[Hotel Review] The Ritz Carlton Perth

On By Satu KosongIn Australia, Executive Club Lounge, Holiday, Marriott Bonvoy, Perth, Ritz Carlton, The Ritz Carlton Club

This Ritz Carlton has been on my list for a while and I was super happy that my 85k redemption works for this property (base room cost 65k and the next tier was over 100k so there was no middle tier). Excited to experience an immediate comparison after 2 nights in Westin too.

OneWorld Sapphire Fun-venture

Address – 1 Barrack Street, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, 6000. Website.

Contact – Tel: +61 8 6559 6888. Email: reservations.perth@ritzcarlton.com.

Location – The property enjoys a prime location Along Swan River and in the Elizabeth Quay neighborhood which is vibrant with events and families on the weekends. I would say its still considered as being in the heart of the city as a 10mins stroll would put you in the same spots in the Westin neighbourhood.

I have to say the views of the neighborhood was super nice – great for those IG shots!

Price – Booked this using my 1x 85kk Free Night Award for a Perth City Skyline View and then applied 1x Nightly Upgrade Award (NUA). Crossed my fingers even though a suite at this property will be rather over the top but hey why not! 2 days out, I received a notification that my NUA has cleared into a 1-brd room Suite with Elizabeth Quay view. YAY.

Pre-arrival – I reached out to the property via email to inquire on a few things including club access surcharge and was quoted AUD125 per pax per day which I took up – breakfast alone would have cost my AUD49 so the value is a no-brainer! I also received a pre-arrival email 5 days out containing hotel info which was useful.

Getting There – I walked from Westin and took me about 10mins of strolling to get to the spot.

Check In – There was no staff at the driveway and we actually walked past the entrance without realizing it. It was actually a sliding glass panel which opens up to reveal the lobby so watch out for that spot if you are like us trying to find your way in.

Check In – Once you get past the hidden door, you’ll be greeted by a cosy classy lobby with soaring ceilings with light installations on top – super nice! They also had a grab and go set up in the morning which was thoughtful.

We were informed that the Suite we got was the Langley Park suite instead but no biggie for me as long as its still a Suite. It was though unfortunately not ready but was quickly given a key for facilities and club access during our wait. There was also a generic hotel letter which had weather forecast as well.

Room – at about 12:30pm, we were informed that our 1-bedroom Suite, Langley Park View (103SqM) is ready. And best of all, Suite 620 was just across the corridor from the Club Lounge. Double YAY.

The space is mad spacious and upon entering, sees a giant living area with a multi-seater couch facing a huge TV, while a circular dining table was nested on the opposite corner.

Within this space is also the mini bar which stocks the usual suspects, as well as a half bathroom which was useful even for 2pax.

The bedroom area is up next containing a super comfy king bed + TV, bedside tables with its own lighting controls, as well as a long table which became our charging area. Definitely plenty of surfaces to put stuff on.

The bedroom leads into the spacious bathroom spot which I feel has one of the nicest designs I’ve ever seen in a bathroom with its open concept wardrobe and glass shelving. Very classy in my opinion.

I loved everything about this space – the double vanity sinks, separate toilet, standing shower + tub space, the lucious bathrobe, and the very fancy amenity box which I wished I could take home. Toiletries are the RC-essentials of pump-sized Diptyque.

A plush toy they call Leo The Lion was also placed on the bed for me accompanied by a note from Chriztine, a reservations agent who I corresponded with prior to arrival. I had reached out to ask if they can spare me a RC Perth lion mascot to add to my collection and she offered this which I think is meant to entertain kids haha – so cute! I appreciated very much the personalized note containing info from my correspondence with her – a sure way to impress guests for sure.

In addition, a bottle of wine was also placed on the dining table accompanied by an anonymous note – still appreciated!

The Ritz Carlton Club Lounge

Now we come to the most anticipated part of my stay – level 6 where alcoholics rejoice!

On the hotel’s website, the list of published benefits are:

  • Personalized Check-in and Check-out service at the Club Lounge (didn’t happen)
  • Complimentary garment laundry or pressing service for 2pc clothing a day (returned the next day) (we didn’t use this as this was a short stay)
  • Dedicated Club Concierge Service (kind of happened)
  • Seasonal amenities (didn’t happen)

Here is the official print out given to us:

The space was gorgeous and has the same modern RC design and soothing color tones which I liked. Its not the biggest RC lounge I’ve seen but is fairly adequate for the crowd size I suppose. The seats are comfy, very evenly spread out, with options suitable for mostly 1-4pax. Th killer of this space is the view of the entire Elizbeth Quay but during the day, the intense sunlight could be a problem for some (me).

There is even an alfresco patio with seats for those who need the air or sun.

Food is served in a separate nook (closed off during meal prep times) and off-hours, a small selection of snacks, fruits, and non alcoholic drinks are available.

We tried all of the meals for this short stay and I have to say upfront that I was rather disappointed by the small selection for all the presentations – I could make full meals of course but I was just expecting more thoughtful variety for its price point / or for an upcharge of AUD125 per pax.

So here goes anyway.

Midday Snacks – 12:00pm-2:00pm (this is when service of alcohol starts as well)

I was wanting a good lunch and whilst I did not walk away hungry especially when beef was on offer, the rather pedestrian choices of carbs and veggies were very middling.

Alcohol is served from 12pm sharp as that’s when their alcohol licensing kicks in and I was excited to try everything on offer but also disappointed that there is no champagne served here, only a sparkling brut which was also fine as an alternative.

Other than a selection of red, white, beers on display, there is also various cocktail stations with recipes if guests want to try making their own. If not, the staff is more than happy to make you one too.

Afternoon Tea – 2:30pm-4:40pm

Rather uninspiring showing of 3 savories, 2 sweets, and a frequently unreplenished cheese platter. And I asked if they have scones – NO?! BOO. HOW CAN.

Hors’ d’Oeuvres – 5:30pm-7:30pm

After the disappointing experiences, I was expecting them to put in more effort for the signature session of any club lounge, but nope didn’t happen. Another lamb and potatoes kind of evening so I made do with the not-bad corn soup and enough shrimp croquettes. And again the cheese plate got wiped out again so I had to actively ask for a replenishment.

During this session, a special bottle of bubbles was brought out which I rather enjoyed but a tad disappointed that this was only available for the 2 hours instead of all-day.

Desserts & Cordials – 8:00pm-9:30pm

The most unexciting session for me – a handful of sweets and chocolates to end the night with if that’s your thing. This session was also when I asked if any mixed nuts was available but told nope, don’t have. Is it me or its weird that I can’t even get any mixed nuts at a RC Club Lounge?

Service at the Lounge was great though I have to say – Charlie and Courtney were warm and friendly, and other staff we saw later on was also efficient and all smiles throughout. Really a pity about the F&B offerings.

Breakfast – served at Hearth from 6:30am-10:00am (10:30am on weekends) for all guests including Club guests. The space is really nice I find, with its light blue tones (is it a nautical theme?) and water-facing position which makes for awesome views.

Food wise, its once again a moderate buffet of the usual suspects – certainly sufficient but not the large variety I was expecting for a Ritz. But have free flow avocados! Coffee was only average which was a shame.

Facilities – didn’t have time to use but hopped by for a few pics. The pool looks like a good spot for a few laps and seems semi sheltered from the sun at the correct timings, and if not lazing by the multiple sun beds at the side is an opotion too.

The Fitness Centre still feels newish but a tad small for a RC – but then again perhaps nobody comes to an RC here to workout?

I wanted to hit an Amex promotion spend so booked myself a Deep Recovery Massage at their Spa for an eye watering AUD250. I was able to view the services and price list online via this page but if not, I am quite sure the guest relations team will be happy to send it over email upon request.

I found the entrance to the spa very welcoming and immediately felt relaxing, including the relaxation spots for post treatment chilling.

I was bought through the facilities before my treatment: the locker rooms, the toilets, then the very crowded outdoorsy jacuzzi which seemed nice if you get a chance to be alone here.

The massage itself was just what I needed after the few days of walking albeit expensive of course, and served a pot of tea after the treatment which was great.

Service – Good service in general with everyone we met being all smiles and efficient, including the staff who helped us with our luggage at check out. No complaints here for sure!

Check Out – smoothly settled at the front desk and a physical folio printed for us upon request. [Pro tip – its cheaper to get an uber to the airport for departures than grabbing a taxi].

In Summary,

Very happy to be able to check this off using my FNA but disappointed that the F&B at Club was not more curated and more generous with their selection – a RC Club experience is all about extravagance and luxury but this was not the case for me. In addition, not having scones for afternoon tea, mixed nuts, and champagne all-day at the Club seems rather lacking in my opinion for its reputation. Haiz.

If I can be honest, I’d pick Westin over this if I ever come back to the city just based on value and expectations. Sorry RC.

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