The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia

We loved this hotel. The location was perfect for us. Close to family, restaurants, and museums. Our room was very nice. The bed was so comfortable and the bathroom was beautiful. Service at the hotel (valet, doorman, reception, lobby bartender) was excellent and friendly. Definitely recommend.

Check in line was long, no Ambassador line. Connecting rooms weren’t ready at 5pm although check in is at 4. Last guests dried contact lenses still on night stand. Called and asked for housekeeping to clean it. We got back from dinner to find that they never came. Signs in elevators worn and dated and lots of chipped paint and dirty doors everywhere. I expect better quality control from brand management at Marriott. This is a beautiful property that is not being managed to the standards that one expects from the Ritz Carlton label. They have let their properties in this area go downhill (don’t get me started on the Westin in Wilmington!)

The reviews don’t lie, this is a Ritz Carlton by name only and not what you expect from the brand. I changed my reservation to stay here and I’m regretting my decision. Arrived at 5:45 pm on a Sunday night, not AM but PM and was told the room was not ready due to housekeeping issues and being fully booked the night before. Instead of an upgrade or club access they offered me a downgrade. I always specify a quiet room and they put us outside the elevator that you hear going up and down all night. We moved to a different room and it was smaller with a broken fridge. My wife had surgery here and at one point requested my room to get made up, came back 3.5 hours later to an unmade room. They tried to do a few things to apologize and I appreciate the effort but there needs to be some big changes made at this hotel. For a 5 night stay where we needed to feel like home, all I could do was count the seconds down until we could leave.

As Ritz hotels go, this is the worst I have encountered. Small, loud rooms, no turndown service, tiny spa with no amenities. The gym was small and I had to walk through a private event to access it. The front desk staff was uninformative. And my room was never cleaned though I left for 8 hours… I stayed the next two nights at the Loews, and it was half as expensive and twice as nice. Like the Ritz? Enjoy luxury hotels? Skip this one, it’s a very poor example of what is usually one of my favorite hotels.

The rooms and service at this hotel are no way near the Ritz Carlton brand experience. And certainly it is priced much too high for this lack of quality. Lobby is nice but rooms are dark and tired, water system broken and limited in staff. We will not stay there again.