The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island

WE asked for an ocean front room and paid the price but the room's view of the ocean was only from the outside terrace and then just a sliver.

Very private, quiet

New Year's Eve Dinner at the newly refreshed Salt was fabulous! Chef Okan's special five course dinner was a truly wonderful way to begin the New Year. The staff was attentive and friendly and the electric guitar added the to the holiday atmosphere. The new decor and colors are nicely muted-the new chairs are very comfortable. However, the room seemed noisier than before and we missed the white table clothes that gave that Michelin Star look to the dining room.

Ritz in name only and not remotely as kid friendly as advertised. The room and facilities are in need of an update. Cracks in the room ceilings, walls, wear are very noticeable. Cleanliness of room is average at best, particularly the bathroom. The biggest disappointment though was the service (or lack thereof). The primary reason we chose this resort was the many advertised kids activities, kids club, and kids facilities. These highly touted activities include nature walks, shark tooth hunts, scavenger hunts, camping in the room, etc. None of the activities took place. During a holiday week almost every kid's activity was cancelled without explanation. The one activity that took place was drawing with crayons in a windowless conference room while the TV blared in the background. The service was inconsistent. The front desk, concierge, telephone operator frequently contradicted each other in providing information, and were less than helpful in making reservations. One got the sense that the staff did not have much awareness on what was happening on the property nor the engagement level to find out or solve issues. Two of the five restaurants were closed. Housekeeping was woefully inconsistent and occurred very late. Service at the open restaurants was quite good. They offer the use of a house car. The staff was friendly if not competent. If this were a 3 star resort with 3 star pricing, the rating in this review would be different. However, it is (allegedly) a 5 star resort and certainly has 5 star pricing. There are better places to spend ones money and stay.

I recently stayed at what I thought would be a luxurious, high-end hotel, but my experience was marred by their incredibly frustrating and unreasonable credit card authorization process. I checked in December 4th and was charged a $300 incidentals fee, which is high for one night but pretty standard. I was shocked to find three weeks after checking out, they still haven't lifted the charge. During this time, I had no access to my funds, and despite multiple calls and emails to the hotel’s management team, I received no clear answers as to why it was taking so long. Every time I called, I was told there was nothing I could do and I would have to speak to the off-site accounting department which was not helpful at all. I spoke with a Janelle who lied numerous times on December 13th and said the funds would be released by Monday the 16th, it never happened. I called again Friday December 20th and spoke with Chris the off-site supervisor who then had to call the Amelia Island Ritz (after I was told only the off-site accounting department could help). He said he spoke with a Jenniffer Mezzella and she released all the funds. It is now Tuesday, December 24th and nothing has been released. This is not what I expect from a “classy” hotel that prides itself on offering excellent service. The lack of communication and transparency about this process is completely unacceptable. It was a huge inconvenience and really soured what should have been a relaxing stay. I would think twice about staying here again. For a hotel of this caliber, such poor handling of credit card authorizations is just not acceptable. I stayed at the Hard Rock in Tampa the 14th-16th and they released funds almost immediately. I also just came back from a Royal Carribean Cruise the 20th and all but minor charges have been released and its only been a few days.

Amending this review to reflect the diligence of the general manager. While our experience was not perfect, it seems he is committed to making improvements and addressing issues based on our feedback. I wouldn’t be willing to change my review unless I was confident that their resolve was genuine and we may even visit again someday to give this property another chance.