The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee

To travel 25+ hours to reach this property to attend an executive retreat, only to be given a dark ground floor room, overlooking a corner of the lake overshadowed by a wall, presented as a Bonvoy Titanium-level upgrade, was a fitting start. Worth noting that besides this “upgrade” there was zero recognition. No welcome note, no lounge access - zilch. In fact throughout the stay it was hard to believe this had anything to do with a Ritz-Carlton. Narrow corridors and thin walls offering very limited noise dampening from other guests, very mediocre service and food, poorly maintained rooms, appalling housekeeping, nothing much reminiscent of a RC aside maybe from the Dyptique amenities. Location itself is challenging, as completely isolated, to the extent that even usually ubiquitous ride sharing apps are non-functional. So forget about even trying to go to the local shops for a respite from the very obvious price-gouging on display. Room itself was poorly maintained with a number of broken fixtures. Low water pressure, and a very lumpy bed. Housekeeping is extremely poor and contrary to the food, which is admittedly always complex to manage for a larger group, is categorically unrelated to having a portion of rooms booked. Very rough employees with little manners and mediocre cleaning standards. On two occasions I was in room when the turndown staff came and the banging on the door was more police raid than Ladies and Gentlemen trying to offer the service. On another day I returned at 4pm, more than 8 hours after leaving, only to find the room not cleaned. On the last day despite having confirmed a late check out, and with the privacy sign clearly on display (a hanging sign by the door), I was disturbed twice, an hour apart by housekeeping keen to clean the room. Housekeeping service itself was approximative and on all days missed replenishing obvious items. In-room dining equally unimpressive, 45 minutes for a simple toasted Turkey sandwich which arrived ice cold and without fries. Food provided was sub-par considering the expected standards; very poor selection and quality. Much worse however was the service with again very rough staff, seemingly unaware they were there to wait tables. Likely the hotel was using temporary event staff with no training whatsoever. Seems logical at a low cost property but here it is jarring. One clear exception was the super friendly staff, including the senior bar manager and various qualified wait staff (Andrew was awesome) who arranged a mixology activity. They were excellent and a pleasure to deal with, with a really good mindset joining in the fun with guests and having great interactions. Overall, and that one team aside, a mediocre and over-priced property, no reason whatsoever to recommend. At a broader level, this confirms an impression that the Ritz-Carlton brand is not faring too well under Marriott, with an increasingly dated style of service which cannot accommodate itself of modern hospitality expectations.

I’m so in love with this property. I stayed for 3 nights last week with my pup and thoroughly enjoyed all of it. Has to be the best bed I’ve slept in other than my own. All of the staff are extremely pleasant, nice to chat with (I traveled alone so chatted up quite a few). Morgan at the main hotel bar is such a joy, they better not ever lose her! Main reason was to stay at a nice property that allows pups, did not disappoint. Loved the walking trails, the lake, the gym, and of course the indoor pool/hot tub. I will definitely be back soon!

Took my husband for a special Ritz Carlton weekend for a special birthday. Having lived in Reynolds for many years, I was a frequent guest at this property. I am not price motivated and have no problem spending for a solid experience Our check in was rapidly and professionally expedited on Friday by Dean Williams. Our room was comfortable and well appointed. We invited guests for cocktails at Lobby Bar followed by dinner at Amore Del Lago. The service was excellent and the food was adequate. What marred the experience was unsupervised kids racing up and down the staircase behind us. The staff turned a blind eye to this disruptive behavior. We were also surprised that a woman with a medium sized dog,clearly not a service animal entered the restaurant. The next day, we had booked a wonderful spa day which included a meal in the lounge and 80 minute massages. Special thanks to Summer and Donna who gave us a warm welcome We were at total peace after our services until we returned downstairs and were jarred out of our serenity by a pool full of screaming children. I might add that this was the only lounge area available to couples. Imagine our concern seeing diapered infants in a pool that should have only been reserved exclusively for paying spa patrons. Upon sharing our experience with an employee we were told that the pool had only recently been regularly opened up to families with kids. Another expressed their frustration in not being able to keep up with constant demand for towels used excessively by doting parents. We were told they were running an hour behind for towels We finished our second day at Linger Longer Steakhouse which was very good Special thanks to Bloodworth, our waiter who went above and beyond for us We left on Sunday and headed home. The whole weekend was just over $3,000 In a casual conversation with an employee, we were told that it is Ritz policy not to say “no” to a guest. While this is a noble attitude in principle, there are times where you do a disservice to other guests by not correcting another poorly behaving guest. Upon our return, we thought Mr Ralph Vick the GM of the property would be interested in constructive feedback. My husband got a quick rather dismissive reply that reeked of being a waste of Mr Vicks time. His disinterest in our business, past and present couldn’t have been more evident

We went to The Ritz at Lake Oconee for my birthday with our children and 4 grandchildren. We had 3 suites. They were all very comfortable and had been renovated since we were there 5 years before. Comfortable beds and plenty of room for clothing. We rented a boat for a ride around the lake and most went swimming in the heated pool. We also had s'mores around the fire pit in the evening. Breakfasts were ample, with a well done breakfast buffet. Our dinner the first night was lovely out at Gaby's by the Lake. The food was decent, nothing too special, but it was great overlooking the lake. Dinner at Linger Longer Steakhouse the next evening was a disappointment. It was very expensive (typical of steakhouses), but the steaks were not great and the sides were not very good. I would definitely not go there again. I felt everything in the resort was well run but just a little overpriced.

It doesn’t get a lot better than this. Incredible location designed for families to create memories of a lifetime. We stayed Thanksgiving and from start to finish they have thought of everything.. from the tree lighting, parade, ice skating…. festivities everywhere… Amazing. But most of all my memories are of families playing, smiling and having fun.