The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami

Executive suite & lounge access were terrific. Oliver in the lounge was attentive and helpful. Housekeeping good. Suite was spacious and clean. Really enjoyed use of the e-bikes to visit the state park - highly recommend. Beach and pool staff and service not 5-stars. This Ritz doesn’t go above and beyond and is in need generally of the upcoming renovation. Bet it’ll be great afterwards.

My husband and I had a great long weekend trip. I used to come to this hotel as a kid a lot so it was nice to experience it as an adult. We are expecting and wanted to do a photoshoot on the beach at the hotel which we did through the photo concierge and had the best service with Sabrina. It was a quick 45 minute session so it did not take much time out of our trip & photos also turned out beautiful!

A Disappointing Stay at The Ritz-Carlton Biscayne Bay—Far Below Expectations Our family has scaled back vacations to long weekends due to our daughter’s rigorous athletic practice schedule. So when we finally get the chance to travel, we like to make it special. We chose Miami for a quick getaway and, as longtime loyalists to The Ritz-Carlton and as Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite members, we booked a stay at The Ritz-Carlton Biscayne Bay. Unfortunately, this experience was a complete letdown from start to finish. Bait-and-Switch on the Room I booked an ocean-view suite on a high floor at $977 per night through the Ritz-Carlton app. Upon check-in, I was told that only low-floor ocean-view rooms were available. To my dismay, the “ocean view” was actually a partial view at best—requiring me to stand on a tiny, almost nonexistent balcony and strain to see the water. Feeling misled, I checked the hotel’s site and confirmed my suspicion: the room I was given was a lower-tier, lower-priced category than what I had paid for. After speaking with three dismissive front desk staff who insisted I was mistaken, a manager finally acknowledged the issue and refunded the price difference—more than $300 per night. While I appreciate the adjustment, the dishonesty in the booking process is unacceptable. Room Conditions—Far From Luxury The room itself was nothing close to Ritz-Carlton standards. The carpets were filthy, stained in multiple places, and the furniture was visibly dirty. But perhaps the biggest issue was the mattresses—soft, lumpy, and completely worn out. Instead of the firm, supportive bedding expected at a luxury hotel, we were stuck with sagging mattresses that made for an uncomfortable night’s sleep. It was shocking that a Ritz-Carlton property would allow something like this. At least the sheets and towels were clean, but that’s the bare minimum. Pool and Beach Experience—A Mess We headed to the pool around noon, only to find most of the lounge chairs “reserved” with towels, yet completely unoccupied for hours. The staff made no effort to clear them for guests actually trying to enjoy the space. Worse, the pool itself was disgusting—visible residue, hair floating around, and a general lack of upkeep. Poolside service was nonexistent. We sat for an hour before a server even acknowledged us, and even then, she never returned. Frustrated, we left for the beach, where service was equally terrible. The staff treated us like an inconvenience, taking over an hour to provide food and drinks—and only after I chased someone down. Dining Failures and False Advertising At 4 PM, we decided to order room service since, according to both the website and hotel materials, restaurants remained open until 6-10 PM. However, there was no menu in the room. When I called the front desk, they claimed there should be a QR code on the desk—there wasn’t. They promised to send a menu… no one ever did. After an hour of waiting, we gave up and ate elsewhere. The next evening, we attempted to dine at Lightkeepers, which supposedly closed at 10 PM. We arrived at 8:45 PM, only to be turned away—the restaurant was already closed. Again, another blatant case of misleading information. Customer Service? What Customer Service? From valet to front desk to restaurant staff, the service at this property was shockingly poor. Employees were indifferent at best and outright rude at worst. No one moved with urgency, no one cared about guest experience, and no one seemed interested in doing their jobs. Final Verdict: Not Worthy of the Ritz-Carlton Name When you book a Ritz-Carlton, especially as a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member expecting exceptional service, attention to detail, and a seamless luxury experience, this hotel failed at every level. Between the deceptive room booking, unsanitary pool, terrible mattresses, poor service, and misleading dining hours, our stay was an absolute disappointment. If you’re looking for a true Ritz-Carlton experience, this is not the place.

Oh my. I’m shocked! I kept hearing how this ritz is getting a renovation but in the meantime-completely let it go. Trash outside the trash cans/filthy prints on all doors/dust main chandelier/expired candy in room/draperies by spa unhooked/outlets in room not working/steam door in spa rusted and would not close. I can go on..it was obvious that all the carpet/upholstery/furniture needs refreshed but to not even accessorize the tables with something decent. They had this awful red rose mess as you walk in. The shops were a mess and not merchandized well… the bags still had paper on the handles. The view outside our room was terrible with black debris on the ground. Stains on the wall inside room. To pay that rate was unreal for what we experienced. Not too mention we did not even get offered a cocktail when we checked in. It was a very disappointing experience. Almost forgot… look at the fitness center pics. Ladder in the room/ yoga mat closet a mess/ floor buckled. I mean close this place for a major renovation already.

Hotel building: I am very glad to hear the hotel is about to undergo a renovation. It is clear for anyone with a pair of eyes that it is in urgent need of repair. I find it difficult to believe that the Ritz are still charging full rates and that people are still willing to pay this!! Anyway I won’t bang on about what needs to be done to get this up to Ritz standards .. but it’s A LOT..!! Grounds: we loved the main lawn - kids played here a lot. The beach was great (although they need new beach chairs). Swimming pool area was pretty busy every day (I see they allow outside guests to buy day passes so that could add to the amount of people ). Staff: we thought some of the staff could do with some further training. At the Ritz Carlton in Grand Cayman the staff go above and beyond and are unbelievably polite. At the Ritz in Key Biscayne, we weren’t always greeted with the warmth you would expect. However there are some members of staff who went out of their way and deserve to be mentioned: - Kenny (young guy front door) very polite and well trained - Stefan and Miguel - front of house - both very polite and kind and helped us every day - William who does coffee at the cafe every morning- what a LOVELY guy.. so polite even with a million coffees to make. - breakfast waitresses were generally really polite and well trained. Spa : women’s spa area was pretty run down. Like the rest of the hotel - needs reno. Location: 10 minute walk from the local play park so great if you have kids. Would we go again?! Hmmm..Maybe ..Probably not until it’s been renovated. Right now it’s over priced for what it is.