The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach

I’ve been staying at this hotel many times and I’ve always been leaving best reviews. This time I have got the worst villa that I have ever had in this resort. It’s not in the nice condition, it’s outdated, the location of the villa was always better than even now. Even the management of the hotel knows that there is the construction around the hotel and despite that they provided me the villa closer to the construction works than even I got villas before when there was no construction works here. Insane hospitality for Ambassadors and regular guests. Besides I made a booking in advance, I sent the message to the hotel asking for the upgrade as a regular guest and Ambassador elite member (I’ve never had upgrades here but I had many stays), they said “we made a strong note”. In reality there was no upgrade, same category of the villa, this villa is even worse than I had before during my previous stays. This is also the first time when I haven’t received any welcome amenities in the room and even a welcome letter. Absolutely awful experience from Ritz Carlton. You should work even better for your guests because of construction to make their experience even better than before but it seems you are even less in loyalty and hospitality than before. What I really like here is the stuff. All employees are absolutely amazing and kind, always with a smile. Guys who help with the luggage and who use buggy are brilliant team with perfect service. Every stay they work hard and making their job in a perfect way. But management of the hotel is not loyal to regular guests. I am concerned they might lose some guests because new hotels are opening in the region and even in the same locations. I had one more booking for the next week so I am not sure I will keep it to come back. Beginning of the stay is already disappointed. ☹️

The hotel arranged three music and light stages for wedding celebrations. The noise was deafening and stroboscopic lights were blinding people living some 1000 meter away. The noise went on till 03:00AM and kept occupants some 1000m away out of sleep. The hotel behaviour is far below acceptable with no consideration to its neighbours.

We stayed at the Ritz Carlton in April 2025 for my wife’s 40th birthday. From the moment we arrived we were spoilt by the staff, we were met and checked in with the super nice and friendly reception staff and received an early check in as we had arrived early, the staff took our bags and transported these by buggy to the villa. The resort is wonderful, the villas are spacious and private with their own private pools and lounging areas, each villa has direct beach access and the rooms are very spacious. The restaurant (Shore House) which serves breakfast lunch and dinner was great with delicious food and fantastic views of the beach. The staff could not be more attentive and friendly - always asking whether we were ok. There is some construction taking place between reception and the approx villa 12 at the resort, however if you are a good sleeper this will not disturb you, the resort are appreciative of the construction work and impact on guests. Overall, this is a fantastic place to visit and stay for a relaxing holiday, there are plenty of dining options at nearby resorts and buggies are always on hand to take guests between resorts - would totally revisit the resort again.

A good respite away from the city without having to travel long! Love that you can enjoy your privacy when you're inside your villa but can also see other guests and enjoy whenever you feel like going out in the resort's private beach or restaurants. The amenities we're all superb - we especially love having our own private pool - but it was each of their team that truly made our visit more special.

Villas with private pools, small private courtyards to stretch out in, and direct access to the beach - it has the all the makings of a wonderful holiday location. The staff is absolutely fantastic and goes above and beyond to make your holidays special. Barbecue done in your own villa by Raman, is absolutely finger licking marvelous - just perfect level of grill, one of the few times we have had rare done right...not too much, not raw, just perfect. Shorehouse does an absolutely brilliant job of taking care of you whether it is the dinner or breakfast. Arun, Tun, Su, Jiyas all of them are prompt and do the best they can to cater to your taste - excellent service and even better attitude...just what you need for a perfect holiday. The front desk specially Fillend was marvelous and super helpful in organizing activities and helping us out with all options available in and around the resorts. The staff and service is truly the key asset of this Marriott property. The property itself needs some investment to bring it to the usual Ritz Carlton level. The old Banyan Tree property has now been Ritz Carlton for well over 8 years now - but doesn't show any investment from Marriott to bring it to the usual levels of RC. The rooms and villas are showing signs of neglect and age. The bedding was very hard and in desperate need of replacement. The AC systems in the villas doesn't quite perform as it needs to in 40 degree celsius temperatures. The beach is actually quite far from the villa - walking to the beach is actually quite tough as it is not the fine white sand, but almost gravel. RAK is going through a massive phase of construction to be ready for 2027 opening of casino. This means construction everywhere and a lot of dust. Be prepared for that. Finally, I think the property management needs to do something about the level of activities available to the guests in the resort. Given most people come here for short to medium holidays - there are no preferential deals with the Troon Golf Course for the guest, there are no community activity center with activities to do during excessive heat, there are not a lot of external activities with external providers to engage in. You just have to go Sophitel next door or Waldorf to see the contrast between RC and other resorts - especially when RC is at a much higher charges. Take care of the staff, and invest in the property - would be my advice.