The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland

We stayed at this Ritz-Carlton pre-Covid, and loved it. Sadly, service has deteriorated notably. It’s still a physically luxurious hotel and in a good location, extremely convenient for events at Progressive Field or Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, which are connected via internal walkway from Tower City Center. The room itself (Premier Deluxe) was large, comfortable and well-furnished with an actual 6-drawer dresser, so plenty of space to put our clothes. Plus drawers and electrical outlets at each bedside, good lighting, 6 pillows, lots of counter space in the spacious dual-vanity bath, though minimal amenities, no cotton swabs or pads or makeup remover cloths. And some of the staff still try very hard to provide a luxury hotel experience. There were just too many missteps marring the overall impression. These are mostly minor annoyances, and if we were staying at a mid-market hotel, I would more easily overlook them. But they are charging Four Seasons prices, without delivering Four Seasons service. 1. I extended my reservation, and had to book the additional two days separately to keep existing pricing on the other two. I asked the agent if she could link the two, and mentioned it again in my prearrival questionnaire. But when I checked in, she said it was for 2 nights – then she noted the other reservation and spent some time “linking” them, but said our keys would stop working on the third day and we would need to come to the desk to get them reactivated that morning, she couldn’t do it now. I’ve never seen a hotel so unable to cope with extending a reservation. 2. I had also made a room location request in my prearrival questionnaire, which was not mentioned at check-in. When I remembered after getting to our room and called to ask about it, she said no Premier Deluxe rooms were available on the floor I requested (where our friends were). It would have been nice if she’d at least acknowledged the request and apologized for not being able to fulfill it, and given me an opportunity to make a choice between room type and location. 3. No recognition of us as returning guests, just a rote “thank you for your loyalty” after she asked if we’d been there before. 4. The room was full of warning signs…don’t take the big bottles of shampoo, they will charge you $68 a bottle; don’t touch the minibar items or you’ll be charged, don’t put anything of your own in the fridge or you’ll be charged $50! Also a cryptic warning on the in-room safe referring to state liability laws. No restaurant or room service menus, just a QR code. It gave Holiday Inn vibes. 5. The room had only one bathrobe. I called to request a second robe and half a dozen hangers. When I called a bit later to report that the battery on the safe was dead, he asked if I’d received those items. Nope. He said he’d follow up, and a few minutes later someone delivered the robe and four hangers – I guess six was too much? 6. The next day, we reminded them at midday about the safe batter

Can I just say that I am completely and utterly blown away with the level of customer service, dedication and attention the entire staff provided me and my mother during a very special birthday visit. This was our very first visit to the Ritz-Carlton in Cleveland. My mother receives treatment at the Cleveland clinic for cancer and we decided to celebrate her birthday while we were in town. I'm a loyal Marriott Platinum member so of course I had to go for the ritz. After booking my reservation I called the hotel and they upgraded us to an executive suite as a complimentary gesture. I began having some trouble getting my mother's birthday cake delivered to the hotel. I frantically called and Patrick became my knight in shining armor. He took it upon himself to go to the bakery and physically pick up the cake. Little did I know that he and the staff were planning the surprise of all surprises. Upon checking into the room, there was complimentary flowers ,champagne and the cake was all set up with plates and knives. My mother cried. I've never had any hotel in all of the world do something like this. I'm a flight attendant and I indeed do fly all over the world so I was completely blown away at this level of VIP five star attention. The suite was gorgeous with beautiful plush bathrobes and two bathrooms and a very comfortable bed and two TVs. Everyone we encountered was a dream. Pedro, the bellman was attentive and extremely helpful. Israel, I believe was the gentleman's name ,with the very fashionable glasses who checked us in made us feel right at home and greeted us with a warm hug and smile like no other. I believe one of the bellman's names was Duran or dornan but he was so pleasant and agreeable he made us feel right at home. Mary, our server made dinner so special. She brought out balloons and treated us like Queens. The sweet hostess with the big smile was also amazing. But Patrick really was the quarterback here and I cannot thank him enough for going above and beyond and his immaculate generosity and hospitality!!! I would recommend this property to anyone for a business or leisurely stay. Also did I mention the fantastic, large gym and steam room?!!! You'll be blown away by the hospitality!!!!!

This was my second time staying at this property and it did not disappoint. It is in a great location with many attractions and places to eat within a short walk. Check-in was a breeze in part because the front desk staff were all super friendly. The room was spacious, modern, clean, and quiet. My only suggestion is to save a ton of money by taking advantage of the numerous self-parking options, many of which are near by. This property truly exemplifies the Ritz-Carlton brand, and I will certainly stay here again if I have the opportunity to do so.