Hotel Review: The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale

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I can remember being in this hotel when it opened back in 2007. It was a nice addition to the area and completed before the arrival of the W Fort Lauderdale (2009), Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach (2017), and Four Seasons Hotel (2022). It was lovely when it opened but time has not been kind, the area has changed, and it’s hard to not notice the hotel’s much swankier neighbors. We decided to spend a weekend in Fort Lauderdale and chose The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale as I found it to be a reasonable points redemption. This was not a good choice and I can’t say I’ll be returning to the hotel anytime soon. It’s only saving graces are a nice beach and management that truly listens and understands service recovery.

Anthony’s Take: The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale tries to present as a luxury property, but it fails in this regard. It starts when you walk in and find a lobby that feels anything but luxe (think bad shopping mall vibes). The rooms are also dated, worn, and not cleaned to the standards one would expect from the brand. Amenities are also limited and in need of repair and refurbishment (more when I get to the pool and beach). A near dog attack upon arrival set the tone for the stay, which only marginally improved after management refunded some points and sent a nice treat to the room.

Booking

I booked a Partial Ocean View, Guest Room, 1 King, Balcony directly from Marriott.com on a Redemption rate. I used a Free Night Certificate and 80,500 points for a two-night stay, which I thought was a good value considering that the hotel was starting over $1,000 plus tax when we stayed. The hotel can normally be booked for 59,500-106,000 Bonvoy points per night. Rates have varied since Marriott eliminated its award buckets a few years ago.

Transportation to/from the Hotel

We rented a car and drove the 6.9 miles from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to the hotel. It took around 18 minutes. Due to our Silver Airways flight being severely delayed on the way home (more here), we drove back to Tampa.

Location

The hotel is within walking distance of several restaurants and bars. These are not restaurants that I see attracting the clientele one would expect at The Ritz-Carlton (think Bubba Gump and Hooters). The area is filled with drunk revelers and stinks of vomit baking in the sun and stale beer. The beach is located directly across the street (which is the case for all resorts here).

Check-in

We arrived at the hotel around 10:30 PM. We attempted to pull into the driveway to valet park the car ($59 plus tax nightly), but could barely get in as cars were haphazardly left in the drive. The valet was not there and it took him a few moments to surface. He moved a few cars and then asked me to pull up. After valeting the car, we entered the hotel. There was one agent checking in a woman who had a baby in a stroller as well as a dog. The vicious, snarling dog barked uncontrollably while we waited to check in. Its owner juggled a stroller with a somehow sleeping baby and the crazed beast. She could not get it to stop barking and even hit the dog a few times in a failed attempt to make it quit. Once they were checked in, the agent made no mention of the chaotic scene and asked me how my night was going.

I shook my head. She informed me that we had been upgraded to a Guest room, 1 King, Oceanfront, Balcony. Marriott.com was showing that every type of suite was available. I was too shaken by the dog incident to even push the issue. The agent also presented us with drink coupons, a card that listed what was included in the daily resort fee, and our keys. I selected 1,000 points as a welcome amenity and we walked over to the elevators.

The Resort Fee includes two beach chairs and one umbrella, two bottles of water per beach chair, two cocktails daily, a one-hour on-demand fitness class, high-speed Wi-Fi, a two-hour bike rental, and one water taxi pass per night. It cost $48 plus tax per night. I find resort fees tacky and even more so at luxury hotels.

Drink coupons are only valid between 5:00 and 6:00 PM EST.

It feels cheap when entering the lobby from the driveway.

The centerpiece is a real estate office trying to sell condos in the residential tower and a jewelry store.

It feels like a dated shopping mall and does not elicit a luxe vibe.

There were some flowers between the check-in and concierge desks.

The check-in desk is to the right and the concierge is on the left.

The other side of the lobby is nicer with a good amount of seating. It also has a pool table, which I do not feel belongs in the lobby at The Ritz-Carlton.

My initial impression of the hotel might have been better had I entered from the street side first.

The elevators closest to our room were to the right of the check-in desk. The elevator lobby was clean, but dated. The giant shells were tacky and felt like they came straight out of TJ Maxx.

Fruit-flavored water was offered near the elevators.

The elevators were speedy and worked well.

Our room was on the 11th floor.

The hallways were clean, but did not smell particularly pleasant.

Guest room, 1 King, Oceanfront, Balcony (1112)

The hotel has 192 guest rooms and suites.

The room opens with the bathroom on the left. The bathroom was spacious with a shower/tub combo, double vanity, and toilet.

I liked the double vanity and all of it counter space.

Mouthwash, Diptyque Philosykos brand Body Lotion, a soap bar, and some other toiletries were found on the counter.

The shelves over the sink had peeling paint and were very worn.

I’m not a fan of shower/tub combos. The tile work here was pretty poorly done. The water pressure was okay and the temperature was good.

Large bottles of Diptyque Philosykos brand shampoo, conditioner, and body wash were in the shower along with a second bar of soap.

The toilet was on the right side in its own room.

The spacious closet was next to the bathroom.

There were luggage racks, robes, and an iron and ironing board inside. Where other luxury hotels provide cloth laundry bags, these were plastic.

There were lots of hangers in the closet.

The bedroom area held a king-sized bed, two nightstands, and a chair with ottoman.

The nightstands were not properly cleaned and had crumbs on them.

The chair and ottoman were near the balcony. The mirror behind the chair was dusty and had smudges across it.

A desk was on the other side of the room.

A welcome amenity of two chocolate anchors and a note was on the desk.

A TV was mounted on the wall across from the bed. On the counter below the TV was the Nespresso machine, coffee pods, and condiments. There were also multiple items or sale.

An ice bucket and glasses were also on the counter along with several bottles of water.

A safe was in one of the drawers.

The refrigerator was filled with all sorts of beverages for sale.

The balcony held two chairs and a table.

Multiple areas of the room were dusty and dirty. Switches and some fixtures were worn.

Public Areas & Amenities

The Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale offers the lobby seating noted above, a spa, fitness center, beach access, a Club Lounge, and Burlock Coast Seafare & Spirits restaurant in the lobby (our drinks from there are pictured above).

Towels are provided at the pool and on the beach.

The pool is located overlooking the beach. It was fairly crowded.

Beach Access is supposed to be via elevator by the pool.

We took the elevator down and found that it led to a dead end.

The elevator was pretty beaten up inside. The bridge to the beach is on the third floor.

The hallway leading to the other elevator to the beach was not well maintained.

The plants here were mostly dead.

When we walked down the hallway we found the other elevator out of service.

The tiny sticker said the elevator was being worked on.

The beach is open to the public and while chairs and umbrellas are included in the resort fee, they can also be rented by anyone on the beach. This cheapens the experience. Beach attendants were friendly and efficient.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Samuel Fuerstman, the Director of Operations for The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale. He is well spoken and well trained in service recovery. I felt he genuinely listened to me and my concerns. He told me that the hotel is going to be renovated in 2025 and some common areas like the beach elevator were already underway. He apologized for my check-in experience and was kind throughout the conversation. When we returned to our room, he had a bottle of sparkling wine and some treats sent. This was an unnecessary, but welcome surprise. He also refunded one night’s worth of points. I felt this was more than fair and it softened my opinion a bit.

The fitness center is a good size and offers a nice array of equipment including Peloton bikes.

There is a separate fitness/cycling studio.

Water and towels were provided.

More water and towels.

Apples were also on offer.

The fitness center also had bathrooms.

Overall Impression: The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale is dated and in need of a refresh. The beach is nice, but the area is a bit lowbrow. With some renovations and better cleaning, this could be a good choice for the area but it needs some work to get there.

Anthony’s Credit Card Pick: When I’m staying at a Marriott hotel, I want to maximize my points earned. My card of choice is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card. With it, I earn six Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. It also includes up to $300 statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month ) for dining in restaurants worldwide. Plus, a free night award every year after my card renewal month that I can redeem at any Marriott hotel with a redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy^® points. Learn more. For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card, please visit here. Terms apply.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.