Ccm2024As people who travel regularly, we place a lot of emphasis on other reviews when booking. I was rather concerned reading previous reviews of this property, but having stayed at multiple other Ritz Carlton’s (Singapore, Koh Samui, Dalllas, Melbourne etc) we hoped the brand would live up to expectations and great experiences at other properties. IT DID NOT!
Strongly suggest avoiding this property at all costs. Look at the low ranked reviews, they all make sense to me after staying.
This property has us questioning if we would ever stay with this brand again. Amazing isn’t it, how one property can tarnish a brands reputation.
We have been overcharged after checkout after settling the bill when leaving (unresolved at this point but will get to that later).
The first room we checked into had air conditioning so loud you could not hear the TV. It was also dirty with marks and dust/grime on every surface and excess dog hair on the floor. I went to the front desk and the best they could do was “send someone up to check the A/C. The property was practically empty. This was not good enough!
I was fortunate enough to speak with the GM who remedied the room situation immediately. We then dealt with Daniel (who was on loan from Santa Barbara Ritz Carlton) he was a great reflection on the brand. He upgraded us, which was appreciated but not expected, just a room with a reasonable a/c would have been fine.
Rooms are very average, worn and not clean. Linen was stained, towels so old some had tears and holes in them.
The majority of the staff seemed like they would rather be anywhere else than at the Ritz Carlton South, can’t say I blame them but really let the place down.
When dining they would bring the bill before we had finished dining over and over, at times even advising their break was about to start so needed to provide bill, how about you get another staff member to do this…
Upon checkout I paid with an alternate card than I used for the security deposit (to avoid international transaction fees). I settled the bill of approx $450usd and away we went.
A few days later, a charge of $390usd (approx) appears on my original card used for security deposit (along with an international transaction fee). This charge is absolute rubbish and was not warranted, everything was settled and paid on check out.
I rang and rang and rang all day to the hotel and the phone was never answered. Finally I had to call and international call centre where the wind noise in the background was so loud I could hardly hear. I was then told the extra was for bar charges (not ours!) we had one whisky and a coke at the bar which was on my bill at checkout. I was then told they would try to contact hotel and hopefully in up to 2 weeks they would respond to the call centre, and sometime after to me. This from Ritz Carlton? Disgraceful.
We then got lucky and got the US call centre. This was much more helpful and the agent advised the hotel would call back the same day. Still no call back from Hotel, no explanation of why my card was charged… no invoice, no receipts.
Now I need to go through the process of disputing the transaction with my bank. Really?
The old saying one bad apple spoils the cart, couldn’t be more true of the Ritz Carlton South Beach. There were many other disappointing things that happened during the stay that isn’t even worth going into. Such an epic disappointment from this brand.
I am hoping this property reaches out as promised but it holding my breath.
Do better Ritz Carlton South Beach!
Not wanting to end on such a sour note. Daniel (from RC Santa Barbara) was a standout for guest service as was Noela at the Valet, both embody what guest expect from RC.
MMama CheetahWe ended up at the Daytona Grande after the Hilton Oceanfront overbooked and we were on our way with no place to stay! Admittedly not the safest, but I had to book this place while driving from the Orlando airport and just looking for something that wasn’t a total dive but still decently priced without a ton of extra fees. No free breakfast here which is something I especially appreciate as a family of 6, but in this case it was just me and my teenage son in town for an archery championship. After the highly stressful day of travel we had, the Grande was like a little slice of Heaven! It was clean, quiet, and beautiful. We decided after having to skip lunch with flight delays and all that, we just wanted a good meal and a good bed and we got exactly that. My son and I split truffle fries to start, the crusted crab filet, and beignets for dessert. All were wonderful (and we’re from Dallas where there is no shortage of excellent food) and enjoyed Oceanside on the dimly lit quiet patio. My only criticism is that the tables should be turned perpendicularly to the ocean and hotel so that everyone at the table gets a view of both rather than one facing a wall while the other faces the ocean.
Rooms were nicely decorated, had comfortable, intuitive lighting, handy USB plugs, and most importantly REALLY COMFORTABLE BEDS! We have a Tempurpedic at home so my sleep is usually pretty abysmal at hotels. Now, this wasn’t as comfy as home, but I slept hard and woke without being sore since the bed was genuinely comfortable.
My only complaints about the room were that the window sheers, while stylish, really gave no privacy at all, so if you wanted privacy you had to sacrifice light. Water pressure wasn’t great and the bathroom needed more towel bars and hooks. This would’ve been way more of a nuisance with the whole family, but they also came midday and restocked towels and made up the beds, which we see less and less of these days, even at nice hotels in the name of being “green”. But it was spacious and clean and otherwise nicely equipped.
Elevators were fast and never held us up. Beach access from the elevator was nice as we didn’t have to walk through the lobby in swimsuits. Parking was slightly inconvenient being caddy corner across the street, but not bad at all. We considered but didn’t try room service mainly due to price and unknown wait (when we had tournament times to consider) but the little shop/cafe in the lobby was great and convenient and priced about as you’d expect (pricey, but not too ridiculous). We got coffee and breakfast sandwiches both days.
I think the biggest issue with this place is the visibility. It’s tall to be sure so you’re not going to miss it, but the entrance and signage is on the far side and behind a little aqua building (I think called Sand Dunes) which had to be apartments or a teeny hotel that I can only assume refused to sell to the Grande in development so the Grande built around it. It keeps it from having the opulent entrance that the Hilton does
DDr RobertMy review is intended as constructive feedback and should be taken that way.
Check-in was a bit of a hassle, but once we got over a speed bump, everything was fine. I won't go into what happened exactly, but please NOTE: they do NOT accept cash for the deposit or payment. You must have a credit card.. Make sure your card works... and they don't seem to accept Union Pay cards. There isn't any drinkable water in the room, but there is a convenience store two buildings away - super convenient.
The rooms are clean. But, everything is old. The furniture could be quickly restored with some varnish to the furniture, and rustic rugs tossed on the wooden floors. They should consider adding their own line of soaps and hair care products for an element of care and elegance. It'd be nice to have a couple of complimentary bottles of water, as well.
The free shuttle from the airport - go to blue baggage claim and go out one of the blue entry/exit points; either 1 or 2 - at the far ends of the baggage claim corridor. Look for a ”Veterans Limo” van. They come regularly. Just tell the driver where you're going.
Breakfast is great if you love carbs. Unfortunately, no proteins were served. I recommend just adding some scrambled or hard-boiled eggs or turkey bacon and cheeses. You should add more varieties of bagels and bread, as well - especially if you're going to stay carb-centric. Raisin bagels would've been nice.
Thanks for the waffles. Neat, but I would prefer an omlette station.
Overall, I will probably not stay here again, but only because there are so many other options to choose from.
Oh... No offense, but the front desk staff could use some training in customer service and customer care. A couple of them seem to be tired of guests and refer to guests as ”them” and ”they” with a tone of contempt. The staff seems to be falling into a horrible customer care death spiral of ”us” vs. ”them” and seeing ”them” as ”stupid.” Maybe have just a workshop to help staff reaffirm their commitment to the hospitality industry.
Competition won't go away, but customers will.