The Ritz London

This is not the "quintessential luxury experience" you pay for. I visited for afternoon tea on September 17th, 2026, and it ended with me suffering acute diarrhea within two hours of dining. What is far worse than the illness is the appalling way the hotel handled it: 1. Shockingly cold staff: When I reported my severe discomfort to the restaurant staff, they did not ask if I needed help. Instead, a staff member typed on their phone screen asking if it was "too fast" for me to get sick. Two hours is a medically textbook timeline for foodborne illness. This lack of empathy was horrifying. 2. Ignored evidence: I cooperated fully and provided management with a detailed 48-hour food and drink log as requested. They completely ignored it in their investigation. 3. Passing the buck: They used an FCIEH report (which merely proves no systemic outbreak that day) to deny all responsibility, refusing any refund or formal apology. A manager, Rosarie, even stated in writing they would not compensate me and welcomed me to leave public reviews. I chose not to go to the hospital, hoping to endure the discomfort in my room, which ruined my entire evening and the following day's plans. Yet, the hotel took this as an excuse to avoid accountability. The Ritz London enjoys a great reputation, but their food safety protocols and complaint management are deeply flawed. If you care about your health and basic respect as a guest, please think twice before booking. I have filed formal complaints with the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Westminster City Council Environmental Health.

Staying at The Ritz had been a dream of mine for many years. The welcome was absolutely wonderful. The bellboys made a particularly strong impression, making you feel genuinely welcome from the moment you arrived. The room was spacious and beautiful, elegantly decorated for Christmas. On the mantelpiece stood a photograph of Sophia Loren, almost as if to create the impression that she had once stayed in that very room. The bed was exceptionally comfortable. However, there were several negative aspects that need to be pointed out. The room was clearly showing signs of wear and tear. The floor was covered with a carpet, but underneath it, several sections of the flooring were loose. You could both hear the movement when walking across the room and see the outlines of the uneven floorboards through the carpet. It was difficult to escape the impression that the carpet had been placed there to conceal these defects. In the bathroom, there was also an exposed wooden structure beneath the sink, something that seemed entirely out of place in a bathroom of this standard. Once again, it gave the impression of a makeshift solution intended to conceal an underlying problem. The whole experience reminded me of a film set, where everything looks perfect from the front, but behind the façade, it is all temporary and hastily put together. Unfortunately, the same impression extended to the service. Rather than feeling genuine and heartfelt, it often came across as rehearsed and artificial. Considering the exceptionally high price and the reputation of The Ritz, the overall experience was

The room is exceptionally comfortable, impeccably clean, and wrapped in classic luxury. The staff provides warm, highly professional attention from arrival to departure, and the on-site dining options are exquisite.

Please avoid the Ritz during its renovation. We have stayed here repeatedly after having our marriage ceremony here. Our latest stay for one night to experience the new bedrooms reminded us of why "the old Ritz" was so special, whilst the new temporary arrangement is falling very short in terms of its ambience and grandeur. On a very positive note the new rooms in the recently opened part of the hotel have retained all of the charm of the old rooms, despite the fact that during the night our television set firstly didn't work and then was repeatedly switching its bright screen on for no reason, this disturbing our sleep four times. The room was not sevriced correctly during the evening and we came back to dirty crockery and no replaced provisions. The new temporary dining room lacks atmosphere and whilst the service was wonderful, we felt like we were sat in a goldfish bowl with the corridor windows running along the side of the seating area. The public areas are cramped and there is no privacy when checking in and out and therefore it is embarrasing to have to raise concerns aboout your experience with a constant flow of people walking in the small corridor behind you. I suspect many people visiting the Ritz do so having saved up the cash for a long period of time and therefore expect a very special stay or visit for afternoon tea. My advice to anyone considering a stay is to save your money until the whole hotel is open again and consider a visit then. The hotel clearly takes no responsibilty for its current short comings and makes no financial gesture when concerns are raised, which clearly indicates that customer loyalty is taken for granted. This is a repeated theme from customers who have experienced issues and I can firmly endorse that point. A very disappointing experience indeed.

Don't waste your time here , would rather stay in Pub toilet than this place. The staff are rude and just because I have long hair they stared at me with disgust , they were rude to my wife Mandy when she asked for a glass of water , maybe stop judging people with how they look . Gareth Kilminster.