The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland

I was in town recently for an NFL game with my son. I'd never stayed at a Ritz Carlton so I thought I'd really treat us since it was his Christmas present. Aside from the nice touch welcome macarons, the one gingerbread elevator (they only shelled out for one of them?) and the nice smell in the lobby, that really was where the luxury ended. Oh, and the bathtub was marble, so that was a nice touch. The beds were comfy, the location was nice. But none of that really justified the price. And for any other commoner who thinks you're getting a deal by doing the room with the breakfast, it's not a "breakfast included," just a $50 meal credit. If you think that $50 will cover an omelet and a breakfast burrito, you are sadly mistaken. I only went with this plan because I figured on game day we would eat at the hotel restaurant to save time. We arrived downstairs at 9:45 to a half empty dining room, and after being asked "do you have reservations," was told that there were no tables available until after the game. I could do room service, so I ended up paying $100 for an omelet, a breakfast burrito and some coffee ( only $50 after our credit!). I was really disappointed that nobody told us when we checked in that we would need reservations for breakfast, especially since it was quite obvious we were there for an NFL game when we checked in. This made our morning a lot more stressful, wondering how long the food would take to get to the room (it was relatively fast, which also goes to show the kitchen wasn't overworked and busy). We also had an incident on Saturday night where someone on our floor was playing their music really loud, very late. We turned on the TV to try to drown it out, fell asleep, but when I woke at 1 AM and turned the TV off it was still going on. I called the front desk and asked them to find the offending room. They offered me some ear plugs, but I don't spend over $600 a night to have to sleep with earplugs. They did attend to the matter, and the person turned their music off, but it was a little shocking to me that people would blast music at a Ritz Carlton. Overall, I guess I just had a different idea of what the name brand meant. I got it out of my system and will be content to spend half the price to stay at a Marriott or Hilton next time.

Upon arriving at the ritz Cleveland restaurant for their Christmas dinner, dec. 25 my wife and I waited 5 minutes at the host desk to be acknowledged by staff. When we were seated at our table I asked for martini with blue cheese olives from our server, Julia.. drink was delivered without the blue cheese olives. I told server after she set drink down and she said they were out of blue cheese olives. I mean, How long does it take to make a blue cheese olive?Evidently, more than the staff was willing take to ensure a reasonable dining experience. This was just the start of a bad experience. Server said she would soon be providing us with bread plates. They never came. Ambience was poor throughout the meal. Servers crashed dishes loudly on bus station trays after clearing tables indicative of poor training in supposedly a fine dining experience. Timing of the dining experience was erratic- restaurant was not busy but we had to wait inconsistent time frames between courses. Food was average at best for this special high priced Christmas meal. Server had asked our names earlier in the meal but in wishing us good night at the end of the mail, referred to me with an incorrect first name, which happened to be the name of my wife’s first husband. All in all a bad dining experience with a poorly trained staff.

My wife and I stayed there in February, not to anyone’s fault but as we were trying to check in, there was a fire somewhere within the building. We had to park several blocks away, again no biggie. When we were checking in, the entire lobby and in our room smelled of smoke. Again no biggie but we paid for the club lounge and we were beyond disappointed. For an almost 5* hotel how can you serve sliders that are dry, buns rock hard and cold sides. Breakfast in the lounge the next 2 mornings….again we PAID for this amenity and sad to say….even if it was free…we still would have went to McDonald’s. To top it off the beyond expensive wine pouring machine….did not work. I was about to book a weekend getaway surprise for my wife and my anniversary….but for the price, not worth risking that the Lounge is below par again.

Everything was absolutely fabulous and the staff was even better! Each and every person I encountered was so helpful, kind and courteous! Would definitely recommend!

Anyone who is use to the luxury the Ritz Carlton normally provides is going to be well disappointed in Cleveland. They slapped some wall paper added some crown molding and call it the Ritz. I will say they do try. The staff is very nice and they do try their best to take care of you. The Ritz normal standards of excellence struggle here but they try.

Assuming a typical Four Seasons or Mandarin Oriental sets the standard for what five-star hotels should look like, the Ritz Carlton Cleveland is a solid 4.5. In its favor, the property is lovely, the food is good, and the rooms are well-appointed and modern. The staff were all friendly and the Club Lounge is a must-add upgrade. The fitness center is also great. This does feel like a property that should have a pool, though. Keeping the Ritz Cleveland out of the conversation of the true five-star properties are small issues like the valet not asking if he could help with our luggage, waiting for a few minutes at the front desk unacknowledged while three employees were working on their computers, and a general lack of anticipating wants and needs and going above and beyond to make our stay memorable. For example, when learning that my family and I were going to a Guardians game, asking "how was the game?" when we returned would have been a nice touch. These are not huge negatives by any means, nor would they preclude me from staying at the Ritz again, but with some small and thoughtful tweaks, this could be a special place. As it is, the Ritz is by leaps and bounds the best hotel in Cleveland.