In August we enjoyed a two week holiday in New York, and decided to stay at a couple of different places. Our first stay was at one of the old social clubs in Midtown, and the second at the Ritz Carlton, overlooking Central Park. In the past we have stayed at a couple Ritz Carlton hotels in other countries, and had great experiences at both, which is why we decided to book with them again during our New York stay. Normally you would think that the Ritz in New York would be one of the world’s premiere properties, with all that goes with being such a property. But such was not the case. Please read on. We arrived early, before a room was available, we were pleased to find that we could get an upgrade to a room with a view. We left two phone numbers where we could be reached when our room was ready, and then did some sightseeing around the city. 7 pm came with no call from the hotel, upon returning we found that our room was ready, but that they had forgotten to call us. This wasn’t too big a deal, as we were enjoying our sightseeing, but this is the first time that hotel promised to call us, and then forgot. The doormen at the Ritz in New York aren’t like in other countries, or even other parts of America. They don’t wear uniforms other than black polo shirts and black pants, there seems to be no dress code, and no standards for appearance. These guys could have passed for bouncers at a club, or tow truck drivers. And the doormen are often nowhere near the door, or, if they are, they are playing with their phones. This was a little surprising as the doormen at other Ritz properties were uniforms, don’t play with their phones, and are actually on hand to open the door for you. After a long day, I ran the bath for my 8-year-old daughter, and was surprised to find that the water was a rich brown color. Calling the front desk, I was told that this was normal, and that I had to let the water run until it was clear. I did this, but the water never got completely clear, and always had a somewhat yellowish color. One of the reasons we chose the Ritz was to have a bath tub, which is less common in New York than in other places. With the water looking the way it did, none of us wanted to use the bath tub, and were not especially comfortable using the shower, and using the water to brush our teeth was out of the question. I can’t believe that a hotel in one of the world’s great cities with a room rate of more than $1k per night can’t have clean tap water. We ordered a quick breakfast for our daughter, this was a plate of pancakes, a glass of milk, and coffee for two, which ended up costing $91. The club we had stayed at prior to the Ritz (besides having clean water), had a far superior continental breakfast which was $23 per person. The Ritz is not much of a value in regards to their restaurants and room service. Of course, in addition to the $91 we were expected to leave a tip. Oddly, the button on the phone to the front desk only works from 10 am to 6 pm. Other properties we have stayed at have a person on hand to answer the phone 24-7, and service is prompt. One would think the New York City Ritz Carlton would have higher standards. The room itself was excellent, the view was great. The bed, bedding, and pillows were comfortable. But the housekeeping was not very good. Used cups and glasses were not taken away, and when they eventually were, they were not replaced with new ones. The floor was never vacuumed properly, and things were not put away. Outside the hotel was not especially nice. Though it was great to be across the street from Central Park, the area around the hotel was not clean. The walkway in front was littered with cigarette butts and bits of trash, I found blood stains on the sidewalk a short distance from the entrance, and by the corner was a large bag of what looked like human feces, which was left to sit there during our entire stay. I am sorry to say that our stay at the Ritz Carlton was not worth what we paid for it. There are far better places with better services for a better price. The Ritz New York could be a much better place with a little more work, and hopefully this review will be useful. …
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