Had a return stay at the Ritz Carlton KL this past weekend. My previous stay was 4 years ago and quite satisfactory; I was especially impressed by the service.

This recent stay was disappointing. First, the positives: the low rate, but then most 5-stars in KL offer very low corporate rates, and the spacious, nicely renovated room - understated, casual elegance, without the minimalist cliche.

However, the service has gone downhill. They seemed to be understaffed, everywhere, throughout my 2-night stay. The staff lacked the polish, knowledge and professionalism that I recall from my previous stay and certainly from other RCs in the US.

The worst part is their so-called Club Lounge. Unlike my previous stay, this time my corporate rate includes club lounge access, and I was looking forward to their 5 daily food & beverage presentations. However, their offerings are nothing comparable to the RCs in the US. They only put out bite-size portions of a few dishes, more amuse-bouche than even a light first course. They use tiny soy sauce dishes and Chinese soup spoons to serve their food. The beverage selection is also very limited. No fresh juices, liqueurs, champagne. Just your basic soft drinks, wine, beers, tea/coffee and basic alcoholic drinks like gin & tonic.

I spoke with the staff, and they said that since the Ritz Carlton Residence Tower opened last year, they relocated the club lounge from the 19/F of the hotel to the lobby of the Residence Tower, and opened lounge access to all the residence as well as the hotel guests. They also have limited budget and can't provide much anymore. In fact, the first night during their 'petit fours' service from 8-10:30pm, I got there at 9:45pm, and they had run out of cake. (They only serve 1 type of cake, plus 2 mini cookies and 1 mini brownie during this service.) They said their budget allows only 2 small cakes per night. To their credit, after I expressed my disappointment, they asked around and were able to obtain an extra cake 15 minutes later. But they are obviously heavily budget-constrained.

Their website still mentions their exclusive club lounge (erroneously listed as on the 19/F, when in fact they no longer have a club floor), and all the rates do include club lounge access.

For their low room rate, I really couldn't complain much. But don't expect much food & beverage selections from their club lounge. By the way, the rooms come with free broadband internet, and you can also use one of their 3 PCs at the lounge.