert selection, with a variety of options, plus some liqueurs.
Ritz-Carlton Estró Santiago Restaurant
Estró Santiago is the Ritz-Carlton’s all-day dining restaurant. It’s where breakfast is served in the mornings, and then it’s also open for lunch and dinner, with a focus on dishes from Chile. The indoor space of the restaurant doesn’t feel terribly high-end to me, though I do like the outdoor space.
Breakfast was served at the restaurant from 6:30AM until 10:30AM (it’s served until 11AM on weekends), and consisted primarily of a buffet.
The breakfast buffet was pretty good, but also forgettable — a hotel breakfast in Latin America is never going to be to the level of what you’ll find in the Middle East or Southeast Asia. The buffet had everything from smoothies and juice, to yogurt, to cereal and granola, to fresh fruit, to cold cuts and cheese, to a variety of pastries, to several hot dishes.
On top of that, you can order drinks and select dishes from the servers, including things like custom eggs, waffles, pancakes, etc. I had a cappuccino to drink, which was excellent.
While I otherwise found service at the property to not be great, I have to give huge credit to Jose, who took care of me at breakfast. He was a super nice guy, much more enthusiastic than anyone else I interacted with at the hotel.
I was actually (coincidentally) visiting over Chile’s Independence Day, so he insisted on making me a plate of typical Chilean dishes that he thought I should try. Guac, carbs, and other sugary things? Twist my arm! 😉
Since I had a property credit to spend, I ended up coming back to the restaurant for lunch, and it was a lovely experience, as I was once again served by Jose. You can find the lunch menu below (one USD converts to roughly 1,000 CLP).
At the start of the meal, I was brought a salmon wonton and a cheesy brioche. Yum.
For my main course, I ordered the Pacific tuna tataki with a spiced crust, quinoa, and creamy avocado and coconut milk. Yum.
Per Jose’s recommendation, for dessert I ordered the cream flan with dulce de leche, vanilla whipped ganache, pistachio and hazelnut biscuit, and orange ginger ice cream. Yum again.
Bottom line
I’m conflicted about the Ritz-Carlton Santiago. On the plus side, the hotel has fair pricing, and I’d say it represented a good value for my stay. That being said, this property isn’t up to the usual Ritz-Carlton standard, with inconsistent and (partly) outdated decor, and not great service (with the exception of the restaurant). This is also one of the weaker Ritz-Carlton club lounges I’ve experienced.
So I don’t want to say that I’d recommend avoiding this hotel, because I think there could be merit to staying here. Just don’t come in expecting that this will be some amazing luxury property. I don’t think anyone would be surprised if this were instead branded as a JW Marriott or Westin. Then again, then they’d actually have to honor Bonvoy elite benefits. 😉
What’s your take on the Ritz-Carlton Santiago?
@Lucky: I stayed here a bit over a month after your stay and the experience was totally the opposite. Service exceeded the expectations (considering its a Ritz Carlton). Our check in experience was great and the all the employees we met remembered my name and my wife's since the moment we step into the property. Our rate was higher but in my opinion worth the price. We booked through Amex and didn't receive an upgrade,...
@Lucky: I stayed here a bit over a month after your stay and the experience was totally the opposite. Service exceeded the expectations (considering its a Ritz Carlton). Our check in experience was great and the all the employees we met remembered my name and my wife's since the moment we step into the property. Our rate was higher but in my opinion worth the price. We booked through Amex and didn't receive an upgrade, our room was similar to the one you got. The servers at the restaurant were very friendly and on point with their suggestions. Our server was also named Jose but that's the most common name in Latin America
I'm also curious about the check in experience since it would have been ideal for you based on you mentioning being an introvert. Maybe they read the blog and keep the talking to a minimum :)
My family stayed there about a year ago and we had one of our best Ritz experiences at this property. Personally, I find the mix of decor between the lobby and the renovated rooms nice. With the lobby you can experience a "luxury property" similar to those built in the 80s-90s across South America and feel the historical ambiance the architects were going for. Once you get to your room however, you've transitioned back to...
My family stayed there about a year ago and we had one of our best Ritz experiences at this property. Personally, I find the mix of decor between the lobby and the renovated rooms nice. With the lobby you can experience a "luxury property" similar to those built in the 80s-90s across South America and feel the historical ambiance the architects were going for. Once you get to your room however, you've transitioned back to the 21st century comfort.
Regarding the service, the front desk was fairly transactional when we checked in too. This was the only service that we had that didn't match our normal Ritz experience. Once I reminded them that we had Lounge access someone escorted us up to the Club to finalize our check in. After that all of our service was amazing, we stayed there 2 nights and 3 days. We visited in early May and so it was out of season for families to visit. Everyone from the restaurant to the lounge to the housekeeping staff loved playing and hanging out with our son. From a food perspective anything that my son normally ate that we asked about the lounge staff had it available or sent up from the kitchen. I casually mentioned when getting a drink that I preferred Coke over Pepsi and that evening during turn down there were two Cokes in our room and every lounge attendant asked if I wanted one every time we came to the Lounge. I've never experienced that at another Marriott property or a Ritz (8 or so stayed at globally) regardless of my status or room category booked.
Finally, this is where a little or a lot of pre-property research becomes important, there are a few amenities that this Ritz has which you have to inquire about or they may come up in conversation while staying there. I don't want to put them on OMAAT because it would be easy to get overly abused, but I also want to tease a little because we all enjoy a little thrill of the hunt. Here are some hints: (a) 2 unique property benefits would come up in conversations if you were at this location for a few days naturally [for one of these benefits if you have ever been to the Ritz in Bali / Nusa Dua for a few days you'd know they offer this too]. (b) The last property benefit is so unique that unless you find the 1 (one) and only mention of it online you wouldn't know to ask. I only came across it after many hours of research and it helped to me to select the Ritz over the W in Santiago just for the chance to ask. Happy Hunting!
@ Pucnit -- Wait, don't leave us hanging like this, c'mon!!!
Why was there not a butler or a club lounge check-in? Labor is super cheap in Chile, at least relatively speaking compared to USA or Europe. As this is a Marriott-managed property (like 99.9% of all other Ritz-Carltons), I can't help but to wonder if they have cut costs (given the CEO's comments) by reducing staffing at properties like a Ritz-Carlton.
At a Ritz-Carlton as a Marriott platinum or higher and on a Stars rate...
Why was there not a butler or a club lounge check-in? Labor is super cheap in Chile, at least relatively speaking compared to USA or Europe. As this is a Marriott-managed property (like 99.9% of all other Ritz-Carltons), I can't help but to wonder if they have cut costs (given the CEO's comments) by reducing staffing at properties like a Ritz-Carlton.
At a Ritz-Carlton as a Marriott platinum or higher and on a Stars rate with club lounge access, I would expect:
1) Pre-arrival personalized email from guest relations
2) Personalized welcome letter at check-in
3) Club lounge check-in
4) A welcome amenity
It seems like the only thing they delivered was the welcome amenity.
Question, what makes you think the labor is super cheap in Santiago? Chile is one of the most expensive countries in Latin America, the others being Uruguay and Costa Rica.
"Perfunctory". The word you are looking for to describe the service culture in Chile is perfunctory.
Having stayed at this place and Mandarin Oriental, I def prefer Mo. I just remembered the gym was so hot that you feel like you were working out in a sauna! The whole thing just doesn’t make any sense!
Wait that's called a wonton? What?
An almost identical review of what I would have written about my recent stay at the RC Kuala Lumpur.
I believe the Ritz-Carlton in KL is one of just three licensed or franchised Ritz-Carlton properties. The others are Chicago and Montreal.
Club lounge def not worth $100 here, but the stars rate / hotel just fine for the price you paid. Which is not a typical Ritz price.
Mandarin Oriental is a nicer property in town.
Well, the chardonnay is a $20 bottle of chardonnay retail. So probably $40-$60 restaurant prices. Two people could easily drink two bottles of the wine. That's probably $80-$120.
This hotel has long been mediocre. Then again, Ritz-Carlton hotels ceased being a top-tier luxury hotel group years ago, particularly with their lackluster service and increasingly bland design. I have also always despised the club lounges, which tend to attract a type of cheap and greedy guest looking to pig out and avoid paying for a meal elsewhere.
These days, Ritz-Carlton is faux luxury.
The older 1990s and early 2000s properties were often country club like (the wood paneling). Some even took design inspiration from Louis XV style, but not as over the top as Trump.
Today, the properties (like your room) look like a Westin or maybe a JW Marriott. The Arlington, Sarasota and Chicago properties come to mind. The only difference is supposedly the service and attention to details....
These days, Ritz-Carlton is faux luxury.
The older 1990s and early 2000s properties were often country club like (the wood paneling). Some even took design inspiration from Louis XV style, but not as over the top as Trump.
Today, the properties (like your room) look like a Westin or maybe a JW Marriott. The Arlington, Sarasota and Chicago properties come to mind. The only difference is supposedly the service and attention to details. But often even the service is a let down. For example, you didn't get a club lounge check-in, which is something most would expect.
While there are a couple licensed Ritz-Carltons, like Chicago and Montreal (and I think Kuala Lumpur), I would not be surprised if Marriott starts franchising or licensing Ritz-Carlton. I see the brand has now been opened to conversions.
By the way, the chardonnay in the club lounge, the Undurraga Terroir Hunter Chardonnay, is about $20 retail. That's actually better than expected. The Ritz-Carltons in Arlington and Sarasota have been caught serving $5 wine in the club lounge.
We are staying in Santiago next May at the Mandarin Oriental. We had been very specifically directed away from the Ritz to the MO. Ben, are you going to have an opportunity to try the MO? Anyone else have thoughts between the two?
The Mandarin is a bit nicer, but the location is a bit more isolated. You really cant walk many places from there and there is no easy subway access. It's surrounded by very busy roads. There's also a mall with a PF Chang's restaurant that you can walk to, if you're interested.
It's nice but location isnt as great, and most contacts I have in Santiago (all bankers, etc) who live in nice areas...
The Mandarin is a bit nicer, but the location is a bit more isolated. You really cant walk many places from there and there is no easy subway access. It's surrounded by very busy roads. There's also a mall with a PF Chang's restaurant that you can walk to, if you're interested.
It's nice but location isnt as great, and most contacts I have in Santiago (all bankers, etc) who live in nice areas recommend the RC over the Mandarin, despite the issues described herein, mostly for the location and the accessibility.
I stayed at the MO a long time ago, when it was a grand Hyatt I believe. It is nice but I prefer the RC location, close to Isidora Goyenechea Avenue (nice restaurants close by, and Costanera Center for shopping a 10' walk away, as well as a bit shorter transfer to the airport). I also like the RC in general better than the MO. Both are well regarded though (the one that I have had I most issues with is the W).
Agree about the location of the MO, there is a large mall and a nice park within a short walk of the hotel but it is basically surrounded by very busy roads and the nearest subway station is a bit of a hike. That said the service is generally excellent (very responsive to service requests in my experience) and the lobby lounge and interior garden are very nice. Mountain views from some rooms are spectacular...
Agree about the location of the MO, there is a large mall and a nice park within a short walk of the hotel but it is basically surrounded by very busy roads and the nearest subway station is a bit of a hike. That said the service is generally excellent (very responsive to service requests in my experience) and the lobby lounge and interior garden are very nice. Mountain views from some rooms are spectacular but that's probably true for other high-rise hotels. Apparently the MO gets a lot of pre/post cruise stays and can get hectic and scattershot when it has a lot of short-term arrivals and departures over a single day or two, but I've haven't experienced that myself.
I also used to frequently stay at the MO when it was a Grand Hyatt. It was great, then, but as others mention a bit isolated. I agree with Ben’s review of the RC, the hotel is less nice, but the location is better than the MO.
Other than that, Santiago is not offering much in terms of upmarket hotels. The IC is also rather old and not so great. The Sheraton is even worse...
I also used to frequently stay at the MO when it was a Grand Hyatt. It was great, then, but as others mention a bit isolated. I agree with Ben’s review of the RC, the hotel is less nice, but the location is better than the MO.
Other than that, Santiago is not offering much in terms of upmarket hotels. The IC is also rather old and not so great. The Sheraton is even worse and also isolated by a motorway.
Midmarket there is a DoubleTree (nice location, o.k.-ish in terms of service, lounge still labeled in the elevator, but never re-opened after pandemic) and a rather nice FourPoints (good location, good service, one of the better FourPoints).
An intriguing hotel in Santiago is the Singular. It's a Leading Hotel property, and it's very nice. closer to downtown. I'd recommend checking that one out.
Thanks everyone for the feedback.
I just got back from a stay at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia in Vancouver, and they have the same Dyptique toiletries as the RC Santiago. Very nice!
Totally OT, but if anyone finds themselves in Vancouver, the Rosewood Hotel Georgia is an awesome property.
I stayed here exactly a month ago, and it matched my expectations.
Ritz-Carlton has, in my opinion, largely fallen as a brand. It's kind of the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse of high end hotel chains. High end, but it's lost its luster and for the most part cant compare with the really high end chains, but it's still "fancy".
So for me, this hotel was what I expected. My room looked EXACTLY like yours. Though...
I stayed here exactly a month ago, and it matched my expectations.
Ritz-Carlton has, in my opinion, largely fallen as a brand. It's kind of the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse of high end hotel chains. High end, but it's lost its luster and for the most part cant compare with the really high end chains, but it's still "fancy".
So for me, this hotel was what I expected. My room looked EXACTLY like yours. Though I didnt get a club room. I too booked through STARS and got all the amenities you did.
I too thought the renovations they did to the guest rooms were good. I was happy with mine.
As far as the public spaces... it's exactly what I thought. Ritz-Carlton, in its current iteration, was founded in Atlanta Georgia, and for me Ritz-Carlton decor has ALWAYS been associated with 1990s/ early 2000s Atlanta design. The lobby in this hotel for me just SCREAMED Atlanta 1990s. I appreciated the timewarp/ journey to my youth.
I also ate in the restaurant for breakfast and I think I had the same enthusiastic waiter. He was great.
Overall, the price was right and it was in a good location for my needs during my stay in Santiago. I'd definitely stay there again.
OH.. and I stayed at the Ritz Carlton Aruba a few weeks later. If you thought the Santiago location fell short of R-C standards, I invite you to Aruba..
Yes, I was chatting with Ben below. Outside of the Reserves, what Ritz Carlton property is particularly exciting? For less than 300 dollars, this seems pretty good!
Thanks. My rate was I think $380, so a little pricier. The hotel was full. But I still liked it and found the whole experience worth it..
Whereas the Aruba R-C was nearly $1k (I was just there one night) and was absolutely not a room that should be more than $300-$400... but on Aruba that's the nicest property so that's what they get. Never again.
Good comparison. The average St. Regis is still generally better than the average Ritz-Carlton. But on the whole, a Ritz-Carlton property, especially domestically in the USA, offers the experience a JW Marriott offered 10 or 15 years ago.
Marriott should hire the Capital Grille folks. They could teach Ritz-Carlton a lesson. There's nothing wrong with shabby chic or old-school country club decor, if it's quality and done well.
We have stayed there 5 times over a decade and love the place. Their concierge arranged all sorts of things for us.
I think you aren’t used to cultural differences. That hit us too first time. These aren’t Americans working in Chile they are Chileans working there. Just different. Not bad. Decor is decor, can’t argue that. But I think you’re a little hard on the place. Particularly bang for buck.
Not Ritz-Carlton level, but for some reason that first photo of the lobby with the plant appealed to me... maybe I'm getting older and more nostalgic, lol
Same, the lobby looks very classy to me.
I stay at this property quite a bit and I agree with your view. Property is very nice, I like the lobby (prior to the refresh all rooms had a similar style), spotty service sometimes and lately they have been significantly hiking certain service prices (i.e. car service hourly rate, transfer to the airport, etc.) and also they seem to be trying to control costs (i.e. hot water being lukewarm at times during the day). In my view it is much better than the W.
We stayed at the W right down the street recently. It was a toss up between these two properties and we were extremely happy with the W. Room was massive and modern, also had a huge balcony which was a plus. Onsite restaurants were great and the rooftop pool/bar had great views. Added bonus was the rental car return was located on the first floor on this property so dropping that off after our journey down south to vineyards was incredibly convenient.
Le Reve.
Great review. I don't know, for the cost it seemed like a great stay. I actually struggle with your hotel reviews the most because value to cost is important to me. 259USD a night (I am not including your club upgrade), with the 100USD credit at the stars rate is remarkable for a Ritz that offers 90% of what most city Ritz's provide. Yes it would be nice if the receptionist was nicer, but is...
Great review. I don't know, for the cost it seemed like a great stay. I actually struggle with your hotel reviews the most because value to cost is important to me. 259USD a night (I am not including your club upgrade), with the 100USD credit at the stars rate is remarkable for a Ritz that offers 90% of what most city Ritz's provide. Yes it would be nice if the receptionist was nicer, but is that worth an extra 800 dollars a night like your local FLL Ritz? Also I can't think of an 'amazing' Ritz Carlton in the western hemisphere that isn't a Reserve.
It is why sometimes I am mildly critical of your free/cheao stays through your husband. They totally have value and you absolutely should review even in those opportunities but the value to cost standpoint is compromised. The more I pay, the more I expect.
@ Andrew -- In fairness, the rate was especially low the night I was staying (probably because it was a holiday), and on other dates the property sometimes goes for $300-500 per night.
But if you take out the club lounge, and if you consider service wasn't great, what really makes this hotel superior to your average four-star property? It's certainly not room decor, or the design of public spaces. If you book through a...
@ Andrew -- In fairness, the rate was especially low the night I was staying (probably because it was a holiday), and on other dates the property sometimes goes for $300-500 per night.
But if you take out the club lounge, and if you consider service wasn't great, what really makes this hotel superior to your average four-star property? It's certainly not room decor, or the design of public spaces. If you book through a program like Marriott STARS you can at least get breakfast, but for Bonvoy members who redeem points, they'll get even less value here.
But I totally agree with you that it's worth considering the value you get with a stay. You're absolutely right that so many luxury properties just don't offer value anymore. They can get away with charging high rates, and people will pay them. But if you actually want value for money, well, that can be tough...
Thanks Ben! That is a good point on the 4-starness of your experience. Your blog (which I love), your rules, I almost wonder maybe 2-3 sentences in your reviews on a cost/value analysis. But up to you if you think that is useful!
Uneven, indeed. Nice lunch menu.