Originally Posted by
DJ_Iceman
Like it or not, SPG loyalists, yes: the Ritz-Carlton is the benchmark of superior service in the hospitality industry and they serve as such for other industries as well (as described in the OP's post). Ritz-Carlton is the only hotel company to have earned the Malcolm Baldrige award, and one of the only organizations to have won it twice. They gladly share their philosophies, knowing that they are much harder to put into practice than to read about.
The complaints listed here seem rooted in jealousy, envy, and a fundamental misunderstanding of what "guest service" really means. Here's a hint: it's not as simple as upgrading someone to a suite because they've spent a few dozen nights in a Four Points.
And luckily, the hospitality marketplace (even within the Bonvoy portfolio, for that matter) offers plenty of choices. It the Ritz-Carlton doesn't offer what you consider value for the price paid, then there are plenty of other options out there. But don't let that personal judgement block you from seeing, as this article describes, that the Ritz-Carlton is indeed widely and consistently seen as a model of how to take care of people.
I am not someone who has a lot of experience with RC, but the few times I have stayed at one I did not feel that the service was noteworthy enough to brag about. On the other hand, I can't say enough about the Four Seasons. If I was in a higher income bracket, this would be my go to hotel. It would be a toss up for me to pick where I got the absolute best service: Four Seasons or Banyan Tree Phucket.