The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale — Hotel in Fort Lauderdale

My wife and I just got married, we were starting our honeymoon. Even though we are definitely lower middle class, this was a very special occasion. I was able to save up some extra money to treat us to what I’ve been told is a great experience as far as hotels go. I had expectations for what our experience would be that certainly did not live up to what you think when you hear the Ritz Carlton name. First I want to stay the people at the Ritz were great. Very friendly and got my name down on day one. The staff were a 10/10! However, the experience over all was horrible! The room next to us had what seemed like demolition going on…. After a long day and after the busyness of the wedding we just wanted to relax. It was very difficult to do so with all the commotion going on, next door to us. The Ritz’s fridge was packed full of the their items. They had very expensive drinks at 500% markups. Their pricing made Disney look cheap! And speaking about that, we asked about using the fridge to store our leftover wedding food and cake. They told us they could bring us a spare fridge and only later explained it would cost another $30/night for that service. It’s ridiculous that we spent near $1600 for our stay and then would have to pay to use a fridge. Next was the hot water. It took 15+ minutes for my wife’s bath to get lukewarm and then we only had another 5-7 minutes of warm water before it got cold again. We did make a complaint about it and they did come check but nothing was found to be a problem. Just over all experience was not very good. Valet was another bad experience. I carry my concealed weapon with me everywhere I can and am legally permitted to. When we took my truck out the first time, the valet guy spoke very loudly to where everyone outside on the busy street could hear, saying “your gun and ALL the bullets are still in your vehicle”. Not knowing if the Ritz allowed firearms on property I took it to my house and dropped it off, note my firearm was hidden under my seat not very well unfortunately. The same valet guy took the truck on my return proceeded to ask me in front of many other guests what happened to my gun, am I carrying it on my person? I told him that I put it away. Then he again asked me very loudly if I had it on my person. I told him no it was brought to my house. If the Ritz had firearm rules, he should have addressed this in a more professional manner and more discretely. Other than that staff member, the rest were...

We have been long time loyal Ritz Carlton fans. The Ritz has been our brand of choice for more than 20 years. We have booked entire properties for business numerous tines as well as held our daughters wedding at a Ritz Carlton. We have held Cobalt status for much of that time. This visit to The Ritz Carlton in Ft Lauderdale was the most disappointing by far. We arrived on a Thursday evening. Upon pulling into the drive no valet in sight. After going inside to get a luggage trolly to gather our own things and then roll them into the hotel we did spot what looked like a bellman. He did not make any attempt to assist us. As we attempted to check in we were informed that We would not have club level access due to our lacking status. We are Cobalt Members. As I explain and show the front desk attendant our card and log into the new Bonvoy app I then am told we are now Ambassador level in Marriott terms. This is one level from the highest. She then proceeds to tell me that we will not have access to club level etc. because of our diminished status. After some time talking she does give us access to the Club level. We tell her we will take it up with a manager at a later date so she may assist others. We then head up to our room. Upon entering we noticed many things. The furniture is dirty and stained. The bed is not made neatly There is dirt and debris on the floor one bottle top which remains there throughout our entire stay. The batteries in our in room safe are dead. We try and call down to the front desk to report this and no one answers the phone. We tried order room service but no one answers the phone for room service. The batteries do not get changed on our safe so I mentioned it to the front desk as we are leaving on the second day. When we return nothing has been done. We try again to order room service and no one answers. I tried to call the front desk find out how we can order room service and they too do not answer. Our television does not work as it has reception that is allowing only pixels on the screen. I called and asked to have this fixed and it is never fixed. Our shower has numerous spots with substantial mold. I could go on. Safe to say we will not be returning to this Ritz-Carlton. Having said all of that I do think it is important to state that when we arrived in our room we did have a lovely cheeseboard and a bottle of wine as a gift from the manager. A reminder of what Ritz Carlton...

We had the pleasure of staying at the Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale over the long 4th of July weekend. The property was gorgeous and the location is perfect, situated just across A1A from the white sand beach and right in the heart of all the action during the holiday weekend. Wether relaxing in the spa, taking in the incredible views of the Atlantic and Inter-coastal from the club room, people watching while sipping cocktails on the lanai at Burlock Coast, or strolling around town to shops and restaurants, we were never left wanting on our relaxing beach vacation. Having been on quite a few beach vacations over the years in the Caribbean, Hilton Head, and Hawaii, this one was probably my favorite due to the hotel’s proximity to the beach, the amazing beach conditions (soft sand; warm, clear water; very little wind) and the relaxed atmosphere. Despite being a holiday weekend, the beach in front of the hotel never felt overcrowded. The hotel staff at the beach were extremely friendly and accommodating, helping us find a spot on the beach quickly both days that we went. We were pleasantly surprised that a beach umbrella and chairs were provided at no extra cost, which was not the case when we vacationed at a Ritz in Maui a couple years ago. On the second day, we splurged on a cabana rental at the beach to escape the full summer sun. The rental rates were higher that day but this was understandable due to the holiday demand. Ruben and his coworkers at the beach were very quick to get us setup and maximize our short time there. Perhaps the only oddity of the hotel is that the most obvious route from our room to the beach was through the restaurant. It felt a bit strange walking through that area in sandy beach attire but it was never a problem. There were also no bathrooms on the beach but we were told that using the bathroom in the restaurant was the best option and these were clean and beautiful so we had no complaints there. There is a pedestrian bridge from the hotel to the beach that crosses A1A but we were told by another guest that the elevator on the beach side was broken so the bridge was not accessible. Despite that, it was no problem crossing A1A at street level with crossing guards there to assist on at least some of the days and the traffic being fairly tame. Lastly, the valet experience was a breeze; no physical ticket or need to call; just send a text and away we went. Overall, great vacation and a...