The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota, Sarasota

Wonderful hotel! Just like all stays at all ritzs IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!

My husband and I came here for our honeymoon. We were so excited to stay at the Ritz Carlton, Sarasota. Looking over a lot of the reviews, I expected we'd have a great experience here. It was completely the opposite! First, I had told the front desk that it was our honeymoon when booking the room for the week. They told me because it was our honeymoon they would be giving us an upgrade to a nicer room and a bottle of champagne and strawberries upon arrival. When we first arrived, the front desk attendant thought it was our anniversary, after we informed him it was our honeymoon he said he would have everything prepared last minute. After coming up to our room, they had forgotten to bring any of the amenities they had promised us. Later that night, they did finally bring up the strawberries, but no champagne. We just finally gave up on that, oh well. Then our next discovery was both of the bathroom sinks were clogged the entire trip. I went to use the shower and there was dirt in the grout between the tiles. I tried to use their complimentary robe they provided until noticing it had a huge stain on it! Gross! This was the Ritz Carlton? Upon arrival they also told us they would be serving coffee in the downstairs lobby. Our first morning there, I went down to grab a coffee, thinking it was complimentary. It was almost $10 for a small coffee (that was not very good) and a croissant. I was so upset. I would have been better off walking to Starbucks down the road! It would have been much cheaper and a whole lot better! Then they had a huge leak from the skylights while we were there. It sounded like rain pouring right in the middle of the lobby. I couldn't believe it. I would say the worst part about our stay was the fact that we felt nickeled and dimed the entire time. I understand that when staying at a 5 star hotel you are going to be expected to tip. They made my husband and I feel like we couldn't even use there "complimentary" valet service without tipping them some astronomical amount. In fact, at one point, they drove us a mile down the road and when my husband said he only had like $5 dollars on him and would tip him more on the ride back, the driver told him he would take him across the parking lot to the ATM! Horrible!! The ending clincher which really upset me was the last day of our stay when checking out, we had a shuttle from the airport picking us up at 9:30 AM. After we walked out to the front of the hotel our driver was waiting for us and told us that the Valet Manager asked him to leave. The Valet Manager told our shuttle driver that we had already been picked up at 8:00 that morning and he would be wasting his time by waiting for us! We couldn't believe it! It cost us $150 one way back to Tampa Airport for our shuttle driver and the Valet for the hotel lied to him and tried to send him away! When the shuttle driver told the valet, "here they are", the valet simply shrugged his shoulders like he didn't care. Unbelievable!! Needless to say, we were very happy to leave this hotel. We will never be staying here again. Honestly, one of the worst experiences I have ever had at a hotel! You'd be better off staying at the Courtyard Marriott than this place!!

My wife and I stayed at the Sarasota Ritz for four days. It is elegant and the staff was great. The rooms are supberb. The only down side was the Easter brunch which was downright awful. The staff tried to make it right but our Easter brunch was ruined. Richard

I can't recommend the Ritz highly enough. The Sarasota location has all the amenities and service you'd expect of a Ritz, with none of the attitude. There are no hidden fees (for instance, free Internet, free parking, etc.), which is a huge added bonus. The location is perfect (close to downtown shops and restaurants), but you always have access to St. Armand's Circle and Lido Beach through the Ritz shuttle.

It was the perfect place. The staff was amazing, catering to your every need and want. It is, thus far my favorite hotel.

The property was beautiful and well-kept. The staff was pleasant and friendly, but oh my goodness.....the bed was horrible. The mattress at the Marriott Courtyard was better than the one at the Ritz. I spoke with someone else staying there and they also said the same thing. I had to have the maid put an extra mattress cover on the bed, just to make it tolerable. The bed seemed old and cheap. Not exactly what you'd expect at a high end hotel. I never have a problem sleeping at The Four Seasons or a Westin. For the simple reason of lost sleep, I won't be returning. And I also thought the carpet looked dirty and old. Time for the Ritz to remodel, in my opinion.

Too much attitude. Service is poor. Very slow. Un-informed staff. Poor recommendations from the staff. They definitely make you feel like you are not good enough to be there.

this place was so amazing, i cant wait to go back and spend more time here in the beuatiful Sarasota, FL. You have to try it!

Having stayed at some of the best hotels around the world, the level of service, quality of food and staff are the best I have experienced in the US. I would not hesitate to stay there again, infact I have four times now. This is a hotel run like a hotel should be run, fantastic.

I loved the distinctive, classy service everywhere you turned...from the bar to the restaurant to check in...it's what makes the Ritz so special. The bedding is amazing. They call it the "Ritz Sleep Experience" and it's like sleeping inside a cloud. I got the best night's sleep I ever had.