christianj

ymx Would you mind updating if you were offered a free or a paid upgrade option during your recent stay. Thanks!

ymx

The FD told me that they don't upgrade to suites, however, as a Titanium, I was upgraded from a garden view to a coastline view (which was basically a beautiful ocean view). The only downside was located at the farthest section of the hotel.

This was a room originally booked as part of a conference through Passkey.

boolean64

And it's a big hotel. You'll get your steps in!

wannagotoo

I went in August of this year and was told that they don't participate in the "upgrade" bonus. I was not given a breakfast credit either. Perhaps this was because it was on an award stay but my room overlooked the swimming pool eventhough I am Titanium Elite.

boolean64

Unless things have changed, breakfast is not a benefit for ritz carlton.

christianj

Couple of quick comments from this Lifetime Titanium after a 2 night stay last week:
- Upgraded on award stay to a nice Ocean View room.
- Great staff on this visit! We have had past visits were the staff seemed less seasoned and more like seasonal help but this time we didn't experience anything like this.
- Wonderful dinner at Raya. It did seem like the menu was very limiting but the items we ordered were exceptional and had great flavors. Steakhouse is still closed for those wanting a steak.
- There was a large corporate/group function at the hotel and they were very loud and obnoxious! Luckily most of their carrying on was in the bar area on the two nights we were there (likely due to the weather not being great outside) but I was surprised that a hotel of this caliber allowed them to carry on and scream like that. It sounded like we were staying in a hotel in Vegas or a spring break hotel at times. I am sure the hotels needs groups like this but considering the cost of the hotel it was a bit annoying....especially if I had been a guest paying over $1000 a night.

david55

Just out of curiosity ...did you say anything to management about the group noise and how it impacting your enjoyment of the resort?

christianj

No we did not! As I said, their activities seemed to be confined to event rooms for their event during the day and the bar at night. We saw areas set up by the pool and also out on the lawn but never saw anyone there as the events were likely moved inside since the weather was not optimal. When we were having dinner at Raya they were carrying on and screaming in the bar but we did not say anything. On the second night the bar was a zoo when we returned to the hotel from dinner outside of the hotel. We went to our room instead of having an after dinner drink in the bar since we would not have enjoyed sitting in the bar with the yelling going on. Sadly people at these corporate events sometimes act like idiots when they are away from home….this group certainly did.

Astrophsx

Any recent trip reports? Curious to see if they provide any platinum benefits and/or how often they upgrade.

Astrophsx

Pros:
- Extremely well maintained property.
- All staff interactions are friendly. They had a few gifts for our infants, which they loved.
- Salt Creek Beach, in my opinion, is the best beach in all of Southern California. Great for surfing, body boarding, people watching, talking walks on the boardwalk, tide pools, etc..
- Sun bum sunblock is free at the pool.
- A lot of free activities within the resort for families (basketball, tennis, ping pong, etc..)
- A few small fire pits around the property. They sell s’mores kits for the kids, or you get one free if you have a fireside room.
- Gift shop sells Marriott gift cards which usually trigger Amex offers.


Cons:
- Ocean view room didn't seem that spacious.
- Service response times are slow for a property, especially for a property that was not busy.
- King ocean views do not have a bath tub and are shower only. Only the two queen rooms have a tub.
- The beach butler service only had one person providing the service for the whole resort. You may have to wait 10-30 minutes for the shuttle down to the beach and for beach chairs & umbrella set up.
- About two years ago the property removed all seating on the lawn during the start of the pandemic and has yet to return the chairs and loungers.
- Turn down service was never provided to our room. When we inquired about this the front desk stated that due to COVID it was by request only.
- A majority of the balconies are extremely small. They have two chairs and a table, but the doors open outwards and not into the room making it impossible to open both the doors without bringing furniture into the room.
- Valet service has increased to $70 a night.

Used a FNA for a staycation to celebrate our anniversary. Reached out to the property via the app to inquire about a platinum upgrade and was offered an ocean view king. Beyond this interaction, there was no acknowledgment of our anniversary or Convoy status. The property emailed an invite for their Easter egg hunt the week prior. The event was fairly short, but fun for the kids. They handed out complimentary bunny ears and Easter baskets. The front entrance and lawn were decorated with large painted Easter eggs.



Upon check-in we inquired about a cash upgrade to the club level, but they said no ocean level club rooms were available. When asked what the cash upgrade cost would normally be they said it would was $400 per room and that club rooms do not waive valet or the resort fees. I would have liked to experience the club, but I don't see the value at that price. We brought a few bottles of champagne and enjoyed having a few drinks on the lawn, the large fire pit on the property, and from our balcony (not sure if you can grab and go with alcohol in the club lounge). For those visiting there is a BevMo five mins up the road to purchase alcohol at normal prices or slightly higher prices at the small French cafe, Moulin, just a short walk down the road (French wine & champagne).

While the email confirmation states that the resort fee is $50, the resort has increased to $60. The resort does not seem to provide a replacement benefit for the WIFI included with the resort fee for those who have status. It would have been nice if they reviewed what was provided with the resort fee during check-in or provided some sort of pamphlet. One of the benefits is a free 45 minute photography session with one free digital photo. This reminds me of a similar benefit at the St. Regis Maldives that provided a photo session with three free photos and would have been fun to use.

The view has got to be one of the best ocean views in the Marriott portfolio. I'd put it up there with the St. Regis Maldives and Bora Bora.



The downside is that many of the ocean view rooms have small balconies. The doors open outwards and not into the room, which means in order to open them fully you actually have to take some of the patio furniture into the room to allow enough space to have the doors open. Photo below is from a second floor room.



Also, there is a noticeable lack of privacy on the patios. I'm not sure what the property is like at capacity, but we constantly heard people above, below, and to the side of us. With the doors closed it cuts out a majority of that noise, but you hear patio furniture being dragged on the ground above throughout the day. I'd shoot for a fourth level room and ask for one with a larger patio. The fireside rooms on the first level have a much larger patio.

The spa is probably the most expensive I've seen.

Mikeymer01

Does anyone have any thoughts on this property versus the Laguna Cliffs Marriott? I currently have a reservation at Marriott but am debating swapping to this RC. My only hang up is there will be 4 of us in a room (wife/5 year old/7 year old) and the hotel said they only have double beds (as opposed to queens). If service/amenities were significantly better here I may suck it up and switch the reservation and pay up.

Thanks for any input.

BNAChairman

If you have status, stick with the Marriott. The Ritz nickel and dimes and the room I stayed in didn't even have blackout curtains.

Mikeymer01

Thanks. I am Plat Elite and I booked a room with a King + Queen sofa for the kids. Typically I just book a base room and count on the upgrade but was worried that with a 7 night stay I may not get one. I think I'll stick with the Marriott.

christianj

I think every hotel in that area nickel and dimes you to death....it's Orange County. As for the curtains, that's very odd because we have always had blackout curtains when we have stayed there.

joedaddy

Going to be staying at this property for a 2-night weekend with the kids as an ambassador..

any recent upgrade success? I booked the lowest Garden view room on points.

hopefully there’s at least a small acknowledgement… only thing that irks me is the $70 a night parking. This is not New York or Boston.. we have space in cali.