The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas — Hotel in Irving

We spent a weekend at the Ritz Carlton Las Colinas property which marked our 10th stay at a Ritz Carlton property around the world to celebrate a milestone birthday. We came to be pampered and left very disappointed - we’d really like to have our time and money back!||We paid extra for Club Lounge access ($100 per person per day) to simplify our stay and have the majority of our meals/snacks/drinks there. (Club is located on the 2nd floor – the 9th floor is the top floor). When we entered the Lounge the first day, it was grossly understaffed. There was no one at the front desk to greet us and we noticed there was only one attendant working. Most Club Lounges we’ve frequented have 3-4 people at all times (One person to attend the front desk; one person to replenish food; one person to provide drinks and another to clear the tables.) A Club Lounge is NOT a one-person operation, especially a Ritz Carlton Club Lounge. There were times during our stay when there were two attendants, but again, it is grossly understaffed. ||With that, we walked on eggshells the entire time, feeling bad asking for anything, even a glass of ice as one person was doing the work of what four people should do! We were never asked “Can I bring you anything?” or “How are you today?” or “Can I assist you with anything today?”. This made for a tense experience and unpleasant atmosphere which greatly impacted our stay. This was not the typical Ritz Carlton vibe and treatment that we are used to. We felt invisible.||During our stay, we found the Club Lounge Manager, Kim, to be curt, rigid and fake-nice at best. She was overwhelmed and deprioritized guests’ individual requests. She was quick to tell us what she could NOT do which is the opposite of the Ritz Carlton “CAN DO” motto. For example, my husband asked her for a second glass of champagne when his first glass had a sip or two remaining and she refused to refill until the entire glass was empty. Then she took at least 15-20 minutes to bring another. And on the night of our celebration, my husband asked for a double cocktail to sip on the for night and she told him, no, that only a single could be provided. This might be expected at an airport lounge, but not up to Ritz Carlton standards. After another long wait, the single was delivered to the wrong guest as she was the lone attendant for the evening doing the work for four people!||We observed during our stay that she seemed not to care for the presence of children either. During another meal in the Club Lounge, we uncomfortably overheard her loudly and aggressively scolding a subordinate for a slight imperfection of food placement and presentation – this was uncomfortable to watch and hear….within earshot of guests, not in private!||We’ve never experienced this type of treatment at a Ritz property ever before, which really put a damper on our stay overall. We’ve had better Club Lounge experiences at JW Marriott properties. We won’t return to this property and will not recommend to friends and family. ||Other annoyances: The rooms have plantation shutters (no curtains) and bright sunlight hits the room very early. Bring an eyemask! Also, the pool complex is over-run on weekends with an influx of ResortPass one-day guests. It was overcrowded and unclean by mid-afternoon! Ice Machines located only on Floors...

Jenelle and Omar lied to me 4 times during what was supposed to be a wonderful weekend stay I booked for my lovely wife and children here over this past weekend.

I travel extensively for work I am a Marriot Gold Elite member and I have probably stayed 100 nights so far this year alone at Marriot properties around the world so how do you think I feel that this property does not only not meet Marriot property standards much less Ritz Carlton standards.

I called ahead and spoke with Omar who stated that he had upgraded her room to a premium corner suite which was fine as my preferred options weren’t available. Upon check in she was not upgraded or even assisted kindly but treated rudely. A very classy educated lady I might add so I am not sure where their justification for that began.

Secondly, I made a reservation for 5 at the Knife Steakhouse and specifically requested that something be done for her birthday with both the hotel and Restaurant and that I would gladly pay for any of it that money was not an issue. They did NOTHING for her birthday she was not acknowledged in any way which was very hurtful because I am 1,000 miles away working so I was counting on the staff at a 5 star resort to make her feel special and it was the opposite.

Third, my wife called room service and kindly asked for a couple of blankets and pillows for the children. She was told they “ran out” just to be rude to her. What?! I’ve never heard of a hotel running out and giving that as an excuse to a guest much less at a Ritz Carlton?!

Fourth her drinks and service at the pool was subpar all weekend. When I finally reached out to the Hotel front desk expressing some of my disappointment first they ignored me for about six hours and then when I finally got a response, they stated that they would be in contact with her at 10 AM this morning and do something to make it right… want to take a wild guess if that happened?! Absolutely not. Jenelle was rude and unaccommodating. I guess thinking that I don’t know the Ritz-Carlton $2000 rule which states that any employee has up to $2000 to fix or make something right during a customers stay without even needing approval for management above them. She instead decided to as a final jab treat my wife in a rude way upon checkout and when I gave them a $250 Marriott gift card I had been sent from my credit card company. They ignored that didn’t deduct that from the charge and instead sent me the full bill.

Very, very disappointed with this experience when we have family that routinely stays at the Ritz Carlton in Dallas and their other properties across the country and experience as they should an elite level of service. Apparently, Janelle, Omar, and the staff at this property do not care to provide that type of service or even be honest, respectful, or helpful of their guests very disappointing I would certainly hope that a general Manager or someone above them sees this and is willing to reach out to me and somehow make it right so this does not have to be the end of our family’s patronage of Ritz Carlton properties...

TL;DR if you plan to golf or use the tennis courts, or want to have a getaway with an all-in-one package, this may be a good choice. Otherwise, you probably want to spend your money elsewhere.

Room: room has a small balcony, otherwise pretty much what you expect from a higher end hotel. Soundproof is bad -- you can easily hear people on the hallway or from the next room.

Spa: elegantly designed facility with spacious rooms. Steam room, sauna, spa, jacuzzi and cold plunge are included, and additional paid services are available.

Golf, tennis, outdoor pool: did not use (weather was not cooperative, can't comment)

Gym: This is the biggest let down. It is so outrageously bad that it is not worth considering at all.

(1) Locker rooms are not accessible to hotel guests. You either get changed in your room, or try to figure out how to find a hidden restroom with a shower in it. How is this acceptable? The front desk staff barely provided any help in locating that family restroom (only providing vague instructions), and it took me over 5 minutes to eventually find it. Even so, it is very inconvenient if you want to use the indoor pool due to the distance. Then you still don't have a place for your personal items. I was told I could use mini lockers, but I had trouble finding them, and they definitely did not exist for the indoor pool.

(2) The gym is DEPRESSING. I have had memberships to low to high end gyms over the years, and every one of them have spacious windows that allow natural light to come in. This gym is underground, meaning that it is surrounded by walls. It may not seem to matter at first, but you'll realize this is not a place where you want to spend more than a few minutes.

(3) Indoor pool does not have a lifeguard. Even though the pool is shallow (4ft) and I am an experienced swimmer, I know very well that accidents and the unexpected happen, in which case lifeguards can be life saving. I have witnessed that first hand. I spent half an hour in the pool, most of the time being there alone, but I don't think I'll want to come back again if nobody can help in case of an emergency.

(4) When I went back to my hotel room near the end of business hours via the underground tunnel, I discovered that a door is locked. I was lucky enough to have cell phone signal and was able to call hotel front desk, who sent security, but the guy could not help. I eventually found out that the door was bolted from the sports club. This is just infuriating. I don't know what the protocol between the sports club and the hotel is, but this is very poorly handled.

Like I said in the beginning, this hotel could be a nice vacation destination, but don't think about any facility other than outdoor pool/golf/tennis courts/spa. In fact, you could probably pay monthly membership to a fancy spa AND a high-end gym, and the cost is still less than a single night's stay...