Excellent valet parking service doorman Ivan, Francisco and Payton 02/05/2023 great educación in the word treatment with the people and visites persons. Good treatment with the cars until retornable uses.
Hands down top notch leadership and morale at this facility. A huge thank you to Adil for always taking care of our accommodations and providing us extra room to help enjoy our first time traveling with our young daughter. Kindly share my story of gratitude with your staff and thank you for all that you do to help my family get some time away from the crazy day to day... This is our second stay (and second review) on the Ritz Orlando. Our first stay since the remodel; which just highlighted all the beauty the hotel truly has to offer. For this review I would like to highlight the details; which is truly what sets apart the Ritz Carlton Orlando from other properties. Prior to arrival I coordinated with Sabrina who assisted in setting up a replica wedding cake to surprise my wife for our annual anniversary celebration. Upon arrival we were greeted and welcomed back to the hotel; it felt like the staff was seeing the return of family! Upon entering our hotel room we were astonished to have seen rose petals leading from the door, through the living room, onto the bed, and finally to the bathtub. Along with the cake was Champagne as well as a gift for our 1 YR old daughter who was visiting the Ritz for her first time. What a lasting impression!!!! Our bellman followed behind with our luggage and was sure to put everything right where we wanted as he shared the activities happening in the hotel during our stay. Almost every night of our five night journey we ordered some form of room service; and the staff began to know when our daughter was sleeping when we would call in for snacks. This led to them intentionally coming in quietly and whispering as they set up and ensured our food or snacks were to our satisfaction. One night while watching the new release of Stranger Things we were craving popcorn and in room dining replied "while we don't have that on our menu we can make that happen" and within 15-20min came popcorn that was perfectly popped. Again, while a bag of popcorn seems like such a minor detail in a classy hotel, it's the small things that matter to us and leave a lasting impression. Our second day we left our room late in the morning to find our housekeeper in the hallway. She was engaging with our daughter and after our last day thanked us for choosing the Ritz Carlton as our choice hotel for vacation. She also was sure to collect all our daughters' baby dolls and set them up for a show upon our return in the room; one day even leaving an extra stuffed animal for our daughter to enjoy. On our third night our parents who were staying in a nearby Marriott visited so we could enjoy some time at the spa for our anniversary. As we were waiting outside for our daughter to see "Pop" and "Grandma" a bellman named Charles noticed our daughter beginning to become impatient during the wait. He reappeared with a Ritz Carlton toy duck to help her pass the time and the remainder of the trip she learned the word "duck" and she carried the darn thing everywhere:) When visiting the pool, the attendant remembered us from the day prior, asked how our vacation was going, and asked if she could "set up a spot in the shade for us again today?" As we went swimming the waiter had delivered our food but noticed that our daughter wasn't ready to stop playing so he came back over with covers to ensure our food stayed warm and protected. At breakfast I was walking with scrambled eggs on my plate from the buffet. The energetic lady at the omelet station told me she wanted to make me some fresh scrambled eggs and asked if she could do anything else to make my breakfast more enjoyable. In talking with her she has been working at the hotel longer than two decades and said she feels like she started just the other day because she is having fun. While some hotels are trying to get back in the groove of daily housekeeping standards, the Ritz Orlando is still leaving chocolates at your bedside and a fresh glass of water waiting prior to retiring for the evening. There were/are so many more details that I could go on re-living but I would rather just extend a very large THANK YOU to the staff at the Ritz Orlando for truly owning the details which caused our stay to be top notch.…
After visiting 3 different Ritz-Carlton properties since 2021, I wanted to offer my take on our recent Grande Lakes stay. Before I begin, I want to mention that this was a points redemption stay, but this was never a factor during the visit and did not impact the quality of service whatsoever. And one more thing, this will be a long, thorough review, so if that’s not your thing, this may be one to skip. As a Bonvoy Platinum member we were upgraded from a Resort View to a Lake View before even arriving to the property as a result of utilizing the mobile check-in option in the Bonvoy app. (I will note for those inquiring about Club Level, I was given the option while chatting with a hotel representative to upgrade… for an unjustifiable $500/night.) Upon arrival, it is not readily apparent this property is a high-end luxury hotel and at first glance, does not stand out from the endless number of resort hotels in the Orlando area. It is not until seeing the outside doorways and walking into the lobby with all surfaces covered in marble that it is clear this will be a 5-star hotel. The lobby is feels very nice, if a little less grand than it could be due to the low ceiling, and if I had one critique, it would be due to the generally dim lighting which was a contrast to the feel from our Amelia Island and Grand Cayman stays over the last two years. Just taking a walk over to the sister JW Marriott property, there is a stark difference to the lobby style and feel which really sets the tone for a stay since this is a guest’s first impression of a property. JW has a huge lobby, also adorned with marble, including a beautiful fountain, with warm, welcoming lighting. JW surprisingly comes across as a nicer, more luxurious resort by first glance due to these subtle, but important differences. Check-in was smooth and after having my Bonvoy status recognized and a quick property overview, I was given a printout for the shuttle schedule for the Disney parks and handed off to our bellman, Mohammed. We were given a brief tour through the lobby and had our luggage whisked upstairs, as landmarks were pointed out along the way. Our King room was newly renovated, and generally looked… fine. The white, gold, and wood throughout the room were quite bland, and generally did not seem to stand out from other nice, but not luxury properties. Given we had recently stayed at the renovated Grand Cayman property, it was hard to not compare the changes made there versus Grande Lakes. For instance, the GC property had a beautiful crème and black stripped carpet with a black canopy bed frame. It provided a wow factor, that was simply missing from GL which seemed dull, and unremarkable in comparison. Also something to note in contrast for a multi-night stay, the GL room was severely lacking in drawers to store clothing whereas the GC property had a large cabinet below the TV with ample drawers and space to unpack luggage. At GL, this resulted in having to continually operate from our luggage during the stay which made the room feel cluttered since we could not unpack then simply store the luggage inside the closet. The mini bar at the Grande Lakes property was partially inside of a cabinet below the TV but also strung along the shelf below the TV in plain view at all times. This is in stark contrast to Grand Cayman, which had a beautiful, tall wooden armoire dedicated to the minibar with interior lighting which added that extra touch of class that a $1,200 a night room should have. Moving into the bathroom, it was generally clean and inoffensive with a standard tub, double vanity, isolated toilet, and rainfall/handheld shower combo. Nothing to remark on like a freestanding tub or special shower feature, but passes the mark for a 4 or 5 star property. I would note it was strange to see the rainfall shower head pressed up against the overhead light, but it worked as expected nonetheless. Would likely chalk that up to a renovation rather than starting from scratch to create a bespoke design. Last thing to note on the renovation - it was strange to see the old gold door handles and metal accents throughout the room and bathroom with some being replaced with silver handles and accents. Mismatched items on one side of the door to the other just seemed odd for a property charging these kinds of rates. Also looking at light switches and even the ancient thermostats, it’s clear the renovation was what was minimally acceptable to update the property instead of going the extra mile to make sure every surface was overhauled to meet the rate level that was charged and expected by a guest. The Lake View room turned out to be a view of the JW Marriott resort, with a limited lake view. As it was an upgrade from the Resort View, this was not a complaint, just something to note if booking this room style - you may receive a partial view from the side of the hotel. On our first night, we ate off property and had no issues securing a ride share and were greeted as we returned. Bed was comfortable, and we had pleasant evening as we finished Day 1. Day 2 was spent entirely at the Disney parks and that evening is when our trip seemed to go the wrong way. When we returned to our room, we could hear the bass from the TV next door echoing through the walls and could even hear dialogue from the feature presentation that was apparently happening from our neighboring guests. We spoke to the front desk multiple times that evening with security being sent to check both the room next door and below us. We were told that sound levels were not found to be above acceptable levels, despite the clearly evident sound reverberating into the room. Perhaps the walls and insulation are quite thin between rooms? Thankfully we were offered to change rooms and within a few minutes of hurriedly packing, a bellman arrived to assist us on our migration to our new room. We switched floors, and upon arrival, the bellman attempted to open the door - but there was no response. Turns out the batteries for the door were dead, and another room had to be found for us to land. We changed floors again, and thankfully this room was the last change of the night. We were so tired from walking around Disney, and we quickly unpacked our toiletries and made the room our own. But… as I laid down into the bed to close out the night in peace, there was an immediate problem. My back sunk into the bed as if there was no support in the mattress, with that portion collapsing to the bottom. We were exhausted, and I couldn’t deal with anymore moves that night so we called it a day. The next morning, I woke up sore from sleeping in the hole formed in the bed, and decided to look to see what was wrong with the mattress. As I pulled back the bed sheets to look at the mattress, I saw dark stains all along the side of the sheets. After looking further these stains were scattered across the entire sheet all over the bed. Certainly not something I would expect from a luxury property and definitely not from the RC. When I pressed on that portion of the mattress, it sank down and did not return to the full height unlike the rest of the mattress. Something had to be said, so we started the morning off with a trip down to guest relations at the front desk in the lobby. I spoke to Bret, who apologized profusely and said the experience was unacceptable. I showed him pictures of the sheets and the mattress issue. He said he was escalating it immediately and that it would be taken care of soon. We then went to breakfast at Highball & Harvest and enjoyed the buffet and À la carte menu. Not the most spectacular buffet I have experienced, but certainly far superior to most properties across the Marriott portfolio. Great service and a good experience overall. After a couple hours in the room, we were headed off to Disney Springs. Before we left the property, we spoke to the front desk again to restate that the issues had not yet been addressed. I retold the situation and my phone number was written down with the promise that this would be quickly addressed while we were off property. Later that evening when we returned to the room, we saw that the room had been serviced and the sheets changed… but the mattress was still the same with the issues previously described. My wife went down to the lobby to speak to guest relations once again, and this time spoke to Ariel. She confirmed that the mattress would be changed immediately, and offered a $100 property credit, and eventually a free massage at the spa. Thankfully, the housekeeping staff arrived quickly to our room and began the process of changing out the mattress. During the removal of the mattress topper and sheets, something very unexpected happened. As the gentleman removed all the layers and slid them off in a large clump, he revealed a lace panty clumped in the corner of the bed directly on top of the physical mattress. Not sure if it was there when the sheets were changed previously, or if somehow they made it through the laundry process and were hitchhiking inside the sheets when they were placed onto the bed. My wife pointed them out and the gentleman was certainly disappointed and apologized. A brand new mattress was placed and two housekeeping staff went through the complex process of re-sheeting the bed along with the mattress topper. Thankfully, after this complex dance to overhaul the bed, the room was finally furnished as originally expected. Given the disappointment of the previous night, it was a relief to finally relax with a calm room and comfortable, supportive bed. On our final full day of the stay, we woke up to eat at H&H, but saw a different experience when ordering from the à la carte menu instead of the buffet. My wife ordered a simple American breakfast along while I ordered a yogurt parfait and a toasted bagel with cream cheese and… we waited nearly 45 minutes for our order to be brought out. I was coming up on my spa appointment and just as we were about to ask for the check rather than to continue to wait, our food arrived. A few minutes later, our server came by the table to apologize for the timing and told us the breakfast would not be added to our bill. This was a very welcome gesture, but we certainly would have preferred to have paid but not had to wait nearly as long. Next, we journeyed over to the spa which is nestled just in between the Ritz and JW Marriott on the Grande Lakes resort. We asked if there was any services available for my wife to purchase so that she could use the spa. We were informed they were fully booked, and as it was a Friday, they did not typically have spa passes available on weekends. Thankfully, an exception was made, and we were happy to pay the $50 for her to access the span for the afternoon. We were each walked to the elevator and shown into the ladies and gentlemen’s areas on the second floor. The spa was generally clean and met expectations overall. Felt very similar to our experience at Amelia Island, with the only critique being because we experienced how modern La Prairie was at the Grand Cayman. The spas at Amelia and Grande Lakes feel dated in comparison, but that may come down to personal preference. After using the amenities, I was greeted by my masseuse, and we walked up the stairs to the 3rd floor. The massage was excellent, and my masseuse was very attentive to my requests - I left feeling truly renewed. My wife and I spent time at the spa pool afterwards enjoying some drinks and a late lunch. The very tranquil and calm atmosphere was just what we needed to unwind, and we enjoyed an afternoon in the sun. Upon returning to the room, we found a very nice gesture waiting for us on our bed. The staff had left towel art along with a Ritz-Carlton bag and card. Inside the bag was a white RC Grande Lakes hat, some chocolates, and the card thanked us for our stay, which was certainly appreciated. That evening we enjoyed our reservation to Primo, the JW Marriott’s Tuscan influenced restaurant. On our walk over to the sister property, it was apparent the differences each hotel presented. JW had a very different vibe and felt alive with guests utilizing the lobby bar and patronizing the restaurants and stores inside the lobby area. We were impressed by the lobby itself which was large, bright, and elegant. Once at Primo, we were quickly seated and our server arrived to describe their specials to take our orders. Overall, the food was quite good and service was excellent. We had a peaceful remainder of the evening, woke up to eat off property the next morning, and our late checkout was confirmed via the chat option in the Bonvoy app. Our stay was complete. If you’re still with me, this was a long review. It was filled with ups and downs and while the ladies and gentlemen did their best to rescue many strange and unfortunate occurrences, it’s hard for me to recommend this property, at least given experiences seen at other RC around the USA and the world as of late. Seeing the $1200+ price tag our room was offered at during our stay, one would expect the rooms to be flawless with no exceptions. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and we had to request fixes for multiple problems along the way. To top it all off, after receiving our hotel folio after check-out, I discovered that our promised $100 property credit was not applied. It’s my fault for not checking before leaving the property, but it was par for the course for the entire stay. I was left with a very sour taste and had no desire to contact the property to pursue the credit further. If I could go back in time, I would have to chosen to use our redemptions at another property, and wish to this day that we had done so. If the things I have described about our stay are typically important to you as a guest, I would suggest you look elsewhere as the Grande Lakes Ritz-Carlton is not the 5-star experience one would expect.…
Literally worst kids club in the world. Save your money and go to four seasons instead. My child was signed up for a full day. I went and checked on her a bit earlier - 2 hours before close. The staff acted like they were put out because my child wanted to stay. Let’s preface this by saying that even though she was the only child there, no one was playing with her. Then said: well, if she is to stay… Hmmm if? I paid for the full day… Very disappointing for a 5 star resort. Won’t be returning.
Worst kids club in the world. I went to check on my daughter 2 hours the full day was over. She wanted to stay. So I informed the staff of the kids club she wanted to be there. They acted all put out. And started… “ Well if she is to stay…” If she is to stay? I paid for the day…. What a joke. Needless to say I took my child and will never drop her off again. Extremely disappointing for an allegedly 5 star resort. Maybe go without kids… But who goes to Orlando without kids? Go to the four seasons. Way better experience for your littles.
I received a Stress Relief Massage from Steven Salters. He went above and beyond to make sure that I had the absolute best possible experience possible. All of the staff members were extremely helpful. I truly enjoyed myself!
Had services in salon at ritz Carlton Orlando with Susan. Wonderful and experienced. Like visiting an old friend. What a great time. My Friend had Lisa for her cut and style who also did such a great job! Well done!
I went to the spa and my massage therapist was excellent. Very professional. He worked on my TMJ and helped relieve pain I was experiencing from stress knots. The pressure and technique s used was perfection. I highly recommend you ask for Steven Salters.
I usually go to the spa and the pool; is always a fun and relaxing experience but yesterday I got the most relaxing and to be honest the best massage I’ve ever had . Steven was very knowledgeable and attentive, can’t forget how it only took that 1 hr of massage to make me feel in the clouds . I will definitely keep coming back but I will make sure Steven is there . The sweetest and most attentive masseuse.
It was impressive how quickly the staff recognized me and called me by name. The staff went well beyond to assist me get a rental car, followed up with my departure and returning for safety and comfort. Even the pool staff remember me from say to day remembering my preferences. Even those I did not meet were informed and treated me like a good and sincere friend.
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