The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage

Huge shoutout to Joni, my favorite person at the Ritz! She is such a sweetheart and perfectly captures what Ritz-Carlton customer service is all about. Every time she checks us in, we immediately feel incredibly welcome. Having visited so many Ritz properties, I can confidently say that Joni is the reason this one is my favorite. She is the perfect ambassador for the brand—they really need to promote her to a global trainer so she can teach front-desk staff everywhere!

Clean room, Staff was Good and Smiling at most days, breakfast and brunch was fresh and delicious. Quite facility with little to none as far as activities. While wives were out and about us Men literally had 1 bar TV and nothing else to do! No billiards, no cigar room, no media room, no game room. I felt it was very limited for adult males to interact or enjoy. Other than that everything else was good. 1 shot of Glenlivet 12 was $32 dollars, the bottle at Ralph’s is $29.99, so skip the drinking or BYOB.

As someone who travels constantly for business and has stayed at countless Ritz properties around the world, I don’t say this lightly: avoid this property at all costs. What should have been a relaxing long weekend with my husband and child turned into one of the most disappointing luxury hotel experiences I’ve had in years. From the moment we arrived, the tone was off. Check-in was cold, transactional, and completely devoid of the hospitality you expect at this level. The concierge was not just unhelpful, but dismissive to the point of telling us to “just Google it ourselves.” The issues didn’t stop there. The room itself was frankly unacceptable. Exposed cables, broken drawers, and a general sense of neglect that felt miles away from anything resembling Ritz standards. The property is tired, outdated, and nowhere near what is being marketed or priced. Even more concerning was the treatment we experienced. The sideways glances and subtle but unmistakable lack of warmth toward my family made us feel unwelcome in a way that is difficult to ignore and even harder to excuse. I reached out directly to the General Manager following our stay, hoping for at least some acknowledgment or accountability. No response. Not even a courtesy reply. That silence speaks volumes. For the thousands of dollars spent, the level of service and care we received felt closer to a roadside motel than a luxury resort. There are far too many exceptional properties in Palm Desert to waste your time or money here. Do yourself a favor and book elsewhere.

Went there for dinner and the only parking option was valet parking. When we got our SUV back it had a big crease on the back panel. The hotel and parking folks refused to take responsibility or pay for repairs. Since then they have refused to even respond to repeated emails asking them to take responsibility and pay for repairs. So ... beware of going here. They force you to valet park and then refuse to rectify the damage they do.

I recently stayed at The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage for two nights over Easter, and I wanted to share some honest feedback. At roughly $1,000 per night for a standard king room, expectations were naturally very high. Unfortunately, the overall experience did not match that level. This is not meant to criticize unfairly, but to provide constructive feedback. Upon arrival, valet asked for my name, which I appreciated, but that was also the last time it was used throughout my stay. At check-in, the front desk agent, Joe, never used my name once. The interaction felt transactional and focused primarily on my credit card rather than welcoming me as a guest. It honestly felt more like interacting with an AI than with a trained luxury hospitality professional. The Ritz-Carlton credo, “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen,” is something I truly admire. However, I did not feel that standard reflected during my stay. Joe quickly walked us through a property map but never asked about preferences such as room location, views, or whether we preferred a quieter area. That level of personalization was missing from the start. The property itself is beautiful, and the room was nice. However, attention to detail, which truly defines luxury, was lacking. The main pool experience felt closer to a standard Hilton than a luxury resort. Over two days, only one server approached us once. There was no water service, no proactive engagement, no eye contact, and no use of guest names. Small touches like complimentary amenities such as frozen grapes, which are common in higher-end service environments, were completely absent. I understand this property is not Forbes rated, but striving toward those standards should still be the goal. In the guest rooms, each balcony features an electric candle, which is a great idea in theory, but ours did not work. It was likely a battery issue. A simple operational improvement such as switching to solar powered candles could easily solve this and reduce labor. We had dinner at State Fare Bar & Kitchen one evening. The initial impression was disappointing. The hostess, unfortunately I did not catch her name, came across as quite unfriendly. When I asked about pizza, she mentioned only flatbreads and handed me a menu without guidance. Interestingly, the menu did include a pizza section. We were told we could only sit in the bar area because the restaurant was preparing for dinner, even though we were there for dinner. It was confusing. Service took about 10 minutes to start, but our server Ryan completely turned the experience around. He was engaging, professional, and genuinely hospitable. Thank you, Ryan. You were a highlight of the stay. That said, even in the restaurant there was no name usage, there were delays, and there were no small touches like bar snacks, again details that matter at this price point. Another surprising gap was when I needed smaller bills to tip valet and housekeeping. Both valet and front desk were unable to provide change on multiple occasions and did not offer any alternative solutions. Even at a mid scale hotel, someone would typically guide you on where to obtain change. The property also features a large lawn near the adult pool, which has great potential, but there is no seating or activation. It feels like a missed opportunity to enhance the guest experience. In summary, the hotel is visually beautiful, but the details, the ones that truly define luxury, are missing. In this segment, details are everything. I generally prefer smaller boutique hotels, but I wanted to give this property a fair chance. At $250 per night, I would consider returning. At $900 or more, there is a clear gap that needs to be addressed. A stronger focus on team training, especially around personalization, guest interaction, and attention to detail, would make a significant difference. Thank you for taking this feedback into consideration, and Happy Easter.