C’est après un trajet retardé depuis Las Vegas que j’arrive enfin à l’aéroport de Los Angeles. Après quelques difficultés pour obtenir un Uber qui m’amènera au Ritz-Carlton, j’arrive enfin à l’hôtel.
As a reminder, here is the itinerary followed:
Booking
I proceeded to the reservation of this property a little more than a week before my arrival. I hesitated for a long time between booking a hotel near the airport, in the area served by shuttles, and this Ritz-Carlton located at about 5 km from the airport and which offered relatively moderate rates compared to the others. I was wrong!
It is for a little less than $400 a night, all taxes included, that I proceeded to book this hotel.
Two days before my arrival, as it is usually the casethrough the Marriott Bonvoy app, I receive a notification inviting me to proceed to the online check-in formalities, which I did.
On the day of my arrival, I see a very small upgrade, just one category, to a room with a partial marina view.
Arrival
I arrived at the hotel shortly after 10:30pm due to my delayed arrival on my flight from Las Vegas. When I got out of my Uber, I saw a doorman was positioned there, but he did not find necessary to help me. So I took the luggage down from the Uber myself and headed to the reception.
The reception was deserted, and I was taken care of immediately. The clerk asked for my name and ID, which I provided, thanked me for my loyalty as an Ambassador member, and proceeded to check-in. There was no mention of a specific upgrade, everything was done in less than 30 seconds. I was not even told what the restaurant’s operating hours were for breakfast, for example, nor where the elevators were located, and I would have to ask the receptionist that. A reception worth of a half-service property, not at all of a full-service property and even less of a Ritz-Carlton.
Room
My room was located on the 10th floor of the hotel.
At the entrance was a small buffet, on which was located a Nespresso machine, which I used the morning of my departure, as well as a welcome benefit, which seemed to have been thrown on this tablet, with a card also thrown on this tablet and thus touching the treats dropped for this welcome benefit.
On the right was located the bathroom, very dated, with a basin, toilet, and a kind of bathtub-shower that I hate. The toiletries are Diptyque-branded, a brand I particularly like.
Then came the bedroom, which had on the left a TV set on a large sideboard, and on the right a very comfortable king size bed. Towards the window was the desk and on the right, an armchair.
The balcony promised in the description was actually a large French window with a railing, not really a place to spend time: there is just space for your feet.
This room was closer to an old Sheraton or Marriott than a Ritz-Carlton. Really not at all at the level we expect from such a brand. I also wanted to specify that the wi-fi did not work during my stay, neither on my computer, nor on my mobile devices, phone or tablet.
As a reminder, here is the video tour:
Hotel facilities
The hotel is equipped with a gym, located in the basement of the property, as well as an outdoor pool, which was closed during my short stay. I did not have the pleasure of using these facilities during my stay.
Catering
The property had a main dining area, located near the lobby, which was also a bar. Another area was also available by the pool for grilling, mainly for lunch. As for the hotel’s facilities, the very short time spent on site did not allow me to visit the dining facilities.
Service
Ritz-Carlton is probably where one expects the best service in the Marriott portfolio brands. Unfortunately, on this particular point, it’s a zero score.
And unfortunately, I don’t think this was an isolated case as it was repeated at each of my interaction with the hotel. Already, I feel that a very small upgrade of one category is very insufficient for an Ambassador member. The Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions indicate upgrades to suites, and many categories were available up to standard suites.
Secondly, when I arrived at the hotel, my interactions were very cold throughout, whether from the doorman or the receptionist. I did not explicitly ask for an upgrade upon arrival, but I feel I did not have to be asking for one. In most properties, upgrades are strong, perhaps less so in the US than elsewhere, but not one to such a poor standard.
I used the mobile check-out features when I checked out, and the bill was not emailed to me. I had to ask for it several times and by insisting that I wanted to speak to the General Manager, only to have my bill sent over 3 hours after my initial interaction. It’s not that difficult to send the invoice automatically when a customer uses the mobile check-out procedure.
So I sent an email to the Marriott Ambassador service to tell them about this experience. And the next morning, I received an e-mail from the Head of Reception who, without my even asking for anything, proceeded to the total refund of my stay. I didn’t ask for so much, I just wanted some explanations about the reasons of this very poor service, but I think that the hotel felt that their behavior was not correct, especially for a such a highly-tiered Marriott Bonvoy member.
Departure
As I said before, the check-out process was certainly quick since I used the mobile check-out features of the Marriott Bonvoy app, but it took me a long time to get the bill via email. Also, note that you will struggle to find an Uber, all the time, and especially to get to the airport. The rides are short, and often refused by the drivers around.
Bottom line
A stay to quickly forget. Even if the reaction of the head of reception was excellent, I don’t think I want to spend my dollars in a property that had such a lack of respect for its customers, and especially for its loyal customers.
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