The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburon

This is a skip. Book the Ritz Napels on the beach. The Tiburon is tired and simply exceptionally overpriced for what it is today relative to other options. We had a remarkably bad smell in our room, reported it, asked to transfer to the beach, and were denied because we "chose" to prepay for the room (was required for the holiday booking). We were offered 10,000 points or $55 as compensation. Spouse had to shower in our adjoining room due to the oder in our master room. Ritz prices but doesn't come close to delivering the performance for the price. Parents room had hair stuck to the shower wall upon check in.

The Tiburon is a nice hotel with lovely grounds and relatively attentive staff. The pool area didn't quite do it for us however, with just a family pool, lazy river - but no jacuzzi. It was a very nice benefit to have access to the Beach resort whose pools and beach are lovely. Tiburon is showing its age in some areas -- sometimes the older style works and feels homey -- other times it feels dated. The Club was significantly below expectations. Admittedly it is much cheaper than Club at the beach hotel -- but we expected more for nearly 50% higher prices. The Club at the Santa Barbara hotel was fabulous in all aspects -- and we had hoped for a similar experience. On average the 5 meal services fell short relative to our other club experience -- and the two snack services were grossly insufficient. We stopped showing up at the 2nd day. I thought Club level differentiated RC - but I am not certain now and will carefully consider given this experience.

Overall, this is a beautiful property and platform to enjoy Naples. There were many positives about the property, but at the same time with a brand such as the Ritz Carlton several aspects certainly missed the mark. The positives of this property are the Tiburón lazy river and slides for kids. Staff is bountiful and the pool service at the Tiburón is quite good and attentive, they are hustling! The front desk staff are also excellent and friendly. You’re connected to a 36 hole golf facility that is picturesque and well maintained. Hard product and Ritz standard room cleaning with turndown service was well done. We drove over to the Ritz beach resort. It’s a great chance of pace with a bit larger platform of pools, restaurants, and beach access. We found the pool service at the sister beach resort very bad, both ladies would avoid eye contact and had to be chased down. The service was redeemed at the beach restaurant Gumbo Lindo. Sunset views are incredible and the service was A+. The bad: This was very much the tale of two vacations at the Tiburón. During the weekend when we arrived, many locals flock to the hotel as a getaway. This particular weekend there was a soccer tournament and the resort was super busy. Think multiple kids juggling in the lobby at any given time. Kids hanging off a two story LPGA grand stand at dinner. Lively and bubbling, for good or bad. During the week, the resort was essentially sold out to an IT conference. For two days the pool closed early at 2:30. The second day the entire children’s pool area was closed the whole day. The restaurant Ria was closed as well for the conference. The lobby bar was the main option for evening dining. I feel in good a hotel should notify you in advance if there is a massive conference at the time of booking. We were traveling for our daughter’s third birthday and essentially we had to find two days of off resort activities to keep her entertained all day. The conference had two nightly events that went to “9PM” but really ended at 10pm. The music was loud enough to vibrate our suite’s beds. Not ideal when traveling with a toddler. The DJ was centered right below the main wing of the hotel, with music echoing up toward the balconies. We would expect a more thoughtful layout and approach to a conference. There were plenty of areas to set the party back closer to the golf club and not directly under guest rooms at a resort that prides itself as being family friendly. After discussing with the front desk manager he offered $300 credit, vs the full day credit I requested for essentially leaving the resort except for sleeping. He moved us to a new room and they forgot our crib even though we mentioned it several times. No effort was made to do something special for my daughter even though they asked several times for the reason for visit, like a simple happy birthday animal from the gift shop as a redeeming act of kindness. We stay at wide range of brands like basic Hyatts, Andaz, Four Seasons, Banyan Tree, and others. The level of “care” was often higher at some of the lesser hotels when considering this is a premier Naples destination. Many of the individuals were incredible at the Ritz Tiburón, but overall the service and thoughtfulness was hit and miss. It seems like at a management level there are missed opportunities for small wins.

A few days ago, my parents and I stayed at this wonderful hotel, and I couldn’t be more grateful to Tiago J. R. Carreiro, Christine, and the entire team for their warm hospitality. A special thanks to Tiago for going above and beyond to make everything perfect. The rooms had all we needed for the best vacation, and we also enjoyed the beach and amenities at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Beach Resort. We celebrated my parents’ birthdays in the most memorable way, everything was flawless. Thank you for making our stay so special. We’ll definitely be back!

Best hotel!! This was our third time visiting the Ritz Tiburon and it truly never disappoints! From the moment you walk in, the level of service is exceptional and over the top (specially with kids!!). The food is delicious , rooms are beautiful and clean, and amenities are fantastic. Highly recommend!!!