The Ritz-Carlton, Naples

We have stayed at the beach location probably 25 times and it never disappoints. First off we love the “people”. From Tim Mira, Clare Guno, Mike Zsabo, Baga at gumbo limbo, Alayna on the beach, Jessie in room dining, Michael, Matt, Ben and all the doorman, valet team, Eva from the gift shop. Forgive me if I missed someone. What makes this place is not just the elegance of the location and facilities, but the thorough, genuine, sincere and hospitable “Ladies and Gentlemen” I would equate our experiences to a masterful display of an orchestra performing at the highest level. I would also extend our appreciation and gratitude to the housekeeping team and all the “ Ladies and Gentlemen” on each and every shift. Job well done!!!! Thanks again for all the great memories, support during some tough times for our family, and all the terrific meals from the beach to all the great restaurants on premise. We will be back and miss it already. Thanks for always being there for our friends and family. Love you all at the Ritz Carlton on the beach and at Tiburon. You all are the best. Mark and Julie. 5 star rating all the way.

We stayed ten nights in an Oceanfront king room and have stayed here and at Tiburon many many times, for lengthy stays, both before and now after the renovations. This trip a few items caused us needless stress as Ambassador elite returning guests. Upon arrival we asked if daily breakfasts could be included and were told by the front desk person "YES". We received no message, or text, or letter, or communication otherwise until reviewing our charges before checkout which included breakfast charges. Upon inquiry we were initially told they were "not approved" but after explaining that they cannot renege on a promise AFTER we made our daily breakfast decisions for NINE days, the front desk manager credited them. I intentionally crossed out daily charges on each bill and was surprised noone ever said anything about this too. We have many times informed Hotels if they missed any charges to us so of course we expect honesty from the hotels we stay at. (We were a little surprised they did not offer any further credit for this situation??) Normally housekeeping at luxury resorts is amazing and it has been here on prior stays but sadly not this trip. Our first two nights daily service was delayed until nearly 4pm when we had already returned to the OF room to prep for dinner. Fortunately the turndown person provided it. On other days turndown literally passed over us at FIVE PM!? Who does turndown at 5pm? We have stayed at many five star resorts and typically both services occur flawlessly. Despite our paying the higher room rate for OF we were informed we were NOT a priority for housekeeping. Really? Despite these disappointments the main reasons we return are still there--Vanderbilt beach, the adult pool with hot tub, wonderful staff at the pools, breakfast and valets, and fitness classes. (Sadly they did let go the entire prior beach crew right before Christmas and outsourced to a new business with much higher charges.) We did not visit Tiburon but were informed that Tiburon guests can now use the adult pool except on holidays--which we had asked for a few stays ago. The Ritz is wonderful in so many ways....but some improvement is still needed.

We took a trip for Spring Break for a week and the hotel is lovely. Lots of dining choices, great people watching, and the beach was quite nice. The ice cream/coffee shop is fantastic as well. Dixie Lee went out of her way to make sure our ice cream stop was wonderful as the restaurant had closed 10 minutes earlier and we missed our chance, but she brought us what we wanted for free. That was great service. Don't believe the idea that you can use the pool at the Tiburon Ritz. The lazy river is much smaller than the photos show...BUT the kicker is, the pool is chairs are reserved for folks staying at that property. In fact, Sarah allowed folks to cut in line in front of us and gave them chairs, and proceeded to tell us there were no chairs available for people at the other property. SO, you can use their pool, just not their chairs. That was disappointing service and we were mis-informed about the policy before going over there. My kids were quite disappointed. The pool service stand at the Naples Ritz was equally not Ritz-quality as the employee there was rude to my wife for no reason. My wife is the nicest person in the world, so I did not understand that...maybe she was having a bad day, but it still shouldn't be tolerated. The hotel is large and lots of folks are staying there. They make sure to really kiss the butts of the big spenders there and the service is generally very good. However, I didn't feel the 5-star service overall from the property. It was probably too busy for that, but it was disappointing for a Ritz level hotel. Valet service folks were outstanding and very friendly. Now, if you call for your car, don't expect it to be brought up before you get there as they were swamped with people, but they hustled to get every car and tried their best given the busy-ness. Overall we had a nice stay. The rooms were beautiful, just a few bad situations that shouldn't have occurred were the only issues.

What can I say? The Ritz is the Ritz. Their service is way better than Four Seasons, Nobu or Park Hyatt! It is unparalleled! This is a hotel where you are treated like royalty, where everyone remembers your name and your likes and dislikes. The rooms are nicely and tastefully appointed. The hotel and grounds are beautiful. This is a massive resort. The beach and pool have comfortable, cushioned loungers. The beach is stunning - white sand with clear turquoise waters. We even saw egrets at the beach! We saw lots of different fish while snorkeling in the water. Be sure to visit during the time of year when the water is the cleanest. This hotel has exchange privileges with the other Ritz Carlton at Tiburon so you can take the shuttle service to go to the golf course there or the waterpark, and they can go to the beach here. Dinner at their steakhouse was delicious, as were the pizza, pasta and appetizers at Nolita. The breakfast buffet is wonderful and has the most delicious scrambled eggs. The beach bars/restaurants also offer wonderful options. This is a very expensive hotel yes, but in this instance, you get what you pay for. If you want to spend less, consider the Tiburon property and taking the shuttle to the beach.

I planned my proposal here mid-March and the staff was extremely generous and accommodating. Beautiful property for an amazing memory. Specifically would like l like to shout out and thank Brian Wells, Food and Beverage Manager for The Grill. And highest of praises to Chris Corona from Photography Concierge who worked with me to capture a gorgeous sunset proposal. I hadn’t planned on having a photographer and was last minute but he was more than accommodating and the pictures turned out amazing to use for save the dates and website content!