The Ritz-Carlton, Boston — Hotel in Boston

UPDATE: This will be my 3rd stay here and previously I stayed and gave this a two star review due to the rooms of which I was invited back to try again and see the new renovations. I have to say the rooms are definitely upgraded, and are nicer than the previous stays. I elected the Executive suite and it is stylish and looks a lot better. The suite is roomy and the bathroom is huge and this is more like what I would expect from a hotel of this class. The location is prime of course here since you are in the heart of downtown and across from the gardens and the common and walking distance to pretty much everything. I guess the one area they do need to improve here is the lobby and the bar and the check in process. The lobby is small and cramped and there is not much to it. For a grand classy hotel like this, I would expect a grand entrance and a nice bar area, which it is okay but not really much to rave about. Check in is odd since you are standing in line in the middle of the lobby and then sitting at a desk much like visiting a bank to take out a loan. Very weird and it holds up traffic in the cramped lobby. They should change this practice. Staff is pleasant enough and no other complaints.

Past Review: I stayed here for just one night and I have to say I am very glad this room was a free night due to points from my Ritz Credit card otherwise I would of asked for a refund. The place sits in the Downtown Crossing section of Boston but previously was located at the Taj Hotel which was a much better location. This location is tightly situated and you would never even notice the property if it weren't for the Ritz flag outside. The lobby is also cramped and check in is really odd, sort of a corridor/hallway with two desks and people sitting at the desks probably because most check in online. The bar was the nicest part of the hotel which was in the middle of the lobby. I did not go into the Artisan Restaurant nor did I get room service but it did not look like it belonged in a Ritz Hotel. When I arrived at my room, I was appalled how small the room was and how dated the decor looked. Aside from a large bathroom which by itself was not that special, the room was nothing special and although the bed was comfortable, everything seemed like a chain hotel and nothing I would of paid over $500 a night for. I was traveling on business so I was alone but if I had arrived with another person here, I would of been embarrassed. The room I had two blocks away at the Godfrey Hotel was twice as large, updated and nicer and about $300 cheaper than this place. If you are looking to stay in style, rethink your decision to stay here unless you are fine with cramped quarters and not a great experience. This can't be a Ritz, it looks more like a Day's Inn...

I recently stayed one night at the Ritz-Carlton in Boston, and it was by far the worst experience I've had at any Ritz-Carlton. The staff were unprofessional, and the overall service fell well below expectations.||Check-out Experience:|This was one of the most disappointing aspects of my stay. After checking out, I asked another front desk staff member if I could store my bags for a few hours, as the person who assisted me was helping another guest. Despite being within earshot of my check-out, this staff member questioned whether I was even a guest at the hotel, asking, "Are you a guest here?" For someone with Ambassador status, this felt offensive, discriminatory, and incredibly unwelcoming.||Welcome/Arrival Experience:|As an Ambassador member, I typically receive a small gesture upon arrival, such as a welcome note or a small gift like chocolate or fruit. This property, however, hadn’t even assigned my room in advance, and nothing was prepared for my arrival. When I inquired about these, the staff scrambled to put something together, but it felt insincere since I had to request it. Additionally, the check-in staff member was cold and unapproachable, creating a tense atmosphere where I felt I couldn’t ask any questions without walking on eggshells.||No Upgrade:|Despite being Ambassador, no upgrade even to a better view room was even mentioned nor provided. ||Room Quality:|The room itself was average, but the bathroom clearly hadn’t been updated since the hotel was built. There were visible watermarks on the wooden bathroom countertop, and the water pressure in the shower was low. This property also lacks rain shower heads. The bedroom carpet looked worn and outdated. While this might be acceptable for a standard Marriott, it is completely unacceptable for a hotel charging over $900 per night.||American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts Benefits:|The hotel staff appeared unfamiliar with their obligations under the American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts program. I went to the Artisan Bistro around 11:15 a.m. on Saturday to use my $80 breakfast credit, which the hotel’s letter said was available until 11:30 a.m. However, the Bistro staff said breakfast ended at 11 a.m. When I raised this with the front desk, they initially insisted the cut-off was 11 a.m., but after I showed them the note with the 11:30 a.m. time, they suddenly agreed with me. This lack of awareness of their own policies was both frustrating and unprofessional.||In addition, I had to specifically ask for late check out, as this was not standard despite the fact FHR guarantees 4 pm check out, and Ambassador does as well (since this is not a resort).||In short, I would not recommend staying here. The staff are rude, and the accommodations do not live up to the high...

I want to start off by saying that I have been devoted to this brand since 2007 when I worked in a traveling position, and being a female, I felt safe traveling alone at these hotels.

Things changed dramatically for me yesterday as I was attempting to stay at the newly reopened Ritz Carlton Boston using point for a weekend birthday stay with my husband. I booked about a month ahead of the stay and received several confirmation emails of my stay using points.

Upon arrival at the hotel, our stay was in their computer system but there was a problem deciphering the points used for the stay, and a “missing certificate.” The supervisor, Mr. Hartley Whyte, checked my husband and I in and asked for a credit card for incidentals, not a problem. We went upstairs and dressed for dinner. On our way back from dinner, we were stopped at the elevator by Mr. Whyte who said that he still couldn’t locate the certificate for our stay. He asked that I call Marriott customer service as there were “privacy issues” that needed my help to clarify. I obliged, at 10pm, to contact their 800 number customer support from my phone in the lobby.

The customer service person Sonia said that our reservation was intact and that the certificate was available for the hotel to access. She could not figure out why Mr. Whyte was involving us in this transaction and why he could not access this certificate. I passed MY cellphone to Mr. Whyte so he could talk directly to this phone agent. The call lasted over 30 minutes in total and I was still being told by Mr. Whyte and a now a Ms. Bruna Bonnet that we needed to offer our credit card for the room as the certificate was not valid at this hotel, despite the reservation and email confirmations.

My husband and I decided to leave the hotel as this was becoming an escalated and unpleasant situation. While I remained in the lobby with my cellphone in use with Marriott customer service, my husband went to the room to retrieve our bags, only to find out that our room key was disabled and we could not retrieve our bags.

After returning to the lobby, my husband was escorted by security to the room to access our bags. He felt like we were criminals fraudulently trying to pull something over on the hotel staff.

At this point, I was crying and upset. There was no sympathy by the staff or support to resolve this situation.

I contacted the hotel manager, Mr. Ricardo Verdan, the next day and are still awaiting a call back, nearly 12 hours after leaving the hotel.

I will never stay at a Ritz Carlton again. The way we were treated by their staff was shameful and irrevocably...