Well, I stayed there last weekend with my family on a 2-night staycation for my birthday, and I can now agree with previous posters that this place isn't really up to Ritz standards. There was nothing wrong, per se, but the place is tired and the guest service is unremarkable.

The good: The hotel did send up a slice of chocolate cake, two huge glasses of milk, and two half-bottles of red wine with a hand-written birthday card. Food and beverage at the hotel was top-notch at both Cast & Plow and the poolside bar. We enjoyed our Cast & Plow dinner the first night so much that we cancelled our off-site reservation for the second night and decided to eat there again. The location is nice and the views of the marina are as relaxing as you'd expect.

The not-as-good: My Ambassador was trying to get us a room upgrade due to my status, the birthday celebration, and our FHR rate which includes a space-available upgrade. I had booked an executive suite at $1,200 per night, so the only upgrades could have been to the Ritz-Carlton Suite or for them to give us Club Lounge access. The Ritz-Carlton Suite was available for booking right up to the date of our check-in, but we did not get it (don't know if someone booked it for the $4k per night they were asking or if they upgraded someone else). And they offered us a paid upgrade to Club Level for $250 the first night and $200 the second night, which we graciously refused. While the Club Lounge access would have been nice (more as a gesture of recognition from the hotel), the FHR rate already included $80 towards breakfast each day plus we had those dinner reservations. What was annoying on top of that was that "high floor" is the only request in my profile, which to them apparently meant to give us a room on the 3rd (of 12) floors. Bottom line is that we got what we paid for, but it left me disappointed since I was hoping for a little better recognition from the hotel in some way.

The physical condition of the hotel is best described as tired. The place needs a major reno to come back to Ritz standards. And customer-service wise it felt like any standard Marriott--I didn't feel the "ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen" vibe that usually makes me enjoy a Ritz stay so much. At least now I know, when looking for an upscale property near home for a staycation, not to consider the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey again.