The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park

We spent Christmas at The Ritz-Carlton and it was honestly such a great experience for our family. What really made our stay special was how kind everyone was to our son. The staff went above and beyond to make him feel welcome and celebrated during the holidays. Those little touches didn't go unnoticed - they really made the trip memorable for all of us. Everyone we encountered was friendly and attentive. You could tell the team genuinely cares about making guests feel at home, especially during the holiday season. Big thanks to Tina and the rest of the staff for making our Christmas so special. We left with some really wonderful memories and can't wait to come back.

Spent one night here in a Grand Park View Club Room (I am Bonvoy Titanium, traveling frequently for both Business and Leisure) with our small (spoiled) dog for a short holiday staycation (from Brooklyn) to enjoy the festive decor. The stay was mediocre, and our room and the common areas lacked character. I would rate it 5/5 for location (which is definitely the hotel’s feature, being right on CPS), the property and service would be 3/5 overall. There are other (dog-friendly) luxury hotels in the city that I would recommend (see my list further down). Cleanliness was very good, but general hospitality was average and at times felt borderline unwelcoming and cold. The hotel doesn’t have much of a lobby (we missed some of the holiday “wow-factor” that we got at The Plaza last year, and that we were expecting based on their recent social media posts). The doormen were not always present to open the heavy front doors (and one day when it was raining we had to look for and retrieve our own umbrella from the container by the door). Room service was standard, decent but nothing special. Club lounge offerings were upscale and well-presented, but service in the lounge was spotty (not always someone at the front area, sometimes the attendants managing the tables would ignore us while chatting with and serving other guests, so I had to get my own beverage a few times). We also saw someone’s recent IG post, that they had recently stayed at the property with their dog and even showed the bed, bowls, toys, treats, and souvenir the hotel had provided. (I realized later, that stay was likely a sponsored one for marketing purposes, and not indicative of the actual amenities one receives.) We have stayed in a few dog-friendly luxury hotels in the city every year, including The Langham, The Plaza, 1 Hotel Central Park, The Four Seasons, and the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge (which we stay at a few times a year and is by far our absolute favorite). All of the formerly mentioned hotels had branded amenities waiting in the room (or brought up to the room shortly after we checked in). The 1 Hotel also has NO pet fee, which is very notable. Last year we purchased a special pup package at The Plaza which included a silver tray of dog treats, a cute hand written card, and a custom-tailored souvenir robe with the hotel logo (I admit that was a little over the top but very cute), and our suite had a beautiful Christmas tree in it, as well. Curiously, the staff at the RC was very proactive about sending personalized notes in anticipation of our stay (2 different teams - reservations and club concierge) - asking for additional details and if they could assist with any arrangements. So I was expecting the actual service at the hotel to be top notch. I had informed them prior that we would be bringing our dog and confirmed what the pet fee was, if there were any additional pet amenity packages I could add for an extra fee. They responded very enthusiastically and even wanted to know our dog’s name - they also assured me amenities would be provided upon arrival. When I checked in they confirmed and said “we see you are traveling with your dog!” And had me sign the pet waiver. However, there were no amenities upon our arrival to the room even though they clearly were prepared for our dog to be traveling with us. When we stepped out for the night with our dog I went to the front desk to remind them we would like pet amenities. They assured me some would be sent up. When we returned to the room later, still no bed and bowls as I had requested. When staying at a hotel like this, you do not expect to have to ask THREE times for something and being told you will be provided them, so we just gave up at that point. Even outside the issues with our dog, I would recommend other properties in the area for the ambience, service, and amenities.

Stayed at the Ritz Central Park just before Christmas. We have been coming here for 15 years always staying on Club level. Our experience this time was awful. The food and drink offerings at Club level was poor and definitely NOT worth the money. We would be better off staying at the JW next door. The rooms were hot and haven’t been updated since the 90’s. We are also Lifetime Platinum Bon Voy members and will be notifying them of this experience. They don’t deserve the name “Ritz” above their door. Go to the Four Seasons!!!

We’ve stayed at a lot of Ritz-Carlton properties. This is our eighth year around Christmas choosing this one in New York. At this point, the pattern is impossible to ignore. The staff acts entitled and irritated the second you ask for anything. No recognition, no warmth, no sense that they care you’ve come back year after year. Room service is hit or miss. The front desk is consistently rude. Nothing feels organized. Nothing feels five star. You pay a premium expecting a luxury experience. What you actually get is the opposite. It’s disappointing every time, and it’s getting harder to justify choosing this property over options like the Aman. It just isn’t measuring up, and it hasn’t for years. Stay elsewhere.

One of our rooms was not ready when we arrived, in spite of the Amex benefit of early check in. The rooms were tired, with rumpled carpeting and scuffed bed frames. The front desk said they were sending up a key for the second room, and they made us wait for 20 minutes, and it still did not show up. I had to go down to get it, at which point they just made me new keys. The breakfast had extremely small portions and was massively overpriced. The American Breakfast seems to charge $12 for a tomato, which was not even provided on the plate. The final straw was that I called for our car to be delivered 45 minutes in advance, as the hotel instructed. Instead, the car came about 1 1/2 hours after we called for it, forcing my entire family to wait for 45 minutes. This was a very poor experience.