The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island

Looking forward to what we were told was great personal welcoming service that was standard at the Ritz-Carlton chain, I had probably the worst check-in experience of my life despite staying in thousands of hotel rooms. My check-in begin initially and then halfway through the process for some reason the first lady left and unfortunately turned me over to Kara M. I do not know why they make the change. Kara never explained anything and she certainly never smiled and seemed to be unhappy that I was there. Because the reservation was made by the group I was with they had listed my wife's name wrong. So they wanted my wife's ID to update her name. When I provided the TSA approved ID that comes as the Apple digital ID which I had just used myself with the other check in person who approved it without any question. Kara became fairly indignant and said we don't accept that here. I said you can see where I just used this and it's TSA approved and I just walked through TSA at the airport this morning with it. Of course her supreme highness would not accept anything but what she wanted. After that she hardly talked to me, never smiled and from that time on I never went back to the front desk for fear she would be there. I had some questions but I went to the nice ladies at the concierge's desk. Kara just gave me the room keys and a map with no explanation of the hotel. When I did ask about the fact that I was on the club level and if there was a way I could get club lounge access she went through an explanation about how we were on a group rate and that would not be possible. I had called a week earlier and talked with somebody else at the front desk and got a similar response. So you can imagine my surprise when I get up to the club level and see a big sign saying club lounge CLOSED from November 30 to December 19. How can two employees at the front desk have no idea that the club lounge is closed? The simple response to my questions would be to say the club lounge was closed. I was totally astounded that these people work here and have no clue what's going on at the hotel. When we got in our room my wife was checking the pillow as she's allergic to feather pillows and making sure they had changed them out. We found one of the pillowcases to be blood stained. I called down to the front desk and they sent housekeeping up who unfortunately brought up a feather pillow which we had in our profile to not use. We then explained we needed a pillowcase so she came back later with the pillowcase. And guess what? She gave us the pillowcase for us to put it on ourself. I guess it never occurred to her that maybe she should do that. So this is the Ritz-Carlton standard of care. The carpet on the hall is old and worn. It needs to be replaced. The soap and shampoo dispensers are hard to use and certainly are not any better than what I would find at a Fairfield Inn. The indoor pool has been removed and now is the gym which actually has fairly new equipment and was very functional. The ladies at the concierge desk were always helpful. The wait staff at the Tidewater Grill were always nice and I just wish they were the ones who did the check ins for the hotel. Ritz-Carlton is never a place that someone with Marriott titanium status would want to waste their time staying. I thought maybe my wife and I were being overly harsh but talking with the driver who transported us back to the airport he said his guests often had positive things to say about the Omni Hotel nearby but he often heard negative comments about the Ritz. The nice gentleman at checkout asked me how was our stay and I told him very disappointing. He seemed oblivious and didn't respond. And then later he said hope you come again. And I said we'll never come here again. And again he didn't respond and seemed to be oblivious. Oblivious may be the best word for the level of service and concern at this hotel.

Beautiful hotel in a great location. We enjoyed a quick overnight get-a-way in a sixth floor suite with a magnificent ocean view. The concierge provided a listing of resort activities and a walk on the beach was just fine. We ordered room service-excellent-and a movie. In the morning a second quick walk and a soak in the tub. The room was fully appointed with all the luxury amenities. Service is exceptional.

I recently stayed at this hotel for a work conference and overall had a pleasant experience. The property itself is beautiful—the grounds are well-kept, relaxing, and give the place a charming atmosphere. The service was definitely a highlight; staff were consistently friendly, attentive, and eager to help... a special Shout-out to Michelle and Heather at the lobby bar for going above and beyond to provide good- friendly service. Where the hotel fell a bit short was the food. While it wasn’t bad, it didn’t quite match the quality of the rest of the experience and certainly didn’t feel five-star. The options were somewhat limited and the flavors didn’t stand out. In summary, it’s a lovely place with excellent service and gorgeous surroundings, but the dining could use improvement to truly reach a five-star standard.

Despite a few surprising lapses in service that were quickly and expertly corrected, we had a wonderful get away at the Ritz. The hotel location is simply beautiful in the dunes on a pristine beach, there are many cozy alcoves to sit in outside and inside, the restaurants are lovely and food was always deliciously prepared and service great. The staff really made our stay so special, we were spoiled for our anniversary everywhere we went in the hotel! Some standouts were Lisa the concierge, Lisa the greeter at the front desk, Gina and Kevin at the sushi bar and Rush at Cocchina. A special thanks to the gentleman manager at the spa who really went out of his way. I would def rent a car as its out of the way, Courtesy cars are available for a night only. Salt was an experience and very elegant.

This is an amazing property. Easy to get to from the Jacksonville airport, on the beach with amazing facilities. They have one of the largest and most beautiful spas I have seen at a resort (truly breathtaking), the gym is large and has great equipment, the Yoga class was wonderful and to a person the staff is friendly and they go out of their way to make sure your stay is so memorable. So many restaurants to choose from (and Chef Garrett Gooch does a super job), The pool is big, there are many beautiful shops on property and the rooms are beautiful. The General Manager, Greg Cook, introduced himself to us and was genuinely nice and ready to make everything perfect for us and Alex Corbett, a Sales Executive, was so on top of things and committed to making this a special weekend and it was. You will not go wrong at this property as it has everything for everybody. We cannot wait until we return.