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The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale: Traveler Reviews


The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale
1 North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, (formerly St. Regis Resort, Fort Lauderdale), Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
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Traveler Reviews

79% Recommend
4.0 of 5 stars 98 reviews
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Beautiful property, Inconsistent service

The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale

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4 of 5 stars
JunnieNYC 8 contributions
NYC
Jan 28, 2008 | Trip type: Business, Couples
10/13 found this review helpful

My husband needed to stay in the Ft. Lauderdale area for business and we decided to make a long weekend out of it. We stayed at this hotel for 4 nights in January 2008. We stayed in an Ocean View room overlooking the pool area and there was butler service.

First the good: The hotel itself is beautiful. It is new (they opened in Spring 2007) and it still feels very new. The lobby area is very nice and the restaurant, lounge and wine bar are all very pleasing to the eye. The car valet service is very good. I never had to wait for my car if I called ahead. The concierge desk is top notch. The hotel is difficult to find and when i called and asked for directions the concierge insisted I stay on the phone with her so she could direct me. The butler was courteous and professional, although the only time we used her was to get our shoes shined. The pool area on the 7th floor is lovely. They have large over-sized upholstered chairs and the view of the ocean is very nice. The pool area is relaxing as there is no music and there is bar and food service.

Now for the Not so Good: While the physical property is beautiful and St. Regis obviously invested in some nice features (the room comes with a console by the bed that controls practically everything so you don't have to get up), the service at the hotel is inconsistent. While some of the staff is clearly experienced and provides excellent service, there are many employees who act as if they're working at a Marriott. It's as if they're "acting as if" they're trying to give good servicem but they do not. I found it telling that on 2 different occasions I personally witnessed hotel guests very angry and yelling at hotel staff! There were times during my stay when I wanted to reprimand staff members as well. There was one occasion by the pool when one of the pool attendents argued with me over the placement of my pool chair. Not only did they run out fo chairs that day but she tried to put my chair in a place that was clearly not acceptable (behind the bar area that was a weird place not near the pool) because she said I would be in the way of the food staff. I explained to her that I was in that exact spot yesterday and it was fine. I told her that later in the day that they would put someone else in that spot and she promised me that if they put someone on that spot that I could report her and she would lose her job. Needless to say, 30 minutes later they put someone in that exact spot. No, I did not report her or even bring this to the attention of a manager. I just found it odd that they did not train their eimployees not to argue with guests. She was rather rude.

On another occasion I dined at Cero, the hotel's restaurant for dinner and I ordered the seared scallops. The scallops were so salty they were inedible. I do not normally complain, but on this occasion the waiter noticed I barely ate anything and he asked me if the dish was alright. I told him how the dish was and he merely apologized, but did not offer me anything else, or to bring another dish, or even to discount or comp the dish. He merely walked away after asking me how the dish was! Strange and infuriating because I was so hungry.

Bottom line is, the hotel is beautiful and there are not a lot of other hotels of this quality in the area so if I had to stay in this area again I would put up with the inconsistent service and stay here. The St. Regis should work on the service training here. For the price we pay it needs to be better.

  • Liked — Nice sheets, impressive technology in the room
  • Disliked — inconsistent service, expensive for what you get
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
  • Date of stay January 2008
  • Visit was for Romantic getaway
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since March 07, 2005
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older travelers, Tourists
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun, Business meeting / Event
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Average price*: $366 (year-round)
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5 star, best

The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale

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5 of 5 stars
Travel4Joy 21 contributions
Princeton, NJ
Jan 22, 2008 | Trip type: Family
3/5 found this review helpful

We stayed in the finest level of service at this hotel on two separate occasions in December. So my stay here cannot be compared to my usual stays. We had butler service, and all services were excellent.

to look out for or ask about:

One of our rooms, an apartment was perfect except that when you open the sliders to venture out onto the balcony, it is very v ery noisy because of the a/c fans/units on top of the next building. If you have no plans to be outside then what the hey. This was awesom - otherwise ask about this when you book your room.

Also, in room dining was very very limited and very expensive. each time they bring something it is an additional $5. So after ordering breakfast for four and realizing my daughter wanted a coissant I forgot to order well, that would be $9 total and the coissant is a mini, less than half the size of an average one.

(There is a french bakery near the cvs. we took a cab there and bought gorgeous croussants and bakery goods)

Lastly, there were basically no vegetarian dishes available other than hoummous and fish.

The hotel restaraunt was incredible! (despite my lack of vegan selections)


All in all, we loved being here and would come again if we are in fort lauderdale.

  • Liked — new and clean
  • Disliked — some rooms, the bathroom was too far from the bed
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay December 2007
  • Visit was for Quality time with family
  • Traveled with Family with teenagers
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since August 10, 2006
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? No
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Average price*: $366 (year-round)
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Some Serious Missteps

The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale

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3 of 5 stars
Bingo58 8 contributions
Boston, Massachusetts
Jan 21, 2008 | Trip type: Couples
8/10 found this review helpful

We had been looking forward to staying at the St. Regis in Ft. Lauderdale since we visited my brother in 1995 (he lived nearby). I don't know exactly why it took almost 13 years to open, but a recent trip was the perfect excuse to stay there. The hotel is certainly lovely, airy, and spacious. It was easy to find from the airport and our greeting by the valet staff was welcoming and most helpful (as they proved to be throughout our stay). It seems, however, as if this branch of one of the loveliest hotels is not up to what it offers. I have a major problem with service staff that is instructed to be solicitous and gracious, yet does not seem to listen to the responses they solicit. At the desk, we were told that they deliver USA Today; was that alright or did we prefer another paper? We said we would like the New York Times throughout our stay, and yet one never appeared. (We found them in the lobby.) We asked about lunch, as our room wasn't ready, and the woman at the desk offered to escort us; we got about halfway into the lobby, when she turned and said she would check on our luggage. We never saw her again. The point is, we certainly and easily could have found the restaurant ourselves, but they offer to help and then strand you in the middle of the lobby.

Upon entering our room, the butler came and asked if we had any requests. We needed shirts pressed for the evening (not laundered, just pressed). They came back in a timely fashion -- but not ironed! And they tried to charge us $40 for it (we're still contesting the charge).

Two major problems with the room were readily apparent: there are carpet nails you do not see that snag your socks -- or worse, puncture your feet; and the bathtub. The shower glass only goes halfway, so every time I took a shower the floors became soaked. I had to lay towels down so that I didn't slip getting over the rather high tub wall. There is a television in the bathroom, which the bellman remarked upon, saying that we could soak in the tub and watch television. Well, no you can't. The tub was facing the wrong way. The bathroom is beautiful, however, and, aside from the ever-present danger of slipping when getting out of the shower and cracking my head on the marble, was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Kudos to the housekeeping staff, by the way. That tub/shower looked as hard to clean as it was to use.

Lunch was excellent both times we ate there, once in the dining room, and once by the pool. The walkway to the beach over A1A was out of commission, so I never did figure out how we were supposed to use the hotel's section of the beach. Ultimately, not worth the money or the time it takes you to get anywhere away from the immediate beach area. After the consistently superb staff at the St. Regis in New York and how dedicated they are to the guests' comfort, the Ft. Lauderdale outpost is a total letdown and a sorry relation.

  • Liked — Decor was lovely throughout
  • Disliked — The dangerous bathrooms; the staff not listening to questions they ask
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay January 2008
  • Visit was for Personal event (wedding, ...)
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since May 26, 2005
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? No
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities
  • I do not recommend this hotel for Older travelers, Great pool scene
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun, Other
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Average price*: $366 (year-round)
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Lovely Stay

The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale

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4 of 5 stars
DabbaTraveler 1 contribution
Washington, DC
Jan 8, 2008 | Trip type: Couples
1/1 found this review helpful

My husband and I stayed at the St. Regis for 4 days/3 nights for New Years Eve. We used points for two nights, paid for one night - - roughly $800 for a corner queen room. Overall, our stay was a fantastic experience. We had read some of the prior reviews regarding attitude problems and it really appears that the hotel has addressed this issue.

Arrival: We were greeted warmly. I am an SPG gold member and before we arrived they had already upgraded us to a king oceanfront room. Our bags had to be stored temporarily until the room was ready, but they would be delivered automatically. They were not, but they did deliver them once we called.

Room: Just beautiful. Very similar decor to the US Grant in San Diego, another SPG property in the Luxury Collection which recently underwent a multi-million $$ renovation. Very impressive. The bathrooms are fantastic with huge soaking tubs with both a faucet and a shower head. Dual sinks, beautiful marble tile, large stand up shower with rainfall showerhead, lots of pressure and great heat. Toilet is in a separate room with a door inside the bathroom. Bed was super comfy, large flatscreen tv. Very stylish chairs, mirrors, artwork. Also, upscale amenities in the honor bar - - duckhorn wines, etc. Nice size patio facing the ocean. Also, very thick sliding glass doors which completely blocks out the sounds of the busy road and bar scene below.

Pool: It's a pretty vibrant scene, it was packed every day. You had to go down to the pool by 8 am to work the pool butler to secure the large padded recliners in a spot that got sun into the later afternoon. I tipped $20 for this service, but it is free. Lots of towels and lots of attention for ice water, beverage and food service. The pool bar food was fantastic, I had the seafood special everyday. My husband had the cheeseburger and the hot dog - - both fantastic. The cocktails were delicious, but a bit expensive, ~ $17 each. One of the pool bartenders was a bit difficult one morning, but it seemed he was just shorthanded and apologized later on. Generally, service was wonderful. Best part - - pool is heated just enough to make it easy to get in water, but not as warm as bath water.

Spa: Both my husband and I had a massage. Both of us had a great service. The spa is very nice, the locker room does not have steam, sauna or whirlpool however. The relaxation room is very nice. Service there was very friendly.

Bar/Food: We did not eat at the restaurant, although it looks very nice. We bellied up to the large bar twice, we had excellent service and tried a few small items off the bar menu which were delicious appetizers for the evening. We also sat in the darker wine lounge one night, which was also lovely. It is the exact same menu as the other bar however. We also ordered room service dinner one night, which was delicious. It DID take 3 hours to be delivered, which was likely due to NYE crush. They covered the cost of the entire meal, which included a rather expensive bottle of wine AND sent us a complimentary bottle of champagne. Talk about excellent recovery!

Service: As I've said, it was great. One day i was walking through the lobby and ran into a random employee and asked whether they knew if fans were available (i need white noise to sleep and the rooms are VERY quiet). She said they had fans and humidifiers, but she wasn't sure what was left. She just asked our room number and said it would be handled. When we arrived back in our room an hour later, a humidifier (with fan option) was waiting in our room. Nice.

Area: We are fans of Ft. Lauderdale, this being our 4th visit in the last few years. We usually visit during off-season, so it was a bit busier this time. We love the local bars and restaurants, some of which have fantastic food and some have nice live music for adults.

Other: The only real negatives are that although it is called a "resort" they do not have any gift shops or boutiques, nor do they have a coffee shop. Each morning it was hit-or-miss whether there would be coffee available in the lobby. They indicated they are still building the gift shop, not sure if it will inlcude a coffee bar.

Recommendation: Ours was a fantastic experience and the room was just beautiful. It IS a bit pricey, but they treated us very well and there wasn't anything that made me say "you'd expect better for so much money!"

  • Liked — excellent service and accommodations.
  • Disliked — No coffee shop or gift boutique
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 3 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay January 2008
  • Visit was for Romantic getaway
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 25-34
  • Member since October 16, 2007
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Great pool scene, Pet owners
  • I do not recommend this hotel for Older travelers, Tourists
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun, Great food / Wine, Spa
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
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Average price*: $366 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
5* St Regis in Fort Lauderdale

The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale

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5 of 5 stars
susanj1310 25 contributions
Dallas, Texas
Jan 6, 2008
2/2 found this review helpful

We stayed here for 4 nights before going to St Martin and it was fabulous. Starwood must have placed all of the best staff they had at this hotel because there was not one flaw we could possibly mention. We are going back in 2008 for sure!

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay September 2007
  • Member since June 10, 2005
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates ABS:HotelCheckRates-d633139?ext=true&src=ShowUserReviewsHotels&fromServlet=ShowUserReviews&Action=QC_Button_Reviews
Average price*: $366 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
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The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale Also Known As

Address: 1 North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, (formerly St. Regis Resort, Fort Lauderdale), Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304