Staying at a Ritz-Carlton

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to stay at a Ritz-Carlton this week for business. Beautiful hotel, gorgeous landscape, amazing room and view. Every member of the staff always treats you like a king (or queen), whether it’s offering you a bottle of water while you’re waiting for the valet to get your car, greeting you in the hallway, or helping you out with anything you need. They even provide a complimentary shoe shine service from your room. Complimentary…let’s get into that.

When I think of complimentary, I think free (so does Dictionary.com). And with a $350/night room rate, I would definitely think the basics would be free. But then you look at what and how much they charge you for…

• They automatically add a “laundering” fee to clean your room (isn’t that a normal hotel practice?)
• They add a maid tip (this is fine, but a heads up would be nice so I don’t tip twice)
• They charge RIDICULOUS prices for catering: $30/person for continental breakfast; $3+/granola bar for snacks; $90/person for lunch; etc.
• They mandate valet parking at $20

The hotel is incredible, I want to reiterate that. But I wish they wouldn’t nickel and dime you for very basic hotel services. I could stay at a Holiday Inn and get free “laundering”, my own maid tip, free continental breakfast, and free parking, all for less than $100/night. As great as the hotel is, I don’t think I’ll be staying at one on my own dime in the future.