The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay

Our recent stay was not the Ritz-Carlton experience we were expecting. While the property itself is beautiful, the level of service we experienced was disappointing and, more importantly, reflected repeated breakdowns in communication, coordination, and execution across multiple departments. When we first arrived at our room, there was a strong musty, mold-like smell coming from somewhere in the room. We contacted Guest Services and asked if someone could come investigate and rectify the issue. No one came. After waiting more than an hour, we called again. We were asked what we would like them to do and whether we knew where the smell was coming from. We did not know, that was the reason we had contacted the Guest Relations. Housekeeping was eventually sent to the room and sprayed an industrial-strength air freshener. Rather than resolving the problem, it simply covered up the smell. The fragrance was so strong that my partner, who is sensitive to strong scents, had to leave the room. We called Guest Relations again and explained that the underlying issue had not been addressed. Once again, we were asked whether we knew where the smell was coming from and what we wanted them to do. Again, we did not know. A maintenance team was finally sent to investigate. By then, the room smelled so strongly of the air freshener that they could not determine the source of the original odor. They agreed to move us to another room, but because the hotel was sold out for the night, finding another room took additional time and effort. The next morning, we discovered that the toilet was randomly running. Someone was sent to repair it. Later that afternoon, someone came to our door saying he had a request to restock the minibar. We had neither used the minibar nor requested that it be restocked. The following afternoon, we returned to our room around 4:00 p.m. and found that housekeeping had not refreshed the room. We called and asked whether they could service the room after 5:00 p.m. while we were out, as we wanted to rest before an event that evening. We were told that would not be a problem. Approximately ten minutes later, while we were trying to sleep, housekeeping knocked on our door and said they were there because of our request. We explained that we had specifically asked them to return after 5:00 p.m. We called Guest Relations again to confirm that the room would indeed be serviced after 5:00 because we needed clean towels, coffee, and other items. Approximately ten minutes later, there was another knock on our door. This time, someone else from housekeeping was asking whether we had requested extra pillows. We had not. At this point, we called Guest Relations again and asked what was happening. We honestly began to wonder whether we were being pranked. Guest Relations investigated but could not explain why hotel employees from different departments continued showing up at our door for services we had never requested. They placed a block on our room so that no one would come to the room without calling first. Less than ten minutes later, there was yet another knock. This time it was the valet asking whether we had requested a car. We had not. By then, it was 5:00 p.m. and we had never been able to get the rest we had planned before our evening event. We spoke with Guest Relations once again. They remained very apologetic but still had no explanation for what had happened. Nathan in Guest Relations initially told us there was really nothing the hotel could do in terms of compensation because we were staying on a group rate. He later reconsidered and sent an email informing us that he had added 50,000 Bonvoy points to my account. We appreciated the gesture, although it did not change the experience itself. After returning home, I completed the hotel's survey and detailed everything that had occurred during our stay. The following morning, I received an email from Vanessa Lovwell-Vaz, Executive Assistant to the General Manager, apologizing for the issues we had experienced. Later that day, I had a missed call from the hotel. I called back assuming it was from Ms. Lovwell-Vaz. When I was connected to her and mentioned that I had received an email from her earlier that day and subsequently had a missed call, she said she had not tried to call. I mentioned the email a couple of times because that was the reason I had assumed she was calling, but she never acknowledged the email or asked what it concerned. I ultimately assumed it may have been an automated response, although the interaction was confusing since she never asked about or acknowledged the email. Several days later, I received an email from Samuel Ho, Director of Room Operations, asking me to call him about our experience. I did so and asked for him, but was initially transferred to a voicemail that did not identify him. When I called back, I was assured that it was in fact his voicemail and that he was new and had not yet changed the greeting. I was transferred again, and Mr. Ho answered. I walked him through everything that had happened. He apologized and assured me that he would address the issues with his staff. He also invited us to reach out to him personally if we were ever in the area again and wanted to give the property a second chance, assuring us that he would personally make sure we had a great experience. I appreciate the follow-up from Nathan, Ms. Lovwell-Vaz, and Mr. Ho, as well as their apologies and efforts to address our concerns. However, apologies after the fact do not make up for the experience we actually had. This was not a matter of one minor inconvenience or an isolated service failure. The issues occurred repeatedly, across multiple days and multiple departments, and included, Housekeeping, Maintenance, Guest Relations, and Valet. There were repeated failures to communicate internally, requests that we never made being attributed to us, employees repeatedly arriving at our door despite our efforts to prevent that from happening, and an inability to identify or resolve basic problems in a timely manner. The result was a stay that was unnecessarily frustrating and disruptive. What should have been a relaxing five-star experience instead required repeated calls to Guest Relations simply to try to get basic issues addressed. The Ritz-Carlton brand sets a very high expectation for service, and that is why this experience was particularly disappointing. The property is beautiful, and the staff members we dealt with were generally apologetic and courteous. But the execution, coordination, and consistency of the service fell well short of what we expected from a Ritz-Carlton. We did not expect perfection. We did expect the various departments of a five-star hotel to communicate with one another, to know what guests had and had not requested, and to take ownership of problems rather than repeatedly asking the guest to determine how those problems should be fixed. Unfortunately, that did not happen during our stay.

Half Moon Bay is a bit isolated but great golf and walking.

We had a terrible experience at this place, and put a review on Trip Advisor. The hotel responded to the review that it would get back to us about the problems we encountered. In keeping with what you’d expect from a poorly run hotel, they didn’t. Stay away from this place. It does not deserve to bear the Ritz Carlton name.

If you’re celebrating a special occasion, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. This is a dated hotel with truly bad food across the property. The location on the water is beautiful, and the staff is friendly and attentive, but that’s where the positives end. Having stayed at the Four Seasons and other actual 5-star hotels, this Ritz is simply not in the same league. It feels more like a 4-star hotel trading on its location and name than a 5-star experience. It's basically a golf club with bedrooms. The Club Lounge is the worst of any Ritz or other hotel lounge I’ve experienced. It reminded me of a sad airport lounge, with nothing you would actually choose to eat. If you’re looking for something intimate, memorable, and personalized, think twice before booking here. It was a disappointing experience, and I would never return.

A planned weekend lunch at Half Moon Bay turned out to be a fine experience with a visit to the Ritz Carlton. It was thrilling to see this stately, majestic resort with well trimmed lawns and an undulating golf course overlooking the Ocean. Its well kept interiors, attentive staff and the interesting menu at the restaurant made for a very pleasant experience. With lots of activity including strolling on the trail or just plain ocean gazing by guests, this place is highly recommended for an outing!