"We would like to thank you for a wonderful stay and welcome at the Ritz-Carlton, South beach. The hotel is situated on an excellent stretch of south beach, right in the middle with easy access to the shops and to the rest of south beach. We were welcomed by Ms Cielo Bueno, who was very helpful & informative throughout our stay. She is a true credit to your company and we could tell how much she enjoyed her job and valued the customer's experience at the hotel. We were recommended to stay here and we will have no hesitation in recommending the hotel or re-booking again should we return, which we hope we will again soon."

"The location is fantastic - South Beach, Ocean Drive, and Washington Ave all made for a great stay, with an excellent restaurant scene nearby. No complaints there at all. Some of the staff are genuinely wonderful. Blaire, Domenica, Benjamin, and John in the Club Lounge delivered the kind of warm, anticipatory service that harks back to what this brand stood for in the 90s and 2000s. We found ourselves hoping one of them would be on shift whenever we visited the lounge. Blaire - our kids already miss you. And Domenica, those strawberry daiquiris were hands-down the best drinks we had on South Beach. We miss you both already. Unfortunately, the hotel itself felt flat and uninspired, and much of the staff seemed disengaged, even unhappy to be there. Aside from a few standouts - Alain, Kevin at the pool, and the Club Lounge team mentioned above - there’s almost no one else we remember now that we’re home. That’s a real contrast to other properties we’ve stayed at, where we still think fondly of the people we connected with. A few specific examples of where service broke down: • The pool water turned cloudy with chloramines by midday most days - worth doing quality checks at that point in the day. • At the pool, I asked a waiting staff member for a drink (he was already serving guests seated near us) and he told me he doesn’t cover that section. When I looked around to see if he’d flag someone else, he just shrugged. • At check-in, I mentioned we’d been guaranteed an upgrade and told the staff member exactly who at the property had confirmed this. Rather than checking internally, he asked me to track down the email myself - which I eventually did, after a long drive from Orlando. These are the small touches that are supposed to set a Ritz-Carlton apart from a Holiday Inn or other Marriott brands, and they simply weren’t there. • I showed him that our STARS booking had a room available in the category directly above ours for our entire stay. He told me the hotel was “hoping to sell” that room instead. If that’s the case, what value does a STARS or FHR booking upgrade guarantee actually carry? • We tried to get a table inside Mango’s (online booking only offers the boardwalk) after the hotel recommended it. I asked two different concierge staff, almost every day for a week, and neither would even make a call, let alone secure a table. In the end, it was our concierge from home - who got us a table inside within the hour, calling all the way from London when we mentioned it in passing as an annoyance when they called for another reason. That the hotel couldn’t manage this in its own city is embarrassing. So you know what to expect from the concierge at the hotel. To be clear, this isn’t a complaint about those individuals - but I hope it illustrates where the service experience is falling through the cracks. There’s plenty of staff on hand for things like opening doors, which felt unnecessary since I’m capable of doing that myself most times - but where it actually mattered, the service wasn’t there. On the upgrade specifically, if you’re booking via the STARS programme: we were guaranteed one at booking. I have an email from staff stating that because our agent had rebooked the room to save us money, they technically weren’t obligated to honor the upgrade - yet in that same email, they confirmed the upgrade was available and offered it anyway. If that’s the policy, why wasn’t the booking updated to reflect it? Why does a STARS or FHR booking promise an availability-based upgrade at all, if there’s no real intention of honoring one even when a room is available? Overall, if it weren’t for the location, this property falls short in almost every other respect. You could swap it for a Holiday Inn in the same spot and most guests wouldn’t notice the difference."

"Caleb helped me when I needed him to help with a reservation and the team with setting me up perfectly on the beach. Especially remembering my name and for my birthday a free drink! Super grateful I recommend his team and this amenity!"

"The service was incredible. The staff made you feel welcomed and ready and willing to go the extra mile."

"Our stay at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach was nothing short of exceptional. From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with genuine warmth and hospitality that made us feel right at home. The property is beautiful, the amenities are outstanding, and every detail reflects the level of luxury and service you would expect from The Ritz-Carlton. As someone who worked in the hospitality industry for over 20 years, I have very high standards when it comes to guest service. I can honestly say I have rarely encountered such an all-around exceptional team. Every employee we interacted with was warm, professional, attentive, and genuinely committed to creating an unforgettable experience. One thing that especially stood out was the culture of service throughout the hotel. Even if we were waiting for just a minute at the front desk while other guests were being assisted, another team member working nearby would immediately approach us to ask if they could help. That level of attentiveness and teamwork is incredibly rare and speaks volumes about the hotel’s commitment to its guests. We also absolutely loved the hotel’s text messaging service. The team proactively checks in with you during your stay, and if you need anything at all, you can simply reply to the message. It made communicating incredibly easy, and every request was handled quickly and seamlessly. The thoughtful daily touches made our stay even more special. Every afternoon from 3:00–5:00 PM, the hotel offers complimentary champagne for adults and sparkling cider for children. We especially appreciated that the children were included—it made them feel special too and is a perfect example of the attention to detail that sets this property apart. I have to give an extra-special thank you to Pablo at the front desk, who truly made our stay unforgettable. In more than two decades of working in hospitality, I’ve met countless outstanding professionals, but Pablo is among the very best. From the moment we arrived, he treated us like returning friends rather than first-time guests. Every single time he saw us, he greeted us by name, asked how we were enjoying our stay, and genuinely wanted to know if there was anything he could do to make our experience even better. His warmth, professionalism, attention to detail, and sincere care for his guests are exactly what luxury hospitality should be. Employees like Pablo are incredibly rare, and he is a tremendous asset to The Ritz-Carlton. He didn’t simply provide exceptional service—he created an experience we’ll remember long after our vacation ended. We also have to mention Mico at the pool bar. He was always attentive and made our afternoons by the pool that much better. He has such a great personality and made us feel welcome every time we saw him. We also enjoyed getting to know Jessica at the pool bar and appreciated how welcoming she was. Santiago at the pool was wonderful as well and always made sure we had everything we needed. And a big thank you to Ednal, the bellman, who was always so kind and helpful throughout our stay. Housekeeping also deserves special recognition. Our room was always beautifully cared for, but it was the little personal touches that really impressed us. They would thoughtfully organize our toiletries on the bathroom counter, and every night during our six-night stay, they would do something special with my daughter’s stuffed animal, placing him on the bed among the pillows. My daughter and my niece absolutely loved coming back to the room each night to see where he would be. It became such a cute little part of our stay that they genuinely looked forward to. It’s those small, thoughtful touches that you remember long after a trip is over. The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach is a beautiful property, but it’s the people who make it truly extraordinary. I’m sure I’m forgetting names because, honestly, every employee we encountered was exceptional and genuinely seemed to enjoy being there and taking care of their guests. Thanks to Pablo, Mico, and the entire team, this was one of the finest hotel experiences we’ve ever had. We can’t recommend this hotel highly enough and are already looking forward to returning."