The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island

We stayed at this hotel for a week to attend a conference, and our experience was quite disappointing for what is claimed to be a 5-star establishment. First, the valet-only parking option is a major inconvenience. If you have a 7:00 pm dinner reservation, you should start waiting for your car by 6:00 pm. The valet system is completely inefficient and fails to meet guests' needs. The hotel shows many signs of deterioration and is not as clean as it should be for a 5-star hotel. The bathroom linens had stains, and the pool towels were very dirty with numerous stains. Housekeeping did not meet the standards of a 5-star service. On two out of the five nights we stayed, our bathroom amenities were not refilled. As previous reviews mentioned, the staff were not very friendly. One incident involved a housekeeper potentially throwing away my son's souvenir cup. We reported this through the hotel app, but no one responded until we sent multiple reminders. When we finally received a response, the gentleman handling it said they would look it up in the lost and found section. Are you kidding me? Additionally, as a 5-star hotel, we had a great amount of expectation. The hotel listed an indoor swimming pool as one of its amenities, but there was no indoor swimming pool available. Only a small outdoor pool and one hot tub were offered, which was quite disappointing. On a positive note, the gym room was nicely designed and the equipment was very new. Despite the issues with dirty pool towels, the beach staff were very friendly, willing to help, and had a great attitude. Overall, our experience did not live up to the 5-star rating, and I would not recommend this hotel based on our stay.

I found this hotel to have top notch service Unless everyone in Jacksonville is naturally gracious I assume the staff is trained to go the extra mile for the guests. I felt it the moment I arrived. The valet volunteered to charge our Tesla overnight. At check-in a woman served free champagne and kept refilling our glass (actually she kept giving us new glasses) Later in the room housekeeping brought up a wedge for the bed because I have a bad back. When I complained about a minor matter one day (I am a grouchy person) I got a bottle of wine and chocolate cherries and a handwritten note of apology. Later, Camille in the Coast restaurant made a family birthday just great. Without asking me she arranged a special table with fresh cut flowers and - again - 2 glasses of champagne. And she did it all with the biggest smile you ever saw and demurred when I offered her a tip. The service is what I'll remember but also the view of the ocean and the vast expanse of sandy beach. I'm sure other reviewers who found fault are being honest but for me the place was magical.

We (family of 5 with 3 teens) just wrapped up a stay at the Ritz in Amelia Island. We had high hopes but honestly things fell a little flat for us. Just overall too many misses for us to celebrate and recommend this property. I don't say this as a bragging chip but I use Marriott virtually everywhere we travel and have stayed at multiple Ritz properties. As a loyal (Titanium) Bonvoy member, I have had great experiences at their properties and some to forget. My review is based upon staying at virtually all of their brands and what most would expect at a Ritz-Carlton. The drive into the property is beautiful and the welcome was both a hit and a miss. They require valet parking which is fine but the entrance was absolutely jam packed at our 3pm arrival. We sat in a line 5-7 cars deep and waited 5-10 min before we could even exit our vehicle. The welcome was less than warm and felt more rushed. Upon arrival inside, the champagne was chilled and appreciated. Sadly, my titanium status was not even acknowledged and although they guarantee connecting rooms, they were unable to accommodate our two rooms (we had reserved a room for our teens and one for the parents). Further, for Bonvoy members you know you get an allocation of free suite night upgrades. I had requested them for our rooms and they were also unable to honor that request. Not that big of a deal as they are based upon availability. They did acknowledge my upgrade request but said they were fully sold out and unable to fulfill. Generally not a big deal however I could have gone directly on the app while I was standing at the front desk and booked an upgraded room for the duration of our stay. Hence, I know rooms were available. We finally got rooms sorted out (they had to put our teens on 1st floor and us on the 8th floor) and very little instruction or overview of the property. Not a big deal, we decided to venture out and explore the property on our own. The overall check in experience was just off point...the individual that checked us in (I think her name was Letitia) just seemed short and perhaps having a bad day. Overall, just didn't feel welcomed or warm. After the initial suboptimal experience, we decided to press on and make it a great trip. That said, there were a handful of things that would occur the next few days that just left me concluding this property is not up to RC standards. A few examples: - We spent our first full day by the pool and got back to our room to clean up for dinner about 6pm. Our room had not been cleaned. Not exactly the end of the world except for when I went down to the first desk to request our room be cleaned, I was met with a response that the crew had left for the day but they could offer a turndown service. When I voiced displeasure, they quickly backtracked and said okay, we will have someone clean it. - Food was decently good but no where near the value for what you pay. For example, the breakfast buffet is $32 per per

This a very nice hotel. It is not what one would generally consider a “Ritz”. It’s a nice Marriott, that charges Ritz prices. Much of the furniture, inside and out, were less than clean and somewhat thread bare. Food and beverages were expensive and good but not great. The pool area was very nice, the beach is fairly private and nice Service was quite good. The room was clean and well appointed Would I choose this hotel for a vacation, probably not

Amazing please

Everything they do at the Ritz Carlton is about service to the customer. They all fulfill it with a smile that actually says they enjoy making your vacation memorable. From multiple bottles of water in your room and wherever you go on property to turndown service, free sunscreen and extras that you don’t expect. This is all done with a smile and doing that little bit extra which is the difference between good enough and extraordinary.

We are very disappointed with our stay. The room smells like urine, the carpet is dirty, the door lock (to go to the patio) in our room opened easily—in fact, my 4-year-old son could open it easily, and I didn't feel safe. I called the reception and had to go there in person twice for someone to come to the room. Finally, a very polite gentleman tried to help me, but unfortunately, they had nothing they could do. The pool was dirty. We ordered room service, which said the delivery time would be an hour, but it took three hours. We have stayed at another hotel in the chain and liked it, but this time it was disappointing.

Short and Simple - amazing! The service, the ambiance, the beach, the on-premise dining options. 1st night - Goldrush Rally. Amazing vehicles staged in Valet. Private car show, not really was just a stop over. Enjoyed chatting with the crews. Remaining (3) nights were filled with amazing beverages and dining options, between Salt / Bar Lounge / Coast - you won’t go wrong. Trip will be repeated!

We have stayed at several Ritz Carlton’s and this one is by far is our favorite! The staff was amazing they all made you feel like you’re spending time with friends! The facility is very well designed and the spaces for guest to sit all our very relaxing. The views are just stunning. We enjoyed the spa and had a couples massage the facility has been recently renovated and it’s just gorgeous! Special thanks to MJ for being so kind informative and helpful !