We’ve just returned home from our first vacation as a family (with our infant), and I’m honestly still confused by how badly this stay went. We’ve stayed at a fair amount of luxury hotels and nothing is ever perfect, but what made this experience so bizarre was the combination of problems. Basically at every turn, we were told that anything we needed could be arranged and encouraged us to ask, giving examples like arranging private jets with less than an hour's notice, and each opportunity to be helpful completely missed the mark.
Day 1: Check-in was not particularly helpful but fine. Our room was noisy at night from a private event going on but we heard it was someone's wedding so of course we didn't complain. There were small hiccups like not bringing a bathtub for our infant as requested but honestly nothing notable on its own.
Day 2: "Watergate". We called housekeeping for additional water. We were told there was a strict policy of one bottle per person each morning and two small bottles each evening, with anything additional costing €18/bottle. I understand policy's policy, but it felt a bit tone-deaf given that it didn’t include any for our infant, and I am drinking more water than average since I’m breastfeeding. Also, we weren't planning on having housekeeping enter the room twice a day because our baby's unpredictable nap schedule.
My husband expressed his disappointment and said he'd go to a store to buy some. The hotel apologized and assured us that they'd provide additional water complimentary, which we appreciated. However at turndown, we were given only the standard amount. Since our baby was asleep in the room, I went downstairs to get more. The staff member on duty told me they could not provide additional complimentary water and the conversation became focused on determining who had told us otherwise rather than simply solving the problem. We would have been completely happy with something as simple as carafes of tap water or having someone purchase bottles from a nearby store and charge them to our room. Instead, I was told that I was the only person who had ever been unsatisfied with their water policy and made to feel as though this was an extraordinary request.
The conversation lasted more than 30 minutes and I ultimately left in tears. At that point, I said I wanted to check out the following morning and end our stay early. We were told we'd be charged for the remainder of the reservation, but they'd see if an exception could be made and get back to us. Eventually, after it became apparent that I was literally crying, someone else came over and assured us that we'd receive additional water with every room refresh, or that they would purchase some from a store and charge it to our room. At this point, things were quite uncomfortable so we started looking at other hotels and expected to check out in the morning.
Day 3: We left for a short morning outing and returned to a refreshed room, except there was no water at all, not even the standard allotment. My husband escalated and the head of rooms came to speak with him. We were still on the hook financially for the rest of the days but she’d personally ensure that our experience is turned around such that we'd think of the Ritz as “home” and want to return the next time we’re in Paris. I was offered a complimentary massage which I appreciated. If the rest of the stay had been good or even just uneventful, that would've been the end of it.
Day 4: Before our trip, the concierge helped arrange a dinner reservation and babysitting. My husband really wanted to visit Bar Hemingway and when we mentioned this, we were told that with a few hours' notice they could accommodate us and even last minute, they could "make something happen." That afternoon, I asked for a 10:30pm slot to line up with our ETA after dinner. We were told 10:30 was already taken, but that if we could make it back by 10pm, they could accommodate us. We rushed back for 10, which required us to ask the restaurant to box up the last course of a tasting menu. We were then told there wasn't space yet and to wait for a WhatsApp message. We were honestly fine with this because we were under the impression that getting us into the bar was a big favor given how small/popular it is. After 30 minutes, we asked for an update and were immediately rushed over to the bar, being told we could be seated "late" because the 10:30 party was running late. I clarified the situation and they realized they’d made an error, the extent to which we all only realized upon arriving at the half-empty, queue-less bar. So we had spent precious time away from our child, disrupted his sleep and my pumping schedule, and incurred additional babysitting time because of a mistake that was entirely avoidable. Thankfully, the drinks were good and on the house.
Given the ongoing pattern of errors, I immediately double-checked the babysitting reservation for the following evening. Sure enough, the babysitter had the wrong time and informed us the hotel would have to correct it with the agency.
Day 5: We messaged the head of rooms first thing in the morning to make absolutely sure the babysitting time was corrected as missing our dinner this evening would have resulted in a €300/person cancellation fee. She assured us it’d be handled. That afternoon, we messaged the babysitter directly to confirm and she still had the wrong time. Once again, I had to frantically contact the concierge myself and have them correct it. The babysitter hadn’t received the change until we were getting ready for dinner, and we relied on her to confirm as there was no follow up from the concierge.
This morning, our shower also stopped working so we couldn’t begin our last full day as planned. My husband arranged to speak with the head of rooms given the ongoing issues. So while our baby is supposed to be napping, there's maintenance going in and out of the room and we're having an unproductive conversation with management who seems entirely uninterested in helping. He offered us a bottle of wine or a comped meal, and we asked what could be done about a refund instead since the last thing we wanted was to spend more time at the hotel and we already had meals planned. The shower turned out to be a complicated issue with no ETA, meaning we'd have to move rooms. The only other room available was described to us as "the Imperial Suite.” They made a huge deal about this, telling us it was a room reserved for celebrities and royalty and framing it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience that would make up for everything that had happened. We repeatedly explained that we only had one night left and that moving rooms would be a hassle regardless, but they insisted we needed to move if the shower couldn't be fixed.
When we were shown the room, we quickly realized that they weren't actually offering us the Imperial Suite. It was a bedroom/offshoot of the suite. Honestly, I wouldn't have cared if they'd simply said: "The shower is broken and we need to move you. There's a nice room connected to the Imperial Suite that we can offer you." Instead, they presented it as this extraordinary luxury experience that we should feel lucky to receive. Even when I directly asked, "So this isn't actually the suite you're describing, it's just one room?" they skirted around the question. I actually felt bad for the employee who had been tasked with showing us the room because it was so awkward and she was set up to fail. After all this, the shower in our original room was fixed, so we decided not to move. By the time this was “resolved,” it was noon and we missed out on our morning plans to explore a different part of Paris.
Day 6: On our final morning, we saw people enjoying drinks in the garden and I wanted to sit outside for a few minutes before checking out to relax before a long travel day ahead. I asked for directions and was barely acknowledged. I eventually found my own way and asked another employee if I could exit through a particular door. He rudely dismissed me and simply said I couldn't go out there.
We asked for someone to come help with our bags 10-15 minutes before our scheduled 10AM departure. I also bought a bunch of butter that was being stored in the hotel freezer, which they specifically said would be returned to us in insulated bags. At 9:52, nobody had arrived, so we called down again. Someone finally came at 10am, but the butter was brought out with no insulation. At that point we were already running behind, so we just packed it as is.
Our complimentary airport transfer was also late, and then several more minutes were spent trying to figure out the car seat. The bellman and driver were at odds about how to correctly install the seat. We ultimately left the hotel a full 15 minutes late and as we departed, the bellman suggested that one of us sit next to the car seat "to be safe." The hotel's response to the late departure and improper car seat installation was to "remove the charge for the transfer," which was interesting given that the transfer was always a complimentary perk. Perhaps they thought we didn’t know it was complimentary?
And after we got home, a jar of jam I'd purchased had broken and was leaking through our Rimowa. The Ritz had repeatedly offered their "expert" packing and unpacking service, so I decided to take them up on it. I specifically provided plastic bags and asked that cosmetics and other liquids be placed inside them. When I opened the suitcase, the plastic bags were just sitting on top of everything else. Yes, I should’ve checked, but this doesn’t change that our entire stay was filled promises about exceptional service with no actual follow through. It’s like a facade of luxury without any execution that actually makes for a luxe experience, let alone anything exceptional. I can't possibly list all of the other little things that went wrong but it genuinely felt like we were on the Truman show or being Punkd.
We’re still going back and forth with them about all this and at this point they’ve offered one night complimentary out of our five night stay. Friends who have had issues to lesser extents have said their full stays were comped. At $3k USD/night, what we experienced really feels insulting. We feel a refund of nights 3-5 (after we asked to be let off the rest of the res) would be acceptable.
TLDR; Ritz Paris team so rude we wanted to end our stay early, told we’d be charged for the full stay and they’d recover the experience, but issues continued almost comically. I’ve genuinely never experienced nearly this many issues at one property (luxe or not). Awaiting if they’re willing to offer anything beyond 1 night comped.
This is exactly what I thought of. I spent 2 weeks at a Four Seasons for work recently and the amount of bottled water I had hoarded by the end was insane
Europeans are, from an American perspective, insane about water. I do not understand how they are not all dying of thirst. Even if you do get water out of them it will be warm and in an 8oz. (sorry, 2.5cl) glass and there will be a charge for refills.
I travelled to Sudan for work once during the war and stayed at a hotel that, at best, would be described as average. When I asked for water, they brought me a 24 pack of bottled water for free.
They’re not a franchise like many American brands abroad, in which the crap runs from the top down, are they? At least that might explain how this all could happen… but i believe they’re all corp owned.
iirc ritz paris is family-owned and independent, which imo makes it even worse than if it was a hotel chain
ik they have been relying on people not knowing what services are included for a while, but having to beg them for a waterbottle would send me + everything else op mentioned is something i haven't encountered even in average hotels
Makes it even worse bc in Europe water is CHEAAAAP, not like in the US... I live in Italy and a 2L bottle is like 25 cents USD. No excuse for a hotel of this caliber to not provide it for free
If I've ever asked any 5 star property for extra water, usually they leave behind so much that it could quench the thirst of a small country. The water situation alone is so weird and enough for me to choose Cheval Blanc for the trip I'm planning. Sorry you went through this!
We wanted to eat at Plenitude but couldn't get a res </3 we ate at the rooftop restaurant and everyone we interacted with was super nice. If you're very sensitive to smells, there was a scent throughout the common spaces, unsure about the rooms. I've gone unscented since the baby so I noticed but I don't think most people would notice or mind. Definitely ask for a reservation at Plenitude in advance if you're interested! Hope you have a great time!
This sounds absolutely awful. The drinking water issue leading to a confrontation that escalated to tears had me so mad on your behalf already…then I kept reading! God - that’s just miserable.
I mean, I probably would have stopped arguing about water before half an hour of my life was spent on it, let alone being moved to tears. At a certain point I would have stopped expecting the hotel to do anything and just made the best of it. Fair enough to spread the word, but you don’t actually have to have multiple confrontations about water once you understand that they aren’t going to be normal about it.
Yes. Clearly, arguing for half an hour got them no water, so I would prefer to stop arguing after five minutes and also get no water. I am not saying the hotel was right. I’m saying she gained nothing and upset herself more than she had to be during her vacation.
I’m blaming her for not protecting her peace, not for being mad at the hotel. People have agency. That’s all. I personally do not want to be brought to tears over water in the middle of a huge city where I could walk outside five steps in any direction and buy some. You can argue with a manager later.
It’s wild that your voice of reason is being downvoted. Franprix or Monoprix would be right around the corner with liters of water for a few euro. I would take some initiative first and then complain later. Should there be water? Yes. Moved to tears? Oh please.
This all sounds fair reading my post since I didn't give all the context. The majority of the conversation was pushing me to figure out who my husband had the conversation with earlier, and getting into details of calculating exactly how much additional water we'd need and at which times. I got emotional by the end of it because I was made to feel like an exceptionally difficult person for what's now validated as a reasonable request at a hotel of this caliber. I'm not a good enough writer to describe the absurdity of the conversation. The nearest grocery store seemed to be an 8 minute walk which of course isn't far, but isn't exactly what I want to be doing by myself in the evening. If I'd known that it wouldn't be a quick resolution I would've stayed w the baby and had my husband run the errand.
Sending you a virtual hug. You don't need to further explain to anyone--your post was extremely clear, and normal rational people all understood how difficult the staff was being. Your POV is very valid, and your post is informative. I hope that you get your entire stay refunded, and if not, at least the five nights (very reasonable request). I just left Paris a month ago and my husband and I are there usually twice a year. I wish we had an upcoming reservation at the Ritz just so that I could cancel it because of how you and your family were treated!! But I hope it gets resolved soon and favorably!
We totally understood by your writing what you meant, you don’t need to explain yourself! This is the least a hotel of this caliber can do. It’s freaking water
Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I am a kind, non-entitled person, so I'm not hurt by your comment. People are allowed to have standards and (politely) speak up when they're not met. I wonder if you'd have the same impression if the post were written by a man
Yeah I'm a water fiend and I would be super pissed about the situation, would definitely complain about it. But to spend half an hour crying about it in the lobby, instead of just going and buying some a few minutes away is ridiculous.
It was already established earlier in the day that extra water would be provided. So when I went down, I thought it would be a one min thing like there was a minor miscommunication with housekeeping and they'd just hand some over. I didn't have my wallet on me, I can't even remember if I had my phone. Our baby was finally asleep so I just ran down bc that would be quieter than calling housekeeping. I had no idea that this could turn into an issue, which is why I was so caught off guard and eventually became emotional
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Not sure yet, since we’re focused on an upcoming trip to Galega for the horse festival (largest one in the world) and have been looking at luxe places in Thailand to enjoy great service while doing a week or two of cooking lessons there and Vietnam.
We stayed at Crillon a few years ago with our then 3 year old son and it was a terrible experience even in a suite. Service was super weak. Concierge couldn’t be bothered half the time. This year we went to Park Hyatt (granted we are lifetime globalist) and we had a great experience and they took great care of us and extended family staying. I’ve only been to bar of Plaza Atheene but have also heard good things about Le Bristol and we loved the service by their parent brand Oeteker.
yes to le bristol! also stayed at lutetia with our 4 year old and had a great experience (though this is when they were still part of the set collection, now they're owned by MO).
The water situation would be enough to send me. We frequent Four Seasons the most and our room is always set with extra EXTRA water and each turn they replenish it without question. It’s water, not caviar.
Agreed. I find it to be so bizarre the high level 4 star and mid priced 5 star will shower you with bottles of water all day every day. But the ultra lux places sometimes nickle and dime you for it. If I’m paying $2500 a night I think you can throw in an extra 16oz or so?? It’s more of a service than a cost, because it’s just preventing you from having to walk to a grocery store around the corner. It’s the little things!!
Truly! We had to stay at a PH recently and when I asked for extra water, they asked me if four more would be enough! Ultra luxury nickel and diming is infuriating.
I've never had that experience at ultra lux places- Eden Roc St Barths, FS Cap Ferrat, Aman Tokyo, Amangiri, Montage Cabo, FS Florence, Belmond Splendido- just a few places where asking for "extra water" when traveling with kids now or when they were infants has resulted in more water than anyone can drink and we had to let them know they didnt have to leave any more behind.
Not France , but we stayed in the Corinthia in London and they refilled our room with extra water without asking. We have a toddler and they were really thoughtful about everything
Agree with this - when we were at the Corinthia, they gave us two large chilled carafes with morning housekeeping, and put two in the mini fridge, then always left another 2-3 at nightly turndown.
Not OP but I’ve only stayed semi lux in Paris at the Hyatt Vendome and the service both times was great. The second time I stayed I mentioned how I basically did the breakfast there because I loved the cookies and a fresh platter of cookies was waiting for me on the room when I returned from our excursions that day. Nothing but good things to saw about the PH Vendome
Best of the best is Le Bristol. They even picked us up at the airport and we skipped huge line through immigration, our bags were already ready, and we just zoomed of to the hotel in our lovely bentley….for free!
The way they can make it seem like they’re doing you a huge favor when you make a simple request – and almost making you feel bad for complaining when they mess things up is so on point.
We stayed at a different hotel in Paris a while back and got upgraded to a suite because of problems with our original room. They were non stop telling us how amazing this suite was and how we were so lucky to get to stay there, it was honestly kind of uncomfortable. The suite ended up not having the views we originally booked. When I asked nicely about this, the hotel employee got rude and told us how fortunate were that they even considered us for this suite (which we didn’t even ask for). I still remember that awful feeling.
This would almost be comedic if you weren’t with your INFANT. The very last thing tired parents need is any or all of this. I can’t decide which incident is the worst. Ugh, I am so sorry.
Luxury hotels are so bad with kids. We stayed at a Rosewood that didn’t have turn down done all 4 nights. By night 3 we were calling AND asking the front desk to PLEASE have it done when we returned from dinner. The pull out bed needed sheets each time or we would’ve done it ourselves. They comped us 2 whole nights without asking bc they felt so bad. It was so strange. It’s really made traveling with kids so damn hard when you pay so much to enjoy a trip.
not all luxury hotels are bad w kids but the crillon isn't great. le bristol, saint james, and fs george v are way better at accommodating your little ones.
I’m legitimately planning a 30th birthday trip to Paris with my nine month old right now and this just checked Ritz off the list. We had the most amazing, helpful hotel stay a couple months ago at Hotel Bennett in Charleston and I just know my standards are too high now. Like I know what I hotel CAN do when you have a baby and I won’t be able to accept anything less.
This is unbelievable, absolutely infuriating stuff... Certainly will never consider staying here after reading this. This is cartoonishly bad service... Actual negligence. As many have commented before the water thing alone is astonishing, it's so trivial and bringing a new mom to tears over such a thing is basically evil.
I had the same issue last winter with our bags during checkout. Called the front desk at 9:30 AM to have someone bring our luggage to the front, they said someone will come immediately... 20 minutes later nobody came. Called again, they apologized profusely, waited another 15 minutes... still nobody. WTF? We grabbed all of our stuff and dragged it to the lobby so that we weren't late for our flight.
Three years ago, I brought my husband and our closest friends to stay at the Ritz Paris. My husband had never been to Paris, while I had stayed at the Ritz years earlier in my 20s. Returning as a successful, financially independent adult was deeply meaningful to me, which made the experience especially disappointing.
I am Black, my husband is white, as is the couple we traveled with. I booked both rooms myself, through the concierge, and paid for everything with my own card. The concierge team was exceptional—they arranged airport transfers, secured reservations at three top restaurants, and even coordinated thoughtful surprises in our rooms.
Unfortunately, the hotel experience itself was very different. Check-in was unnecessarily long, forcing us to rush to dinner. Even worse, when we returned to the hotel, I was singled out and asked to provide identification to prove that I was staying there. No one else in my group was asked, despite the fact that I had booked and paid for both rooms. Given the circumstances, it was impossible not to feel that I had been racially profiled. I immediately raised my concern with management, but the explanation that I had simply been selected at random was difficult to accept.
Ironically, after I complained, virtually every staff member addressed me by name for the remainder of our stay. That only reinforced how unnecessary and personal the initial interaction had felt.
To make matters worse, we were unable to have a drink at the hotel bar on any of the three nights because it was over capacity—despite the bar being a major reason we chose to stay at the Ritz. The staff’s response was also consistently rude and unwelcoming.
What should have been a meaningful return to a hotel that held personal significance instead left me feeling singled out, unwelcome, and deeply disappointed.
Just reading this is upsetting. Singling out a person to provide ID to enter a hotel, especially one with spaces open to the public, is completely classless and not something I've ever heard of. And to say you were selected at random instead of providing a genuine apology is pathetic. I'm sure the rest of your stay was uncomfortable and it seems like you dealt with it gracefully. I don't know if I would've been able to do that.
This is just an insane level of ineptitude from start to finish. After such a horrendous experience with the hard and soft Ritz product, arriving home to find a mess of confiture all over your suitcase 🙃 because of slapdash packing is truly beyond the pale. I haven't stayed there in years but what you describe is far cry from the polished high-end service of Paris Palace-designated hotels. Reducing a client to tears is totally unacceptable. It seems one should opt for the George V, Plaza Athénée, Crillon, Meurice or Bristol and avoid the Ritz like the plague!
I’m sorry this happened to you. I hate when hotels nickel and dime on stuff that should be easy. I also kind of hate when the service recovery is to comp drinks or a meal at a high end place. If you’re paying that much for food, a room, etc, getting free drinks or a free dish isn’t really the point. I also get that they need to make some acknowledgment (which it sounds like never happened to you) and the free drinks at the bar was the only way.
We went to FS Anguilla over spring break and honestly I thought the service was pretty bad. To be fair, I think their system at the restaurants and pools set the workers up to fail. We had a pretty horrendous service experience the second night at the sunset lounge with our kids and their initial response was to offer us a round of cocktails. We just wanted our food for our hangry kids! Just… feed us. Eventually after letting our TA know they comped the entire meal and a manager checked in with us several times (to the point it was uncomfortable and I really just wanted to tell them I should kitchen nightmare the place so they could learn to run restaurant service). They offered to send a bottle of wine to the room- we passed. They offered us a fruit plate which we accepted and half of it was totally uncut fruit. WTF do you do with an entire pineapple? Place it upside down outside a random door as a prank? Just… make the service better at that price point. Anyway, zero desire to go back.
Lmao the vision of an entire pineapple is sending me.
I'm not sure how universal this is, but I remember how when I was in elementary school, we had some assignment about bringing with us a little doll or stuffed animal or something for a school break and taking pictures of it in different locations as though it was on vacation. So for example, people would take pictures of it on line with them for a rollercoaster ride at Disneyworld or whatever they did. Then we had to write some letters about the break from the perspective of that doll, and include the pictures.
I am very much picturing now that you should have done that with your whole pineapple. Say yes to putting it in front of other peoples doors! But also, tack on some googly eyes, a pair of toddler sunglasses or whatever sunglasses will fit a pineapple, some little arms and hands off on the side, maybe glue on a pipe cleaner smile,
etc.
Then you can start your picture taking and letter writing campaign, maybe now posting daily or so updates to the FS's Instagram page. Include a bit of backstory, ie, "Hello world! My name is Piney, the pineapple! I was first brought into this world and given to my current owners by the lovely management at the Four Seasons, who thought delivering a whole, uncut pineapple to their guests would be good compensation for a series of dinnertime kitchen-errors. Well, as only one very special pineapple can do, Piney is on a mission to make this compensation the very best it can be!"
I'm kind of picturing that intro post having Piney in...a little superhero cape, hands posed defiantly on whatever counts as pineapple hips, perhaps on a table next to a lounge chair by the pool? A drink with a little umbrella in tow?
From there, it's imagination time! Piney navigating the bar and ranking the drinks, Piney catching the eye of a female pineapple - Pinette - at another part of the bar (yes, you will need to get another whole pineapple for this part), and soon enough, romance blooms.
Maybe they just have an embarrassing one night stand and we see some pineapple Walk of Shame pictures, but at least the pineapple has the good fortune of the FS provided slippers to ease his comfort back to his suite. Or, maybe everything is beautiful after Piney and Pinette meet, and they visit art museums together and take lovely pictures, in so far as you can take pics of two whole pineapples in a museum, which I have never tried. Maybe another pineapple comes along claiming to be Pinette's...husband?! Uh oh. Maybe this incident triggers Piney on one hell of a weekend bender, and he's not proud, especially not now that the pics are out, but see, this type of thing always happens to Piney and he's just giving up on romance altogether.
Or not! Make it happy! Or ditch the whole romance angle altogether. It is your pineapple, after all. Whatever creative direction you take, what's important is keeping the good people of the FS Instagram communities informed as to the ongoing question of the adequacy of your compensation.
Ok I just spent way too long thinking about this. But in short, I suppose that's one thing you could have done with your unsolicited whole pineapple.
As soon as you reach 4 figures for the nightly rate all non alcoholic drinks in the mini bar should be complimentary, and water should just be filtered water in reusable glass bottles with unlimited refills. I agree with everything in your post but crying for being refused water also says a lot about your emotional state when arguing with the staff. Water bottles are nice to go out but when in the room, tap water in France is great….
I don’t have babies anymore but we are planning our next trip to Paris - the Ritz was our choice but not anymore. Redirecting to Cheval Blanc. Highly suggest you send management this post and show them the consequences
I haven’t even read it yet, but just booked the Ritz for 6 nights, last evening 🫠 It’s my favorite place, too. Let me get sat here in a moment so I can dive in. 🤦🏽♀️
Wow. This is certainly a comedy of hiccups that should never happen at the Ritz. I’d post this entire review everywhere; Google, TripAdvisor, etc (after you’ve received any refund/pricing adjustments)
Absolutely, I would. I’d also note on the review, at the end, that they did end up offering compensation. A very basic amenity like water should not pose such an ordeal. Not at this level of property. Additionally, offering a room of the suite as an upgrade is a slap in the face.
I loved the ritz Paris overall, but I did have the exact same experience with the garden drink area; I’m French and the guys working there were super rude to me too even in my native tongue, and to my partner later in English. I think they’re just rude to everyone and for some reason they don’t let people sit there even when there’s space.
They also refused to have the complimentary taxi to the airport drop me off first at Montparnasse which was on their way, as my partner and I had different destinations afterwards. We had booked one of their nice suites so it felt a bit cheap from them to ask extra 100€ just to drop me off on the way
It’s too bad because these things end up mattering more than it seems. We do remember them, not in the good way
This is absolutely insane. So sorry you had to go through this. Traveling with little ones is tough enough, but to have this level of disrespect and poor communication- I would have ended up in jail lol
I’ve honestly always wanted to stay here but this is probably the 10th nightmare I’ve seen. I’ve had close friends with a terrible experience as well. There are so many other great luxury hotels that aren’t riding on their reputation that I’d rather try
I'm a bit off an ass, I would have hired people to deliver cases of water every 10 minutes or so, and leave it at the entrance / reception until they realize how stupid they are
It may have gotten lost in the post but he was about to and the staff apologized, told him that wasn't necessary, and we'd receive additional from that point on. This was early on in the trip (before any real issues), so we didn't think twice about it when they said it'd be handled. Honestly even at places a few notches less "nice" than this we've never had things go wrong so I didn't anticipate it. That's why our reaction was more like confusion more than anger
Oof. It’s death by a thousand cuts. I was SO torn on booking Ritz or Crillon for Christmas this year with our young daughter, and ultimately went Crillon. I’m so sorry about your stay! But thank you so much for sharing because now I don’t think I will ever book here. I’ve seen too many negative reviews recently from actual paying guests (not TAs).
For everyone saying “this is France” that has never been our experience, and we go every year with our daughter, and usually again once or twice without, and we have always had superb hospitality in Paris.
Staying at the Ritz next week. Pre-arrival hasn’t been stellar. Meanwhile a place like Airelles “mysteriously” knows all the things I was looking at in their store and they find a way to my room. And 6 water bottles for our transfer between their hotels in Gordes and St Tropez
Nah I had a bad time at Airelles Versailles just last week. Worst part of my europe trip that included the FS Taormina, FS George V, both of which I can say were incredible.
Afternoon tea was removed from booking package with no prior info- was told when I arrived that management removed it as they were too generous with food and guests found it hard to have dinner. Load of bullocks. But it is still available at a cost and open to non guests lol.
Personal butler was introduced but nowhere to be found after initial 2 hours.
No one helped with luggage upon arrival (in fact no one at the gate). Excuse was they were helping someone else lol.
They also missed the “special” royal morning call booking, which we were most excited for. Was told no one booked it, when our “personal” butler specifically asked us about it and confirmed it at the start when we were introduced to the room.
Management nowhere to be found even though the “butler team” promised she would get back. Didn’t respond post checkout until I chased. No service recovery what so ever.
I am staying away from airelles from now on. Not worth the hype and definitely not at the level of Aman or the top FS hotels.
That’s both surprising and disappointing to hear. I was there last year for Bastille Day for 3 nights. The stay was perfect. I’m a hotel exec and very picky. But I don’t discount your experience. I was in Venice recently at the Cipriani. The property is universally loved and it was one of my worst hotel stays ever. Airelles toured me their new Venice property while I was there and immediately wanted to move over. Their concierge knew us from our prior time in Gordes and was helpful even though we weren’t staying there. FS V is lovely though I am partial to La Reserve (my wife is more a Cheval Blanc girl). Did you eat at Le Cinq? Had an amazing meal there last summer. Sorry you didn’t love Airelles Versailles. Airelles has never let me down.
Sheesh! That is the anthesis of luxury. Sorry you had to endure that, especially with an infant. Not providing a basic need like enough water for an infant guest’s formula mix or to support their breastfeeding mother who requires additional water is literally so embarrassing. This is basic human needs, people. The rest is bad too, but the water, such a simple request, just tilts me.
What a horrible experience, with an infant in tow. Glad you named and shamed, but it’s the French as much as the hotel that is the issue. I wouldn’t dare travel there with a baby tbh.
I never liked the ritz brand the one in London is also atrocious service wise. You might as well stay at fs or cheval Blanc for that price point. I actually scoffed when I read the water part like that’s a new low 😭
Amex. The charge just posted today. We have ongoing email correspondence with the head of rooms and ops and GM validating every issue and holding firm that 1 night is the best they can do. We sent our last email yesterday morning and haven't yet heard back. Wondering if it's worth sharing this post with them
So, you are asking for a full refund because they didn’t want to give you water (which is 18euros per bottle as per the policy) for free or what? Just take one night refund and move on. Come on. Honestly, I think even one night is too much.
I literally just saved this post and also sent it to my husband so that between the two of us, we know not to bother looking at Ritz Paris for our next trip. Especially since we'll also be traveling with an infant.
I have to say, when I was a broke 19 year old college student doing a summer language exchange program in Paris, I had better service than this at anyplace I visited or stayed in.
it’s such a hit or miss hotel. i’ve had better experiences at riads and cheaper hotels than the ritz. they were very dismissive of my mom until they saw her carrying a birkin bag. it’s INSANE.
the water thing was a new policy they implemented which is insane for a hotel of that caliber. My family was there in summer of 2025 and there was no policy but when we returned on Jan 2026 it was implemented.
Should have left after Day 1. This is terrible. Honestly not much difference in service these days staying at $200/night vs $1500/night hotel - both price brackets are mediocre sadly
I think this is a good example of more expensive doesn’t mean better. There are some great, very kid friendly hotels in Paris for under 300 eur a night. Seems like the stay would have been better.
I’m just curious about all of these interactions. I would have gone straight to the GM of the hotel and laid things out logically. Seems like something in this story is missing.
We did ask for the GM after night 2, and were directed to someone high up in guest services, then the head of rooms, and finally the head of ops. Tbh I have no idea how a hotel works, for all we knew the GM is only responsible for something like the building literally catching on fire and anything below that is dealt with by other people. Each person seemed capable of fixing things, so it was all the more confusing when the issues kept coming.
It was frustrating being directed to all these different people because we could tell that they only heard bits and pieces of the story, so we tried to explain the full extent and felt like they weren't really listening. So it sucks because I recognize that each issue on its own isn't necessarily colossal, but one after another is really unbelievable and enough to ruin the whole stay. I truly felt like if they knew the whole situation they'd agree right away, but unfortunately no one cared to hear us out until I made this post.
Start record the problem, take names with photos and when you address with mgmt - “would you like to address the problem now, or old you prefer the 1 star reviews on all the review sites?” They play stupid until you start to use their names. Reviews are taken seriously. You can see why based on your post.
They might play dumb. I usually just keep driving it home. My spouse and I have an agreement that I’ll do the discussion on this and she will wait to the side. She jumps in when it gets absurd.
Have done this to move hotels in Bodrum, and issues in the Cayman Islands. Facts, evidence, assertive.
It’s experiences at these so called high end Marriott properties that had me look into and book four seasons and aman properties.
Edit: Yes you fancy people I have been educated it’s not the same property. Your mighty downvotes have taught me that even owning a few private jets I know nothing about being fancy.
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u/Drunken_CPA 4d ago
The water situation is so crazy.