Alex G.
Yelp
This old girl has long overstayed her welcome in Sarasota. The Ritz Carlton Sarasota is in need of a major refresh, including upgrading its management, staff, rooms, common areas, policies, and gym. There are now several better - and much more elegant - options in the neighborhood. First, communication between the national reservation center and on-site staff is a joke. We confirmed prior to coming into town that as Titanium Elite would be entitled to automatic club level access (we also had club level certificates just in case). Of course, on site staff wouldn't permit that, and had a ton of excuses for why we couldn't have club level access (none of which made sense). They did allegedly "upgrade us," which I believe gave us a Marina view (in a normal, small room). Still, it's not what we were promised.
The hotel itself is just nearing the end of its "life," with peeling wallpaper, chipped paint, last century technology, and old decor. The bathroom had a SHOWER CURTAIN. In a Ritz Carlton? Really? 1972 called and wants grandma's bathroom back. And only TWO bath towels? Is there an national towel shortage of which I'm unaware? Just series of strange choices made at this property.
Remember the amazing metal, Ritz branded pens by the bed? Not anymore. Bottom-of-the-barrel cheap, white Bic pens instead. The bottled water also isn't Ritz branded; instead, it's tiny "Pure Life" generic water.
Not a huge deal, but the room service attendant brought the food, and actually dropped and broke a plate with food. He then had to go back downstairs and have it redone and brought back up. Again, they're moving too fast - they need to slow down and take care of each customer personally.
Oh, and the shuttle to the Ritz Beach Club is not continuous, so when we went down to the lobby, we were told it would be another 45 minutes until the next shuttle. Uh, excuse me, but this is the Ritz Carlton; when a guest asks when the next shuttle is, your answer is "whenever you need it to be, sir/ma'am." You don't make people spend extra money on an Uber to get to another part of your own property. That's just downright rude.
So many of the gym cardio machines don't work or have issues; out of order, won't start, stop during a workout, glitch out, screens not functioning, headphone outputs busted - the list of maintenance issues is long. I also didn't see one staff member in the hour and a half that I was in the gym come in and wipe down the machines or disinfect anything. There did seem to be a trainer in some small office, but he was back there on his phone the whole time I was exercising. Towels and empty bottles littered the gym and no one cleaned it up. That's totally unacceptable for a Ritz branded property.
I remember when Ritz Carlton was THE high end hotel brand; I think that ship has sailed far, far away. Once it became part of Marriott, upper management seemed to forget the former quality and commitment to excellence. That's sad for modern luxury travelers that still remember what Ritz "used to be." My advice: look elsewhere in Sarasota.