The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park

I am a very loyal Marriott member. I have spent 250+ nights a year in their hotels and this by far has been the worst stay all together. So much that I will never step into a Marriott again after this. I arrived on Monday for an appointment this week for my spouse in a relatively cost effective room. $5k for the week. Throughout my communications with front desk they said that it would be likely that I would be upgraded. So I sat and waited. When I checked in there were no options for upgrade. I get it. Checked into the room and it was stuffy and musty. I asked to change rooms and begrudgingly signed for a $1000 night increase that I did not budget for. When I got into the new room. There was food, trash and letters in this room. Keep in mind it’s almost 2am at this point. I check into my new room after the fact and it’s fine. Definitely not a $10k room. For the next several days I was contacted by ritz about my stay over and over and over again. They were kind enough to give me a food credit but $300 basically covers half a meal here. One day before checking out they are slipping letters under my door to pay them more money. I had no idea what I owed. I told them I was heading to an appointment and would settle after when I was able. They said I had to pay before 4pm or I would not be able to stay at this property anymore. I have done 250+ nights in the last year at Marriotts. Driven hours out of my way to stay at them, given them thousands and thousands of dollars monthly to be treated like this. The best part is the final room that I was moved into had other peoples mail, broken blinds etc. I paid a lot of money for a Ramada experience. I will be using my Hilton status going forward where they respect my loyalty

I don't normally write reviews for restaurants in hotels unless I am staying at the hotel, but making an exception here. Recently stopped into the Ritz Carlton NYC alone, while on a long walk, to get a lovely breakfast and experience the hotel. The hostess at the cafe was talking to another customer for a couple minutes and when the bellman saw this, he came up, asked how he could help, and then led me back to the restaurant and helped me to be seated at a lovely spot by the window. The staff then took excellent care of me - even after I made it clear from the beginning that I was not staying there at the hotel. I wanted to write this brief review because in my opinion the interactions I had that morning epitomize two of the things that Ritz Carlton made its name by (many decades ago) with Horst Schulze at the helm: first, that the team that works there are "ladies and gentlemen taking care of ladies and gentlemen" AND that every single member of the team there is empowered to make things right for every guest of the hotel. Happy to see this in action. Well done Ritz Carlton Central Park!

The service level in the Ritz is always impeccable and the location is great. So why my ‘average’ rating: the view out of my room was a dark inner court (and not Central Park), the pressure of the showers was inadequate and I couldn’t find a coffee machine in my room (all luxury hotels add these days a Nespresso machine - or something similar). Add to that the ridiculous prices. Example: you pay $25 for a small glass of orange juice (ie over $30 if you include service) and that is just excessive.

I’ve been staying here almost since they opened 25 years ago - and am at the end of a 3 night stay. It feels like a home away from home - but things have certainly changed over the years. The service is much less consistent than it used to be (e.g., Club service was great at times like on evening of 3/22 and 3/23, but during other times service was mediocre at best…and that’s if there was even anyone visibly working in the club). There was also no welcome note or amenity, despite me staying here for 25 years, which is a simple but nice gesture. Sometimes I need to make multiple requests for simple items, which can be frustrating. The rooms still need a refresh, despite a recent update several years ago (e.g., curtains/shades are old/broken, toilet seat is cheap and loud, furniture has tears, marble in bathroom/shower is showing age/mold, doors/doorways in hallways are visibly damaged (and have been for years and years). Housekeeping carts, vacuums, etc are just left in hallways - something I’ve noticed consistently since this hotel has been open. I’ve made these suggestions and reviews for the last few years, and even brought up some concerns with the last GM, but it’s always the same response “we apologize and we’ll look into it”, but nothing changes. Doormen (Felix/Joe) are great as always. Location is top-notch. I did appreciate the early check-in and late check-out. If I didn’t have an emotional connection to this hotel, it’s hard to justify staying here when there are other options nearby (Baccarat, Aman, FS, etc). I will say, if you’re looking into the Nomad Ritz - stay VERY far away from there. The service and location of that hotel is abysmal, and not a true Ritz. The Central Park location is much, much better.

Great hotel, with a wonderful history. Everything is flawless, that’s the only downfall.. that’s it’s too flawless. You miss a certain personality what makes it feel more genuine and authentic. It’s a bit robotic because they want to have it so perfect. If they would create this personal touch it would be a 10/10