The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans

We decided to splurge and stay on the Club Level - it was an excellent decision. Our group found it an ideal place to gather and chat, eat breakfast, have a drink, enjoy the amazing array of food offerings throughout the day, and play some games when we were tired of touring. The Club Concierge staff is unparalleled - Sunday never missed an opportunity to serve us. Before arriving, we worked with Concierge Karen Ford to develop an itinerary and her recommendations were stellar - from the private guided tour to the culinary walking tour and restaurant ideas. She handled all our reservations and suggested music/venues, as well - but it was wonderful to have the Davenport lounge to retire to at the end of the day for truly terrific trumpet playing. Our room was extremely comfortable and the entire hotel appeared to have been newly renovated. It was the lap of luxury in the Big Easy, and we felt like royalty thanks to the exceptional service. Location is great, in the French Quarter, with everything from restaurants to jazz joints within walking distance.

Very poor service for the most expensive hotel in New Orleans. Started with a 40 minute line for Valet Parking, then a 30 minute wait to check in (only two staff were on the desk!). To make matters worse even at 6pm the rooms were not ready for another hour! Corridors were littered with the previous nights room service debris that was not cleaned away. My room #709 had a domestic fridge that came on every 20 minutes which was not silenced as they usually are. Also I had to turn off the AC as the noise was horrendous and kept me awake.And at $600 per night they still want to charge you to use the Internet! If you want 5 star then do not go here, they just don't care and want as much money as possible with no effort. The worst Rirz Carlton I have ever stayed in.

There are many things right about this property, most notably the public facing areas and staff, but the attention to details and internal communication is off. Our suite (this was a special occasion splurge) was nice and large enough but we had to request robes and slippers, and in what can only be cost cutting moves, they offer the large bottles of soaps and lotions with a warning that taking one will cost $70. Who wants to take soap and shampoo other people used? I don’t even want to use it. And how much are they saving by using public restroom -quality TP? There were also lags in communication between departments; one example..we were approved for a late checkout but even with our ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door, housekeeping walked in on me half dressed while we were packing. Engineering told us to keep the hot water dripping to avoid a very long wait to get hot water for the sink and shower, but housekeeping turned it off when they were in the room. We declined ‘turn down’ service at night to avoid coming back to cold-only sinks. Then there was the concierge who never followed up on promises. On the plus side, the door men, most of the desk staff were lovely, and the gumbo at the restaurant was as good as it gets.

We have had the fortune to have stayed at the RC New Orleans many times over the past 15 years. We love NOLA and have grown spoiled staying at this unique property in the French Quarter. We always chose Club Level access, which allows for a great location to grab breakfast and ease into our day. During our stay over Christmas, the staff was incredible (as always), but had to remain professional and calm while having to deal with families that felt it was ok to invite everyone without access(paid access) into the club. We witnessed it multiple times..IYKYK. The staff handled it extremely well as it was obvious that the Club had well exceeded the occupancy limits. We have stayed at other properties but always come back, you can always know that your experience will be amazing!

We just checked into The Ritz-Carlton, and I’m disgusted by the experience so far. Upon arriving at our room, we were greeted by several toenail clippings right outside our door—an incredibly unpleasant and unhygienic welcome. Additionally, the minibar in our room was only half-stocked. When I brought these issues to the attention of the front desk, all that was offered was a simple apology. My husband is a Platinum Elite member, and we expected a much higher standard of service and cleanliness from a hotel of this caliber. This response was disappointing and far below the level of care and attention we’ve come to expect from The Ritz-Carlton brand.