The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage

Stayed here Sunday-Tuesday. No upgrades available, but we had a balcony overlooking the pool. We feared noise but it was nice and quiet. Shower is tiny, there's a big bathtub I doubt anyone uses. Great hot tub with VERY strong jets and nice views. On site astronomer with telescopes was friendly and informative. Lunch at the pool not cheap but SO convenient and good

Overall great!. Room was great. Desert View nice balcony. great resort. 1)A little squished with the furniture near the window. 2) no plugs for phones etc on left side of bed. Big no-no 3) housekeeping so so nice. Always a smile. Really impressive 4) Should not have to open the door entering lobby. Over 5 days, maybe twice the door was opened for us. Should be 100% always. Valet parking $50/day. I thought that was a bit much. But for that $$ someone should open the door for my wife as she enters the car. 5) while others did not like the shower bath design we actually did. Very spacious. Wish the center wood blinds would open as would have been great to let the light flood into the shower. And to be able to see outside while showering. Can that be worked on? 6) please put up a second hook for robes. Only one. Thanks ! Keep it up Ritz Carlton. You are almost there. Bump up your service and you are 5 stars.

This is one of the better Ritz Carltons I've stayed at, which is not a high hurdle as I've had multiple bad experiences with them in the past year or two. The property itself is beautiful, in a dramatic hilltop setting. The rooms are nice enough, and they've done a good job remodeling but it's an older building which shows in some aspects like the plumbing and electrical. We booked a Desert View King, which looks out over the quieter pool and grounds, not the main pool/restaurant side. It was lovely but cramped - they put too much furniture in here for the available space. There was a couch crammed in between the bed and the window, making it difficult to walk on that side of the bed, with a heavy end table partially blocking access to the balcony door. We had those items removed, which made it much more pleasant. Then there's a chair shoved into an odd dark little niche between the built-in desk and the outside wall, not an inviting place to sit but it was handy for storing a backpack. Good closet and drawer space, but when the closet doors are open, it's hard to squeeze by to get to the bathroom. The bathroom was a bit odd, with the shower and tub sharing an enclosure - you had to walk through the shower to get to the tub, which had a window into the bedroom. The shower was crap, old plumbing and poor water flow. There was good lighting and plenty of counter space, and they did provide a scale and a makeup mirror, but no robe hooks. I left my robe on the bed and the housekeeper just rolled it up and left it there. And they only put power outlets on one side of the bed, a big pet peeve. Interestingly, a friend had a Resort King room facing the main pool, and it was similar but larger than ours. The couch fit nicely there, and the bathroom was laid out more conventionally. And yet, we paid a premium for the Desert View room. I did like the view, but something is out of whack if you pay more for a smaller room. Service was good, as were the restaurants. Each afternoon they put out bowls of assorted candies at the concierge desk, which is fun. We enjoyed our stay, and I would likely pick the Ritz next time I come to Palm Springs.

As a frequent guest in luxury hotels and a Marriott Ambassador Elite member, I have certain expectations when staying at a Ritz-Carlton — expectations that were unfortunately not met during this stay. The experience started poorly and only got worse. Despite coordinating well in advance through both my personal assistant and my Marriott Ambassador liaison to ensure a quiet and comfortable room, we were given a room with an extremely loud bathroom ventilation system that made it almost impossible to sleep. Worse yet, the bathroom was clearly not properly cleaned — I found a used floss pick left behind from a previous guest, which is simply unacceptable at any hotel, let alone a Ritz-Carlton. After reporting these issues, we were moved to another room. While this resolved the ventilation issue, the new room came with no view at all — again, not what one expects after careful pre-arrival arrangements. And then came the next disappointment: although it was confirmed in writing that our luggage and amenities would be moved to the new room, nothing happened for over two hours. Multiple reminders were needed, and there was no sense of urgency or apology from staff. This stay failed on multiple levels: cleanliness, noise, room assignment, service responsiveness, and overall attention to detail — all areas where Ritz-Carlton typically excels. Sadly, this particular property did not live up to the brand’s reputation or its own stated standards. I sincerely hope management takes this feedback seriously and implements improvements. As it stands, I cannot recommend this hotel and will think twice before returning.

The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage is what happens when bougie desert dreams come alive… and then get slapped around by a cold front. We checked in with our good friends Bill & Amanda for a double-couple Workcation-meets-mini-retreat. The goal? Sun, spa, no Slack notifications, but in person strategy. The vibe? More Euphoria set design than Desert Dadcore, and I mean that as a compliment. The firepit rooms are 100% the move here. Cozy, private, and just far enough away from the main pool crowd to feel exclusive. We had wine, we had music, we had matching sweatshirts because the weather turned and it was cold. Like, wear-your-Uggs cold. The real kicker? No hot tub on our side of the property. And the idea of trekking across the hotel to sit in bubbling water with strangers felt like too much commitment for a chill night. We made do… blankets, drinks, deep conversations… but if you’re booking in the cooler months, ask about hot tub proximity if you’re into that. Service was… hit or miss. Sometimes champagne service level. Other times, it was “Is anyone working today?” energy. A missed drink order here, a forgotten turn-down there, and an escort to our room who got lost and tried to argue that he was right (we were obviously on the first floor, as we had a firepit). Minor annoyances, but at Ritz prices, we notice. Thankfully, our Amex Fine Hotel perks kicked in hard and softened the blow. We used every benefit down to the late checkout (because obviously). The breakfast was outstanding… elevated, fresh, and served with views that make you wonder if you’re in a luxury ad. The highlight? Poolside hangs with our friend and work crew, snuggled in robes with breakfast cocktails in hand, pretending we weren’t cold and pretending we weren’t working. Would I come back? Yes… but I’d check the weather and call ahead to make sure I’m near the hot tub. The desert is always a vibe. Just make sure it’s the right one.