The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch — Hotel in Four Corners States

German Version:||Diesen Winter haben wir drei Hotels in drei verschiedenen Skigebieten besucht. Wir haben im Februar fünf Nächte im Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek verbracht.||Lage:||Das Hotel liegt direkt am Sessellift – Ski-in-ski-out ist also kein Problem. Im Hotel befindet sich ein gut sortiertes Sportgeschäft mit sehr netter Bedienung. ||
Unser Zimmer (Nr. 520) war im Grunde nicht mehr als das eines gehobenen Mittelklasse-Hotels – weit entfernt von einem 5*-Standard für den stolzen Preis von ca. $ 1.400,- für die reine Übernachtung. Nicht besonders geräumig und es fehlte eine kleine Sitzecke, wo man sich hätte aufhalten können. Als diesbezüglicher Aufenthaltsort kamen nur 2 (nicht sehr bequeme) Sessel in einer Ecke, der Schreibtischstuhl oder die Betten in Frage. Dazu ein offenbar seit Jahrzehnten nicht renoviertes Bad, im obligatorischen weißen Marmor mit der Technik und dem Charme der 80er (sehr kleine Dusche, 1 Waschbecken, nicht mal ein Handtuchhalter-Radiator). ||Stauraum für Kleidung, die gelegt wird, war Mangelware. Um diesen knappen Stauraum nicht noch mehr zu verringern, war der Safe ganz offenbar senkrecht neben einer Kleiderstange eingebaut – vollkommen idiotisch, da so der Ablageplatz extrem eng bemessen war und beim Öffnen der Tür immer wieder etwas hinausfiel. Haken zum Aufhängen von (nasser) Skikleidung gab es ebenfalls nicht. Der Kleiderständer war schnell überfüllt und eignet sich zum Trocknen nicht. Die Minibar war leer, dafür standen verschiedene Säfte etc. in einem Regal. Die Heizung im Zimmer selbst funktioniert gut. Der Aufpreis für „Mountain- View“ lohnt sich auf gar keinen Fall, da man vor die Holzkonstruktion des Daches und die Liftanlage schaut. Ansonsten war das Zimmer ruhig und man hörte nichts aus anderen Zimmern.||
Bei Ankunft trafen wir an der Rezeption auf zwei junge, sehr freundliche Leute. Uns den Weg zum Zimmer zu zeigen, lag offenbar weder in ihrem noch sonst in irgendeinem Aufgabenbereich. Auf unsere Frage am 1. Morgen nach Skikeller etc. wurde uns der Weg kurz erklärt, nicht aber die Öffnungszeiten etc.. Erläuterungen zu den wichtigsten Einrichtungen des Hotels: ebenfalls Fehlanzeige.||
Das Housekeeping ist eine Erfahrung für sich: ein defekter Fön konnte erst nach einer 3/4 Stunde und vier Anrufen ausgetauscht werden, als wir Tatiana Morales, die für Gäste Verantwortliche, eingeschaltet hatten. Das Zimmermädchen hatte schon an ersten Tag die Badematten (im ungeheizten Badboden) nicht ersetzt, statt dessen unter den Handtüchern ein verschmutztes Exemplar mit Riss untergebracht. Es sei hier darauf hingewiesen, dass der 3. vergebene Stern dieser Bewertung einzig für die freundliche Entschuldigung von Taiana Morales gegeben wird, die uns wegen der (absolut vermeidbaren) Unannehmlichkeiten sowohl einmal ins SPA einlud als auch eine großzügige Gutschrift bei der Hotelrechnung veranlasst hatte. Eine sehr gelungene Geste - auf die wir aber gern verzichtet hätten, wenn alles funktioniert hätte. Die Massage war angenehm und entspannend.||
Das Personal im Skikeller ist äußerst nett, schnell, hilfsbereit und immer gut gelaunt - und dies auch immer trotz einiger Hektik in der Rushhour am Morgen. Erwähnenswert ist, dass man morgens die Skischuhe angenehm warm überreicht bekam. Die Ski wurden dort ebenfalls betreut, aber weitere Aufbewahrungsmöglichkeiten für Zubehör (Brille, Handschuhe, Jacke etc.) gibt es nicht, so dass man täglich alles mit sich herumschleppen muss.||
Das Frühstück wird im WYLD eingenommen und man hat die Wahl zwischen à la carte oder Büffet. Der Preis für das Büffet war üppig (35USD pro Person), die Auswahl immer spannend: manchmal gab es nur zwei Sorten Obst und abgepackten Joghurt, mal fehlte der Obstsalat, mal die Teller, mal die Bowls für´s Müsli, mal Besteck. Ein paar Sorten Wurst und Käse, dazu die üblichen warmen Speisen waren immer zu finden. Toast bekommt man auf Anfrage, die Croissants waren sehr lecker, die Pains au chocolat schmeckten wie Pappe. ||||Die Platzanweiserin im Buffalo´s ist etwas schwerfällig, wenn man aber einen Tisch ergattert hat, ist alles gut: Das Essen im Buffalos ist richtig lecker und teilweise echt originell, der Service dort ist schnell und wirklich freundlich. Wir haben uns dort zu jeder Zeit außerordentlich wohl gefühlt.||||Im Gegensatz zum WYLD: wir waren zweimal dort und es war beide Male nicht gut – das Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis stimmt m. E. überhaupt nicht. Von meinen drei Jacobsmuscheln war die 3. nur halbgar und alle schmeckten wie Kaugummi; beim 2. Mal war das Hähnchen mit Beilage kaum lauwarm und insgesamt geschmacklich – um es vorsichtig auszudrücken - eher neutral. Auf meine Bemerkung hin gab es aus der Küche die Antwort, das Sous-Vide-Garen sei nun mal eher nicht heiß. Da ich selbst erfahrene Sous-Vide-(Hobby-)Köchin bin, weiß ich, dass man 1. vorgewärmte Teller nehmen sollte und 2. den Gang nicht stehen lassen sondern sofort servieren sollte – dann ist die Temperatur auf jeden Fall passend. Seltsam, dass dies im WYLD offenbar nicht bekannt ist. Die Bedienung im WYLD war jedes Mal sehr freundlich, gut gelaunt und aufmerksam. Interessant in diesem Zusammenhang ist, dass sowohl Hotelgäste als auch Angestellte unsere Meinung, dass man es hier, statt schmackhafte Kost zu liefern, versucht, auf Biegen und Brechen das Rad neu zu erfinden, mit dem Hinweis teilten „They (das WYLD) are trying too hard“.||||Die Bar: wenn man nicht direkt an der Bar sitzt, kann es bei entsprechendem Andrang vorkommen, dass man von der Bedienung übersehen wird. Dies ist uns schon am ersten Tag zwei Mal passiert. Der Grund liegt ganz offenbar nicht in der fehlenden Aufmerksamkeit der Mitarbeiter, sondern darin, dass die Bar personell unterbesetzt ist. An den Tagen, wo es leerer war, wurden wir nämlich immer prompt, aufmerksam und freundlich bedient. Direkt an der Bar hockend haben wir uns am wohlsten gefühlt. Dass es im weiteren Barbereich nachmittags und abends Livemusik gibt, ist Geschmackssache. Für unseren ganz persönlichen Geschmack war dies ein bisschen too much.||||Barbetrieb draußen: die Bedienung an der Champagner-Bar ist freundlich, aufgeschlossen, gut gelaunt und man muss auch in der Rushhour nicht lange auf sein Getränk warten. Dass man dort keinen Kir Royal kennt, macht nichts, denn der Bellini ist super. Dass allerdings alles in Plastikbechern serviert wird, die dann in den Müll wandern, ist m.E. eine absolut vermeidbare Umweltbelastung, da es stylische Gläser aus Kunststoff gibt (auch für Champagner), die gut aussehen und immer wieder verwendet werden können. Dass der Grill draußen offenbar ein eigener Profit-Center ist, fanden wir nachteilig, denn die köstlichen Snacks aus dem Buffalo´s waren folglich draußen nicht zu bekommen.
||Summa summarum gibt es einige positive Aspekte, jedoch finden wir, dass für das, was geboten wird, der Zimmerpreis (der ohne Mahlzeiten oder Getränke ist) viel zu hoch ist. Selbst unter Berücksichtigung den in USA höheren Preisniveaus. ||||||English version:||This past winter we stayed in three hotels in three different ski resorts. ||||We spent five nights in February at the Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek.||||Location:||The hotel is located directly near a chairlift so that ski-in/ski-out isn’t a problem. There is a well-assorted sporting goods store in the hotel with friendly service.||||Our room (No. 520) was essentially nothing more than an upper middle class hotel room – far from a 5*-luxury room for a proud $ 1,400 a night (for accommodation alone). The room wasn’t particularly large and a didn’t have a separate sitting area. There were merely 2 uncomfortable chairs in the corner of the room, the desk chair or the beds to sit on. The bathroom apparently hadn’t been renovated for decades and was decorated in the obligatory white marble with the charm and the amenities of the 1980’s (a very small shower, 1 sink and no towel radiator). There was hardly any closet room for folded clothing. Due to the lack of storage room, the safe was built in vertically next to a clothes rod which was completely ridiculous as it left only very little surface area to place items in the safe, causing items to inevitably fell out every time the safe door was opened. There were no hooks to hang up wet ski clothing. The clothing rods were directly overstuffed and not suitable to dry wet clothing. The minibar was empty, but there were some bottles of juice etc. on a shelf. The heating in the room worked well. The extra charge for the ‘Mountain View’ wasn’t worthwhile at all because the view was obstructed by the wooden construction of the roof and the ski lift. Otherwise the room was quiet und you couldn’t hear anything from the other rooms. ||||Upon arrival at the hotel we were checked in by two young and friendly receptionists. However, it was neither in their - nor for that matter anybody else’s - scope of responsibility to show us the way to our room. When we asked for directions to the ski cellar the next morning we were given a curt explanation, however weren’t informed about opening hours etc. Nor were we given information regarding any of the hotel amenities. ||||Housekeeping was an experience in itself: a broken hairdryer was first able to be replaced after 45 minutes and four calls, when we finally made contact with Tatiana Morales in customer service. Already on the first day the chambermaid didn’t change the wet bath mats (on an unheated bathroom floor), but instead left a ripped and dirty bath mat under the towels. It should be pointed out that the third star given in this review is solely due to the friendly apology offered by Tatiana Morales for the (absolutely unnecessary) inconveniences, who also gave us an invitation into the Spa and made sure that we received a generous credit return on our hotel bill. We very much appreciated the gesture but would have preferred it if it had not been necessary. The massage was pleasant and relaxing. ||||The personnel in the ski cellar is extremely nice, fast, helpful and always in a good mood, despite some rush-hour hectic in the mornings. Noteworthy is that the ski boots were always nice and warm when they were handed out to us. The skis were also stored in the ski cellar, but there weren’t any other storage possibilities for accessories (glasses, gloves, jackets), so that we always had to carry everything with us. ||||Breakfast was served in WYLD and there was a choice between à la carte or buffet. The price for the buffet was high ($ 35 per person) and the choices always interesting: sometimes there where only two kinds of fruit, sometimes the fruit salad was missing, sometimes the plates, sometimes the cereal bowls, sometimes the cutlery. Usually there were a couple of kinds of sausage and cheese and typical warm dishes. There was toast on request, the croissants were delicious, but the pains au chocolat tasted more like cardboard.||||The usher in Buffalo’s was slow, but once we were assigned a table everything was fine. The meals in Buffalo’s are delicious and sometimes very original, service was fast and very friendly. We always enjoyed ourselves there. ||||As opposed to WYLD: we were there twice and both experiences were not good. The price-performance ratio is not at all acceptable. I had a dish of 3 scallops, of which only the third was half-cooked and they tasted like chewing gum. The second time we were there I ordered chicken with a side dish which was barely lukewarm and was in general – to put it carefully – rather neutral. When I made a comment to the kitchen I was given the reply that sous-vide cooking wasn’t supposed to be hot. As I happen to be an experienced sous-vide-hobby-cook I know that first of all, the plates should be pre-warmed and second, the dish served immediately and not left standing around for long. This ensures a perfect meal temperature. It is odd that the cook at WYLD didn’t know that. The service in WYLD was always very friendly, cheerful and attentive. In this context it was interesting that when we expressed out opinion that instead of serving savory meals, WYLD was trying to reinvent the wheel, both other hotel guests as well as employees commented: “They (WYLD) are trying too hard”.||||The bar: If you aren’t sitting directly at the bar it might happen that you are overseen when it gets more crowded. This already happened to us twice on the first day. This is clearly not because the employees are inattentive but because the bar is understaffed. Namely on days when it was a bit less crowded the service was prompt, attentive and friendly. We felt most comfortable sitting directly at the bar. Live music afternoons and evenings in the bar is a matter of taste. We personally thought it was a bit too much.||||The outside bar: The service at the champagne bar is friendly, open-minded and cheerful and you don’t have to wait long for a drink even during rush hour. It didn’t really matter that they didn’t know what Kir Royal is, the Bellini was super. However, the drinks were served in plastic cups that end up in the garbage which is as far as I’m concerned absolutely avoidable environmental pollution which could easily be solved by using stylish plastic glasses (for champagne too) that are attractive and are re-usable. We found it a disadvantage that the outdoor grill was an independent entrepreneur, as we would have enjoyed being able to order the delicious snacks from Buffalo’s outdoors. ||||To summarize, the hotel offers some positive aspects, but we feel that the price of the rooms is much too high (and doesn’t include meals or drinks) for what you receive, even taking the somewhat higher level of prices in the the USA...

This review is based on my most recent visit to Wyld. The wildly overpriced, yet still fun, usually great, restaurant with usually great food and service. Not so much on my last visit. Here's the review I left a couple months ago, and here is management's response: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (nothing). I don't know if Wyld is owned by the Ritz Carlton's ownership or if it's leased by the owners of Wyld, but either way, it's inside the Ritz Carlton, so it's the Ritz's management's responsibility to ensure anyone who walks through its doors--whether they're hotel guests, restaurant or bar patrons, or someone stopping in to ask if they can use the washroom--to sell the only thing they have: SERVICE. Here you go, here's the review of Wyld from a couple months ago that was unnoticed by Wyld's or Ritz Carlton's management if they're not one and the same...

Wyld Review

As regular visitors to Ritz Carlton's Wyld and its other dining venues, my party and I were disappointed with the rude treatment we received by the host last night at Wyld. Our poor experience did not end with the host, as the miscues kept coming, including having to send back a well-done steak ordered medium. I hate dining alone, when everyone else is done!

Wyld fell so short of my expectation last evening, I'm uncertain about ever returning to Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch again--for anything--lodging, dining, or spa. Management was simply AWOL!

We arrived on time for our 7:00p seating at Wyld last night and were shown to a table not in the dining room, but in the breakfast overflow area where they set up the breakfast buffet next to the kitchen--not where dinner guests are seated--used when they are unable to seat guests outdoors. This space has all the ambience of the waiting area at the DMV--except it's uncomfortably hot--next to the kitchen, and the lighting fixtures look (and work) like heat lamps making this area impossibly HOT and brightly lit. We felt like the ham under the warming lamps at the all-you-can-eat buffet.

By contrast, the dining room is beautiful, decorated in soft, dark calming tones, mood lighting, carpeting to dampen the noise, and windows through which the ski mountain and patio create a focal point.

Naturally, Wyld has to make adjustments for weather. When we were shown to a table adjacent to the kitchen in the breakfast room, I politely requested another table. Many tables were available in the real dining room. Why are we being seated in a space more suitable for a bagel and orange juice with the kids at 7:00a? We are here to spend $1,000+ for a quiet dinner for four adults at 7:00p. 🤔

I was informed ours was the ONLY available table by a host who was completely untrained, insisting there were no other options for us than a booth in the corner of the breakfast kiddie area) and that none of the available tables in the dining room were available TO US. (Wait for it--those tables are reserved for OTHER guests).

I walked into the mostly empty dining room to take note of all the many scattered empty tables. The host spotted me observing the situation in the dining room when she approached me and politely again informed me there were no tables there available to me.

That's when I asked her about the empty four top in the center of the dining room. She replied that table was reserved, but she could seat my party of four at a nearby long table set for 8. Oh?

Digressing, My reservation for a party of four at 7:00p was secured by a non-refundable deposit. Not content to spend $1,000+ to dine in an area resembling a fast-food restaurant lobby or at a table for 8, I left and requested if the host could find us a table at Sakaba (the sushi restaurant) down the hall where we were recently treated to great experience.

I was told "no" - that's it. One word. Apparently, the only vocabulary word that management teaches its staff at Wyld: No, you may not be seated with the adults in the dining room. No, I can provide you no seating in our dining room. No, the empty four top is not for you--it's reserved.

Really? It's reserved for...

WE WERE ROBBED WHILE STAYING AT THE RITZ CARLTON BACHELOR GULCH

My wife and I checked in the The Ritz Carlton around 4PM on 9/15, two days after our wedding, to celebrate our honeymoon. We went to our room, dropped off our luggage, called our parents, and then headed down to the bar to grab a quick bite to eat around 4:30. When we returned an hour later, I noticed that the blinds which we left opened were closed, and a large sum of cash was missing from the desk. I decided to leave the cash on the desk rather than put it in my pocket because I did not want it to fall out. I also did not expect anyone to be in our room, especially in the short amount of time that we were gone. O ya and we were staying at THE RITZ CARLTON. I expected a safer environment.

I reported the incident to loss prevention and the front desk. When we went to check out on 9/17, I spoke to Julio Tapia, the front desk manager, explaining the scenario. I told him that we wanted our cash back and also that we wanted to get our entire stay comped because the theft was all we could think about the entire time and it ruined our trip. We also had to leave the "Do Not Disturb" sign on for the remainder of our stay to avoid further criminal activity, so our room was never cleaned. He asked me if instead of comped rooms, would I be willing to accept Marriott Bonvoy points. Against my better judgement, I said yes, as long as it was the equivalent of a two night stay so we could come back and properly celebrate our honeymoon. Later that day, I got a call from him explaining that they could not offer the points, our stolen cash back, or any portion of our stay comped. I explained that we were not willing to accept this and we wanted to escalate the situation. Julio explained that he would talk with leadership to see what they could do and that he would call me back. He never did. I repeatedly called him back and left messages a few days later and was told he was "on a break" or "in a meeting." The final time I called I was told he had left for the day.

I got a call from the security department that same day explaining that they conducted an investigation and determined through a lock interrogation that a maid was in our room for 12 minutes. They claim she had a right to be there because they do turndown service at 5pm. However, we had checked in less than an hour before, the room was spotless, and there was no need for anyone to be in our room. They interviewed the maid who claimed she did not notice any valuables and did not take our cash. Since we had no proof of stolen property (there are also no cameras in the hallways which feels like a huge security concern), the security team informed me that they would not be refunding any money or conducting any further investigation.

I then sent an email to the General Manager, Dan Dickhart. He called me the next day and tried to charm me on the phone before telling me that there was nothing they could do about my stolen property or any compensation towards our stay because this would be an admission of guilt and he could not make an accusation against an employee without proof. That part I understood, which I explained to him. I asked him for a little show of good will, some very basic customer service, or at the very least to show some trust in his customers and to help us get our cash back. He kept saying his favorite phrase, "my hands are tied." After I pleaded with him for another few minutes, he said he would look further in to our claims, conduct another investigation, and call me back. I never heard from him. I sent another email to which he responded with a phone call (I get the sense he doesn't want anything he says in writing). He denies that he said he would ever call me back - a blatant lie.

I have since reached out to Marriott who told me that a rep from the Ritz would be in touch with me within 5 business days. Have not heard anything.

AVOID THIS HOTEL...