The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale

Not a true Ritz Carlton. Have stayed here a few years ago and it was just ok, but saw they renovated and the rates were decent so booked an ocean front suite for end of November. Called the hotel to prepay and make other arrangements. When you call the hotel you get an answering machine, and need to select one of 8 options - not a great first impression. I’ve never called a Ritz, 4S, etc and not gotten a human right away. Finally got a hold of front desk, they said if I wanted to prepay I had to buy Marriott gift cards, which I’ve never heard before (and seems very scammy). They said this was to prevent “fraud”, but if anything I think this does the opposite. While I was speaking to the front desk, they were silent after I asked a question and he put the phone on hold without telling me, making me wait several minutes for no apparent reason. Again, not typical ritz (or any respectable hotel) service. It felt like I was calling a Motel 6. I’m thinking of canceling this reservation and looking to stay at either the Four Seasons (which I stayed at last year and was amazing) or the Ritz in Bal Harbor.

The pool area is stunning, with luxurious amenities and beautiful surroundings that overlooks the ocean. It has a dining restaurant and a bar, hot tubs and there is also beach access however during our visit it wasn't working. The service is great, and we were offered pool amenities multiple times, including frozen grapes and smoothies, as well as gelato ice cream, which added a luxury vibe to the experience. I would like to mention the excellent service provided by the pool staff, including Keddar our server, Scott and Richard at the bar and Ruben, the pool attendant.

My sister and I just got back from a quick trip to the Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale and we had a great stay. The hotel is beautiful, the location is convenient, and the service really stood out. Every employee we met was wonderful, but these two deserve a special mention. Our first interaction was with Maurell at the front desk, and she set the tone right away. She was very friendly and welcoming . We arrived early and tried to check in a few times but the room wasn't ready until the original check-in time of 4 PM. so it made for a long wait. When we went back up to the desk and were told the room was finally ready, she came out of the office to personally take care of us. She knew we had been waiting a long time and surprised us with an upgrade to a beautiful room with an amazing view of the pool and the ocean. Rodney by the pool also deserves a shout-out. He checked on us every day always with a smile, and made sure we were taken care of. He really did make us feel like VIPs. We really enjoyed our time at this beautiful hotel and we will definitely be back.

The standout experience of our stay was undoubtedly the exotic animal show at the pool. It was both entertaining and fascinating to observe the animals up close and gain insights into their behaviors. Our pool server, JC, took exceptional care of us for two consecutive days, going above and beyond to ensure that we had everything we needed. Thank you also to Ruben for consistently providing us with his warm and welcoming service, always ensuring we were seated in a pleasant spot. We are already looking forward to our next visit and plan to extend our stay a little longer next time.

This has been (was) my go to hotel in Fort Lauderdale for many years. Unfortunately, that is now over. However, I will only write about the Club Lounge, which has entirely lost it's way for several years. I have written to the management over and over about the inadequecy and lackings of this Club Lounge, in relation to some of the other stellar properties around the Country (World, actually). There are many Club Lounges that strive for excellence; this is far from one of them. My Gold Standard has always been Dallas, where they go out of their way for some amazing presentations. However, Chicago is awesome, NoMad is (pricey to the extreme) awesome, Naples is awesome, Key Biscayne is awesome, Atlanta is awesome, etc .... but what the hell happened to Fort Lauderdale ?? It was TOTALLY awesome 10 years ago. Where did they go WRONG ?? What they put out is low level garbage. Everything looks like it came out of a box and got re-heated in an oven. Nothing looks like it was cooked on property. It wouldn't surprise me if they tried to pass off pigs in blankets, for dinner. The scrambled eggs are so soupy, due to the condensation, that they are inedible, unless you have absolutely no quality standards when it comes to the things you eat. The bacon was hard as a rock; and not flavorful. You don't stay at a Ritz Carlton for lack of quality. The name Ritz Carlton should be synonomous with Quality. They wrote the book, on quality. This property has a long way to go, to get their reputation back. Get rid of the poor excuse for a Chef, and tell the F & B manager that his last day is yesterday, and let's start moving in the right direction with this place. Don't waste your money here on this Lounge, and safe and happy travels !!