The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island

We loved our stay at the Ritz Amelia Island! We checked in on Labor Day and stayed five nights with club access. Club access is expensive but we thought it was great - food was fabulous and employees were incredibly professional and friendly. There were five food presentations daily and all were wonderful. There were nice little touches like ice cream and snow cones available in the afternoons, Saturday morning chef for omelettes and waffles, gorgeous desserts every night, any kind of cocktail, etc etc. We enjoyed the absinthe presentation on Thursday night - a cool short history of the spirit with a fun tasting. There are three balconies attached to the lounge, which we loved. I could go on and on - we just really enjoyed our experience. The hotel is beautiful. The beach is fantastic, the pools are perfect. The gym and spa are amazing. We loved it. The negative comments about this hotel over Labor Day weekend are unfair in my opinion. According to MANY employees, the hotel was at capacity that weekend and everyone was working hard. Perhaps these hyper critical travelers should pick a less busy time to travel to a popular beach destination.

We just completed a 5 night stay over the Labor Day holiday weekend. The biggest positive was the excellent programming for kids. There were many great, complimentary activities like face painting, balloon artists, laser tag, and even nature talks with live reptiles. The family activities were truly top-notch and easily the highlight of our stay. Unfortunately, that's where the positives ended. This property feels like a Ritz-Carlton in name only. During 3 of the 5 days we were there, the pool was out of towels. One day, I ended up walking to the beach area, which surprisingly had plenty of towels available, but I had to practically beg to take a few back to the pool because I was told those towels were "for the beach only," even though they were the exact same towels. To their credit, I was refunded the resort fee for those three days after I complained, but the overall experience left me with a strong impression of unnecessary stinginess. The same applied to the beach chair policy. My wife, daughter, and I asked for three beach chairs and were told rooms are limited to two chairs. This was on a Monday afternoon when both the hotel and beach were nearly empty. I was honestly shocked that such a request couldn't be accommodated. Beyond the service issues, the property is showing significant wear and tear. I had one Housekeeping was also inconsistent. We arrived to find hair in the bathtub that clearly wasn't ours. On our second day, our room received only a very superficial cleaning and the bathroom had not been cleaned at all. After I messaged the hotel, someone did return to address the issue, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place. You could also tell the pool and beach areas were understaffed and the employees were overworked. Many appeared to be college-aged seasonal staff, and many looked miserable and disengaged. While I don't fault the individual employees, the lack of staffing showed in the overall guest experience and contributed to an atmosphere that felt far removed from the level of service I'd expect at a Ritz. Overall, I won't be returning. While the kids' programming was exceptional, it wasn't enough to justify the $1k+ rates being charged. For a luxury property, the service, maintenance, and overall guest experience fell well short of expectations.

I rarely write reviews but I was shocked at the service me and a group of friends experienced here over the long weekend. The property in general is in some need of some serious upgrades…even though it has experienced reservations. Main things we experiences is mildewed showers, towels that were nowhere to be found several days where the stays reply was “our laundry service sucks”, drinks that took 45 minutes to arrive…if they even arrived, a sports bar that didn’t play the Florida game, mediocre food all around, and what felt like a serious understaffed team. I’ve stayed here several times and I will never be back. This is a courtyard marriott masked as a Ritz. Save your money and rent an airbnb which is what several locals told us when we told them where we’re staying. Very disappointed.

I am shocked to be at a Ritz at a silly price point with a sad, mildewed shower curtain. The photos on the site are terribly misleading, showing a sparkly walk in shower. Perhaps I just got unlucky and have the one room they forgot to renovate but I was stunned to walk in and see the state of the bathroom. Fortunately I am only here for 2 nights but this is a huge skip for me next time I’m in the area.

This was our second time to the Ritz Amelia Island and it was better than the first. As a Titanium member, I was able to use my suite night awards to upgrade to an ocean front suite, which was amazing. Lots of space and great views, the family absolutely loved it! We were celebrating our babymoon and Nora from guest relations made it extra special with sparking apple cider, treats, and a small toy brought to the room. Since this beach is relatively quiet, it was very peaceful. Having lunch and drinks brought out to you on the beach is always a plus and service was great! After thatwe, played at the pool, which wasn't too crowded. We ate breakfast buffet each morning, which doesn't disappoint. We had dinner at both Coast and Tidewater (both very kid friendly) and the food was good. During our time there, they had a special event leading up the fourth, which included setting up a game room (with laser tag), which the kids really enjoyed. Overall, wonderful stay and can't wait to be back!