itsaboutthejourney

The RC was actually on-par compared to other SPG & MR properties on an upcoming stay. @:-)

It makes me wonder why did Marriott go through all this hoopla and combination of the programs when esentially nothing really changed to give me an incentive or perks to stay at Ritz Carlton.

Seabilly

While not a result of status, the only RC I would stay at is Tokyo where they let me use points to upgrade to the club level. My other visits to RC (all conus) were ok but nothing special. These days, the only way I'd consider RC is if the rates are within Per Diem or I can stay on (reasonable) points.

Antarius

The Ritz is not going to be rebranded. Its an iconic brand that is well known and associated with luxury.

Antarius

Because the hoopla and combination was for the rest of the programs?

As a legacy MR person (and SPG person before), nothing has changed relative to the Ritz. Breakfast/club was never included for MR Platinum.

Horace

itsaboutthejourney,

I think you've essentially answered your own question, which you posed in the topic name — "Remind me why I should stay at Ritz-Carlton now?"

The answer for you — and the answer for me — is that we usually shouldn't stay at The Ritz-Carlton.

The Ritz-Carlton is for a category of guests who are willing and able to pay high room rates for hotels that are usually the best, or at least among the best, in town, without worrying about freebies. But many Platinum or Platinum Premier guests — and I'm among them — would rather pay a more reasonable room rate for a regular full-service brand, while enjoying the benefits of our status.

Not much changed with The Ritz-Carlton on August 18. The welcome gift in now 1000 points. It's still not one of the brands with Marriott's traditional lounge/breakfast benefit, nor has it added the SPG legacy welcome gift option of daily breakfast for member +1 (as previously excluded full-service resorts have). Suite upgrades are a possibility; according to the new Loyalty Program Terms & Conditions section about upgrades, "At The Ritz-Carlton, suites are only included for Platinum Premier Members and rooms with direct Club access are excluded."

itsaboutthejourney

I fixed that for you below:

Its a dated, but iconic brand that was previously known for and associated with luxury.

Antarius

Come on. Now you're being petulant. You may not like the style but the brand is associated with luxury. That's a fact. Heck, the Ritz style is written about in case studies.

fdem

cfischer

Many RCs participate in FHR which gives nice benis, plus you earn points and nights. Without FHR I would not stay at RCs.

bhrubin

You don't sound like the profile of the guest that Ritz-Carlton wants to attract. Ritz-Carlton doesn't sound like the hotel brand that suits your priorities. Problem solved. It sounds like you shouldn't bother much with Ritz-Carlton.

Ritz-Carlton is a luxury brand. Not everyone finds a luxury brand appealing for any number of reasons: high price point, higher prices for related services/amenities, service quotient being higher, perceptions of grandeur/pomposity/formality. etc.

I love a luxury hotel. I try as often as possible to stay in a luxury hotel. I love that Marriott now has numerous luxury options for me to consider.

Ritz-Carlton appeals to many because of its Club. its Club is a lot nicer and more appealing than any Marriott/Sheraton lounge. As a result, it isn't considered the same for lounge purposes as an elite status benefit. I have no trouble with that. Of course, I also am not a fan of lounges OR the Ritz-Carlton Club. I don't find a lounge or even the RC Club to be luxurious. I prefer room service or to dine in a hotel restaurant. (My husband, OTOH, loves a lounge or the Club.)

In any location, I first will hope for a St Regis. It has all the bells and whistles of what I want in a luxury hotel--plus I love its butler service. I love that breakfast is included, but I'm more likely to order room service anyway. With my husband, I am more likely to dine in the restaurant--since there is no lounge in most St Regis hotels (especially outside Asia).I tend to believe that the StR brand standard is overall nicer and a bit more luxurious than the RC brand standard. I also believe that StR properties tend to be smaller than their RC counterparts, which adds to the intimacy of the luxury experience.

I then consider RC and/or Luxury Collection hotels. The RC is often the next best option beyond a StR for me, but sometimes the Luxury Collection hotel will be the best hotel. The Imperial in Vienna is a better hotel by most accounts than the RC. The US Grant is the nicest city hotel in San Diego. I like the RC Boston better than the Liberty Boston. The RC Chicago is probably better than the Gwen.

After StR, RC, and Luxury Collection, I tend to consider W (and the rare Edition) hotels. Then I consider the regular upscale non-luxury full service brands like Le Meridien, Westin, Sheraton, Marriott, and Renaissance (in no particular order than Le Meridien, which I tend to like the most).

I love the addition of RC hotels to my luxury calculus. I won't love every RC hotel (the RC Kapalua and RC Los Angeles both seem overrated to me, so I'm hesitant), but in some locations I love the addition of a proper luxury hotel where there is no StR or where it may be better than the Luxury Collection option (the RC Chicago may be even nicer than the Gwen, perhaps, and the RC Boston is nicer to me than the Liberty).

For those who prioritize a breakfast benefit, the StR, Lux Collection, W, and Edition properties may be far more appealing than the RC. Or non-luxury brands like Le Meridien, Westin, Marriott, Sheraton, Renaissance, Autograph, Tribute, etc.

For those who prioritize a lounge benefit, the Lux Collection, W, Edition, and non-luxury brands like Marriott, Sheraton, and Renaissance may be far more appealing than the RC.

For those of us who prioritize a more luxurious ambience and higher level of service, the RC may be quite appealing. along with other luxury brands.

For those who prioritze a truly luxurious Club, the RC will be very appealing.

It's all about your priorities. Fortunately, there are now brands to suit just about every priority you could have. If RC doesn't fit your bill, then another brand certainly should!

Adelphos

I like staying at Ritz-Carltons, especially when they are close to my business meetings or in great locations. They often have good restaurants/bars.

With Marriott in general, there will be loyalty program, property and other inconsistencies. The program is now designed for you to stay at your preferred hotels and earn and redeem points along the way. Marriott seems less about standardizing a hotel or reward experience. If you prioritize elite benefits, simply avoid Ritz-Calton, it's not that hard. You don't lose anything by continuing to not visit the hotels.

derpelikan

my favorite is the ritz in tokyo. it would be great if they offered the lounge free of charge for ambassadors....
and at least breakfast for platinum premier and up

frenchft

bhrubin

EuropeanPete

I have less Ritz Carlton experience than many others here because of the property's strong US bias, but I do think the OP has a point. In my experience the Ritz Carlton is rarely the best luxury hotel in a given area and so having an attractive loyalty proposition would help swing visits. My suspicion is that a lot of their guests are either in large corporates which have deeply negotiated discount rates, or older travelers who don't consult hotel reviews online.

Compare and contrast with the St Regis which are often the best or close to the best properties in town and which come with a compelling loyalty proposition of free breakfasts, frequent suite upgrades and other one-off loyalty recognition. The Luxury Collection has a long tail of lesser properties, but the same is true of their better ones.

I am all for giving the brand a try, but I'm really struggling to find cities where it would make sense. Budapest is one exception due to the quality of service in the hotel and lack of SPG options, and perhaps Barcelona for people who don't like a W?