Letter to the manager
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 6/24/05
Hello,
My wife and I have been vacationing, staying at resorts as a hobby, for almost 20 years. I consider myself a discerning, experienced connoisseur of luxury travel. All that being said; I rank your hotel as possibly the finest in the state.
We stayed there last September and again recently for Memorial Day weekend. Both visits were indescribably wonderful and relaxing. Your entire staff is amazing and should be congratulated.
Here is my categorized critique of your Hotel:
Rooms: FIVE stars. The rooms are the typical Ritz Carlton style. They are impeccably clean, spacious, and have excellent balconies. They also have fine bedding and amenities.
Spa: FIVE stars. The spa may be run by an outside company, but the service and amenities they offer are right on par. The pool is immaculate.
Golf: FIVE stars. There is a beautiful course and a helpful staff.
Food and Beverage: FOUR Stars. Normans is a great restaurant, but it is not a five star in my book. Also, the frozen drinks at the pool bar could have been made better.
Pool: FIVE stars. My last comment about the pool bar was just me stretching my imagination to find something critical about an almost perfect place. Both the main pool and the spa pool are as clean as can be.
The main pool has a nice bar and the pool attendants are friendly and efficient. We went down for a dip during a crowded Holiday afternoon and were surprised to find a manager pitching in, busting his butt. We requested shade, and this guy found one cabana chair that was available and then went searching for another. He found another one and carried it over himself and set us up. I would call that good management.
Service: FIVE stars. The service at your Hotel is undeniably the best. From the front desk, to the valets, from the wait staff to the bellmen, all I see are dedicated professionals practicing genuine customer service regiments.
But the most exceptional group is the concierge level staff. I have to rank your concierge level staff as the all-around best in the state. I must commend them on their friendliness and attentiveness. I noticed the way they treated other guests who were being over demanding or were making ridiculous requests. They never were sarcastic or became flustered.
We were getting on the elevator and we heard this woman browbeating the concierge. She was saying: Where is a good place to go for dinner with 8 people that�s very inexpensive, not in the Hotel, and has decent food? My wife and I still laugh about it. We wonder how the reserved concierge was going to suggest that they go to Wendy�s!
All around: FIVE stars. Your hotel is only one of four hotels throughout Florida that I would bestow a five star ranking on, and it is quite possibly the best!
I understand the rigors involved with striving to be the best in your field. If I just tell my employees that they have to strive to be the best, there isn�t much incentive for them. If I, on the other hand, lead by example and display the unselfish, endearing qualities needed to be the best, the employees will have a reason to follow.
So congratulations to the management team of the Ritz Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes for leading by example and building a five star team of dedicated employees. As long as this continues, we will continue to vacation there.
In fact, we just booked 3 nights for Labor Day weekend! We can�t wait to return for our three nights of blissful relaxation.