Exceptional Luxury (RC Sarasota, FL)
 

Check In At checkin was immediately offered Champagne which set the tone for the stay. Agent was swift and explained all club benefits.I did notice queues did form at reception. They didn't seem to have enough staff on or only some were "allowed" to check guests in. Room We booked one 'Resort View' suite and one Club Marina King.Curiously when trying to add club access they hotel quoted an extra $300/night. Given that we were able to secure the Club Marina King for $375/night we booked the extra room for three adults.The suite was stunning, however the view was more of buildings in the distance with the hotel air conditioning below. It wasn't bad but I would hate to think what a 'Limited' view suite is.The view from the Marina view was obsured by buildings including the Residences. Service Service, as with all RCs, is where it excelled. I told the front desk to call me by my first name as I dislike being called Mr X. Every single staff member during the stay also addressed me by my first name thereafter.All of the staff were delightful, remember our preferences and went out of their way to make us welcome.The simple act of being delighted with a keyring anf a handwritten note on our final stay had an enormous impact. Dining If breakfast is included in the rate the Jack Dusty buffet on the weekend is extensive as it also serves as brunch until 1PM.The club lounge, while small, had five presentations per day and the staff were very engaging. They would handle any request regardless of whether it was to do with housekeeping, concierge or front desk's role. Again they would serve you your evening drinks as soon as you entered without you needing to ask. The balcony overlooking the water is stunning at night.The food at the Beach Club was also fresh and of high quality. It was also competiively priced for a hotel of this stature. Location The main attraction of this hotel is the Beach Club which they run a shuttle on the hour to the main street and then the beach.At the beach club are several pools as well as the standard lounges and  umbrellas right on the shoreline. There were at least four staff members serving the beach alone. At some times I was the only guest present.The beach is not a private area and the only downside was that other people would walk right in front of where you would be sitting rather than behind. It completely destroys any form of privacy. Overall Overall this is a solid property. We were supposed to move to the Hyatt Regency but decided to extend our stay due to the service, the beach club and the great spa.We will definitely return.

Additional costs for Club are often very high at RC-properties. 300 $ per night is simply a joke. The Hotel looks indeed solid and seems to offer some nice touches. Thanks for your review^

thanks! can be much lower price / better value than some other FL RCs.

limited/small supply impacts demand and dynamic rates

RC sarasota has 42 club out of 266 total
13 club resort room
19 club marina room
04 club resort suite
04 club bay suite
01 sarasota suite
01 ritz carlton suite

low season difference between regular and club >

oct 4
$150 rooms / suites

nov 29 (low season but holiday)
$250 rooms / resort suite
$300 bay suite

If there isn´t a real difference in room/ Location, I would say at least 250 is way too much. Also can´t see the value of 150, but I understand that the Club Level could be a totally different experience. On the other hand: Do I really like tio stay at a hotel were only the club is acceptable and the other parts are meh? Even with a great club I have to use many parts of the normal hotel. More and more I prefer hotels without club.

removed

No objection. If it´s really a hotel within a Hotel (like Wynn Tower) it can be worth even double prices. Concierge and check-in/ out in Club Lounge can be nice but normally at a luxury hotel check-in shouldn´t be any issue at many properties it´s always an intimate experience (not really a fan of in-room check-in). So you are absolute right, it really depends on properties. Only Problem is to seperate the good offers from the overpriced ones.

Thanks for the review. Now that Marriott/RC has taken over SPG, I'm paying even more attention to the RC reviews in locations I'd not previously considered.

Call me crazy, but while I appreciate that our OP liked the hotel, it didn't strike me as "exceptional luxury" based on the photos or the various descriptions/details and, of course, the criticisms. It strikes me as a pretty nice hotel...with a slightly nicer Club experience that seems pretty overpriced.

I assume if you're considering Sarasota, this may be the nicest option in town. But because it doesn't seem particularly luxurious IMO, I wouldn't go out of my way to stay here--Club or otherwise.

I also am of the opinion that too many (but not all) "luxury" hotels with Clubs are actually diluting the regular luxury hotel experience in order to pretend there is a more luxurious experience with Club rooms/services. I've found this to be true at many RC and Shangri-La properties, in fact...the 2 chains where I tend to see more Clubs. There are exceptions (RC Hong Kong, for example), but most of the time I find Club luxury hotels are not as consistent overall or as personalized as non-Club luxury hotels.

I also am not someone who thinks Clubs are that spectacular anyway. If I want luxury, I want to eat at a proper restaurant or get room service...not dine in a Club. If the Club is particularly lovely or has a spectacular view, I'd wonder why the Club is reserved for certain rooms and not available for everyone to enjoy. It's a luxury hotel--putting a "hotel club" within a hotel doesn't tend to improve the hotel experience for me despite the rhetoric.

I agree 100% with this view on the clubs.

Thanks for the review of the RC.

Is it just me or or does anybody else find the description of the RC employees as" ladies and gentlemen" incredibly pretentious?

Yes, normally at vacation I have dinner at a restaurant, if possible Michelin starred or something special (great vegan restaurants, exotic kitchen etc). I only ate at the club if I don´t have time, are on business or had lunch.

We didn't rely on the club for breakfast, lunch or dinner, rather we dined outside unless we were at the beach.

The property will add club access to any room type, not just those classified.

My overall impression was based on the simple preferences I indicated that were universally acknowledged throughout the stay by all employees.

The food options at this RC are limited so we were happy that we had Club Level, so we didn't have to depend on a blah room service menu, one restaurant or to trek to downtown Sarasota for meals. There
were many things to like about this hotel and the staff was very pleasant across the board. Still, it left us with an "eh" feeling. Attention to detail was lacking - at check in they just handed us a
key without telling us word one about the hotel, club, virtuoso amenities, etc. Of course, there was nothing in our very expensive suite about hours, amenities, etc. because "they want guests to
engage with the ladies and gentleman." This is a pet hotel peeve of mine....okay, maybe hotels don't want to produce the leather tomes of the past but how about one piece of paper with hours,
venues, etc.? What WAS on most surfaces in this suite? Brochures about how to buy property there. And that owner/transient hybrid is something that can create a class of "insiders" who are
owners and hugged and coddled by staff. While we were never treated badly, it was clear at the Beach Club that people who were known got better service. It's human nature, but it rankled a bit.

The soundproofing at this hotel has a lot to be desired and light sleepers should bring earplugs. There are large gaps at the main entrance doors and these are the doors that can slam. Combined with the very high number of children here at certain times of the year, it can be very noisy, indeed. It also seems like a hotel where a wedding can break out at any minute, adding to the din. The beach club is 2 miles away, with once an hour shuttle service. We were happy to have our own car for flexibility. Overall, it probably is the best in town but it exist in a strange
category of not being truly a resort but also not truly a city hotel, full of options.

Sounds like a bad front desk agent. I also hate when hotels do this.

i must have been lucky because I’m a light sleeper and had no noise issues.