The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island

I recently visited this spa two days, back to back , and I wanted to share my experience regarding the service I received. I was so disappointed. I have been auditing businesses for years and I enjoy it. So, when I go somewhere I can't help but critique it and notate the entire experience inside my head. Something similar to what I would do had I been hired to be there. When you work hard to save your money for a high quality experience, that's exactly what you should be getting. It’s what I expected from this name. When it isn't, silent alarms begin to sound. You can only take so much before it’s ruined and you have to say something. I appreciate Diamond standards and that is why I chose this spa. I have visited many Ritz Carlton Properties, including this one, on numerous occasions. Yet, this was the only time where I noticed a significant amount of flaws in both, the customer service and the facility maintenance. There are many areas where improvements have to be made, to meet the high standards associated with a 5-diamond rated spa. 1. Customer Service: It’s essential for a luxury spa to provide impeccable customer service. The lack of warmth and attentiveness during these two days were concerning. Attendants should be readily available to assist guests. The negative attitude from some employees were disappointing. Guests deserve a pleasant and welcoming environment. Quality amenities like beverages should be consistently available/delivered. They should always have an attendant to walk you back, assign you a locker, and make sure you have everything you need…. Especially if you’re pre-ordered something. 2.Attention to detail The facility should regularly be checked and maintained, (at least every 15 minutes) but they were not. Trash bins and laundry bins were overflowing. There was trash piled on the tea table in one room and discarded yogurt containers caused an odor, like rotten fruit or dirty feet, in the other room. It was very unpleasant. The showers were all dirty (other than one handicap stall) for over an hour before I finally said something to Ms. Bernadette. The wet lounge smelled musky/moldy. There was not an adequate amount of bottled water throughout the entire facility. It was very sad that they had no fruit infused water. A couple of places you could find the distilled water, but it is nasty and a known fact that it is not healthy or to be trusted. Each day I had to ask for eucalyptus spray even though they’re supposed to spray the steam room, but since they don’t properly maintain the facility, it doesn’t get done. 3. Treatment Quality: While the treatments themselves were satisfactory, they fell short of the exceptional experiences I’ve had at other 5-diamond spas. I expected a more personalized approach and a deeper understanding of my specific needs. I wanted to enjoy every bit of the time I paid for. Sadly, I did not. The therapist came to ask an hour before our appointment if we wanted to be seen earl

There are aspects of this place that I truly enjoy but others that are disappointing. We arrived here in July for 3 nights stay after leaving the Waldorf in Orlando. Upon arrival there were major gaps beginning with the fact there wasn’t anyone there to take my car and I had to go to the front desk and wait. Upon checking into the hotel I was told my lifetime platinum status wasn’t eligible for an upgrade because they can sell those rooms. Then I got to my room and was surprised by the absolute negative condition, which I will show in my pictures attached. There was water damage from the shower on the wall, discolored walls from damage, hand prints on the glass, hair on the bed and in the shower, food pieces on the patio and stains. This is an $800+ per night room. The staff wasn’t friendly, whatsoever when I discussed the issues. What I do love is the hotel lobby sushi bar, the smoked old fashions, the pool area and how attentive they are in making sure you’re comfortable and the poolside service. The poolside chairs are very nice and the exercise room is excellent. I will say when I had dinner at the lobby bar sushi and three old fashions for me and two glasses of wine and Asian for my wife the waitress said “ I didn’t realize you were going to sit here so long”. That’s after I gave her over a $100 tip. The friendliness between this hotel and other high end, especially the Waldorf was noticeable. All in all, the property has positives to offer but it was a real let down.

My husband and I stayed at the Ritz the weekend of July 5th to celebrate our anniversary. We had the most amazing weekend! The hotel room and resort were gorgeous and immaculate. We enjoyed the beach and pool every day. The staff was so helpful and friendly. We had dinner one night at Salt which was delicious and loved the BBQ event put on by the Ritz over the weekend as well. We can’t wait to go back!

We stayed at this hotel for a week to attend a conference, and our experience was quite disappointing for what is claimed to be a 5-star establishment. First, the valet-only parking option is a major inconvenience. If you have a 7:00 pm dinner reservation, you should start waiting for your car by 6:00 pm. The valet system is completely inefficient and fails to meet guests' needs. The hotel shows many signs of deterioration and is not as clean as it should be for a 5-star hotel. The bathroom linens had stains, and the pool towels were very dirty with numerous stains. Housekeeping did not meet the standards of a 5-star service. On two out of the five nights we stayed, our bathroom amenities were not refilled. As previous reviews mentioned, the staff were not very friendly. One incident involved a housekeeper potentially throwing away my son's souvenir cup. We reported this through the hotel app, but no one responded until we sent multiple reminders. When we finally received a response, the gentleman handling it said they would look it up in the lost and found section. Are you kidding me? Additionally, as a 5-star hotel, we had a great amount of expectation. The hotel listed an indoor swimming pool as one of its amenities, but there was no indoor swimming pool available. Only a small outdoor pool and one hot tub were offered, which was quite disappointing. On a positive note, the gym room was nicely designed and the equipment was very new. Despite the issues with dirty pool towels, the beach staff were very friendly, willing to help, and had a great attitude. Overall, our experience did not live up to the 5-star rating, and I would not recommend this hotel based on our stay.

The best hotel on Amelia Island! Located on the Atlantic Ocean with a beautiful pool and pool bar we frequently visit this Ritz because of its location and great restaurants. The rooms are comfy and beautiful. The two restaurants with views of the ocean and even the lobby bar are excellent. My favorite spot is the lobby bar for the freshest sushi on the island. Love it!!

We are well travelled and stay in many hotels and we just cannot say enough good things about this hotel. The staff is incredible. The hotel is beautiful. We felt pampered and every need was met. This place is so well run from the valet, front desk, housekeeping, shops, restaurants, pool and beach. We came for my 50th birthday and you always wonder if it is worth splurging and spending the money. It was worth every penny and we will be back!

We spent 4 nights/5 days with our 5 and 2 year olds, and it was mostly good. Resort was very empty because it was the first week back to school for that area, which was good and bad. One day my son was the only one in the kids club, but there was also no waiting anywhere for anything. I have elite status and we were upgraded at check in. We also took out one of the house mercedes one night, though if you want to I recommend calling the valet first thing the morning you want it. Definitely little kid friendly. All of the restaurants had kids menus and highchairs, and the beach has a big tub of beach toys/shovels/buckets/etc. Staff overall was wonderful; my 5 year old particularly liked Nick the Naturalist who ran the shark tooth hunt and nature walks, and moonlighted as the pirate. We ate at every restaurant and the food was great. The buffet was worth it (especially appreciated the kids under 3 are free policy) and the sandwiches from the coffee shop were amazing as well. It was nice to have a quick option for breakfast some days. All of the servers were wonderful but those working Coast breakfast were particularly great. There were some little hiccups that lead to the 4 star rating. I had requested in advance a crib, and a room with a bathtub. I confirmed both at the desk while checking in, and was told yes we have your note and this room has both as requested. When we got to our room, however, there was a standup shower only. We didn't notice until we had already started to move bags around and unpack, and then had to go back to the desk and ask to change, and 20 mins later were moved to another room with no apologies or anything to make up for it. The girl at the desk just said, oops, most rooms in that room class do. We lost a lot of time, and dragged the kids back and forth around the hotel because of her mistake, and never got even an acknowledgement. This was a very unfortunate way to start and left a bad taste for the rest of the trip. Many of the activities on the weekly activity sheet either didn't happen or were very late. Some days the sign was out for the kids crafts and the room was set up, and some days it just wasn't. On Friday night there was an eager group of about 12 kids in the lobby for the pirate treasure hunt, and the pirate showed up 20 mins late. We had been at the Elite Members reception and left early to go to the treasure hunt, and instead ending up waiting around with frustrated children while no one knew what was happening. Another night we went to the drink tasting in the lobby bar, and the server had no idea what we were talking about until she went in the back and asked because we showed it to her on the activity sheet. That said - she was also lovely and very friendly and apologetic, and brought out kid-friendly bowls with goldfish for the boys. There was also a charge for a minifridge in the room, which we requested because we had so many leftovers from our dinners that we were already paying for in

A most excellent stay (again) @ Ritz Amelia. Everything is top notch. A couple of shout outs - ALL of the housekeeping staff - super friendly and helpful. They stand aside as you enter the hallways - so nice:). Kaydance, the naturalist - very knowledgeable and personable. She even looked up additional information(about shells) for us (in her off hours I'm sure). Daniel @ beach service - super kind and helpful. Actually all of the beach staff was great. Tidewater grill - super - went 2 of the 6 nights. The shrimp boil, filet sliders, pizza and Bbq sliders - all great. My only complaint is the beach chair/umbrella set up - yes, 1 set up is included in the room but we had 4 in the room and had to pay $80/day for additional set up - that is a lot!

We always have a great time here as a family! The hotel is very comfortable and we love spending all day at the private beach. This year we had family pictures taken with the photo concierge service and I'm so happy we did! Our photographer Mariah was great with the kids and the beach pictures turned out beautiful.