The Ritz London

A deeply disappointing evening at The Ritz London. Although the hotel has since apologised and acknowledged the shortcomings in their service, they offered no incentive or goodwill gesture to encourage a return visit — surprising for a 5‑star establishment. They have also claimed that my review on another website was fake and had it taken down. I attach a copy of the receipt. I will publish photos if they try again to remove this review. I also have an email I will be happy to share. I wrote a soft letter to them complaining, I had a more forceful call with the duty manager, the response was a cavalier disregard for our concerns. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ I am writing to express my disappointment with our visit to the Ritz on 25 July 2026. What should have been a birthday celebration for six adults and two children became a disorganised and uncomfortable evening. Renovation information was vague, and despite calling twice for clarification, I was not told that the lobby lounge no longer existed. As a result, my family arrived in three groups with nowhere to meet. The first group were sent to the downstairs Rivoli Bar, told there was no reservation in my name, refused water during a heatwave, and informed they could not take drinks to the lounge. I am told the Rivoli was too small to seat eight. There was no duty manager, no security presence, and no staff overseeing arrivals. No one acknowledged me as the host, and two male guests were repeatedly mistaken for the organiser. Before we could have a drink, we were twice told our table was ready and encouraged to move immediately. Despite my request not to be seated outside, we were placed in the Secret Garden beside a door that disrupted us throughout the evening. Service was slow and confused: drinks took over thirty minutes, one arrived only as we left for dinner, and no one offered to carry it — something that had always been standard. The waitress appeared overwhelmed, repeatedly leaving mid‑order. In the dining room, fish splashed onto a guest without apology. Some dishes were excellent, others poor — including a metallic bouillabaisse sauce. A waitress told us we “didn’t need to feel intimidated by the staff,” ( we were not) and a waiter cleared glasses with his fingers inside them. Our table placement left us unable to see the Cabaret; from the far right‑hand corner, we saw only the performers’ backs, and the bright glass roof diminished the atmosphere. There was no one to speak to when we left, and only later did a guest admit he had not enjoyed his meal. Had I known the extent of the disruption or that a less experienced team would be on duty, I would not have brought my family into such a challenging environment. I appreciate refurbishment must continue, but guest impact must be managed to uphold Ritz standards.

A most wonderful experience, we were celebrating our 55th wedding anniversary. The welcome on our arrival was first class. We had a wonderful lunch, then were shown to our opulent & luxurious accommodation. We had cocktails before dinner, then were escorted to the stunning dining room, where we enjoyed a most wonderful Michelin starred dinner. The service was excellent. We stayed for breakfast the next day & on leaving were waved of by the lovely, friendly & professional staff that had made our stay so memorable. Our thanks to them all, waiters, waitresses & especially, Tom, Rita, & Jake. For their exceptional service. The memories will stay with us forever.

A wonderful afternoon tea experience at The Ritz! My wife and I visited to celebrate her birthday, and it was a lovely way to mark the occasion. The elegant surroundings and beautiful atmosphere made it feel truly special. A memorable afternoon together and a place we would be delighted to visit again. Highly recommended!

My brothers and I had planned to take my parents for their 70th and 80th birthday celebrations to the Ritz London on 3rd October 2026. A special celebration birthday cake was arranged along with purchasing a wonderful Ritz teddy bear to give to them as an ever lasting memory of the occasion. This should have been a day to celebrate with the people who matter the most in the most talked about London hotel, however this was not to be the case. Just last week I had a call from the Ritzs expressing their condolences as they where now unable to accommodate our booking, and due to other commitments planned for the day, they where unable to accommodate another time for that day. As anyone would know when booking up such establishments the minimum time is 3 months, so to find a suitable alternative to accommodate in under one month would just be impossible, which has proven to be the case. The Ritz could and would not see the extent of the detriment this has caused to my family and the occasion, the only thing they would do to acknowledge the double booking their end was “4 glasses of champagne, the next time we booked with them”. Given the date and reason for the occasion this doesn’t help the situation that the day has now been ruined, and it’s a day that wouldn’t return. The Ritz have basically washed their hands with the fact they have made the mistake due to now having a “private function” on, and have left me and my family high and dry, not even refunding me for the Teddy bear or even issuing a birthday cake as any form of compensation. This is my second attempt to enjoy the Ritz and restore the faith in it being the most famous hotel in the world, however for me it’s only famous for 1 reason now, being the “worst hotel in the world” and if anyone is planning on going there I would urge you to not, Claridges is far superior then this hotel in every way!

Just home from another wonderful experience at the ritz hotel.The secret garden was a wonderful new experience for us which added to our stay the staff and cocktails were amazing .The dinner dance really made our evening.also we stayed in the most stunning bedroom room ..Breakfast was beautiful the staff couldn’t do enough for us can’t wait to return again