d

the questions there...any info would be really appreciated, especially experiences. thanks in advance. ps on the phone they said something about food presentations. can you explain how extensive they are or aren't. an is it worth the dollars (about $100 more prpn). cheers. xd.

Kat

I definitely find the club level to be worth the extra bucks at Ritz Carlton. There's food all day long, starting with generous breakfast (often including bagels, smoked salmon and cream cheese) and going through lunch, afternoon tea (often), and so on. No real dinner, of course, but substantial and delicious hors d'oevres. Free beverages all day long, including wine, beer and some cocktails. The SF Ritz has an evening presentation of caviar and champagne that is fabulous.

Club level guests also have access to the club concierce (in addition to the hotel's concierce) who comes in handy for arranging tickets, limo, giving directions and making recommendations.

d

thanks a lot kat. we're actually staying in dubai, but i thought that:
a. i'd get more response here
b. ritz carlton club is basically gonna be the same everywhere i think and as there are more rcs in the us, i thought u'd be the most clued up. sorry if anyone thinks thats wrong. and can i apologise for my typing. sorry.

thanks. bye. xd.

ps could i live on the free food and drinks for a couple of days if i had to? or would i need to go out for at least one meal? i'm not a heavy eater. cheers.

Kat

You'll get plenty to get in the club lounge.

howard

I don't know...but to me there's something incongruous about having expensive and elegant accommodations (such as at the club level of a Ritz Carlton) and then asking if there's enough food to live on for a couple days so that you wouldn't have to go to a restaurant!
Could d be a troll?

Katt

Howard, in my experience that is exactly what the wealthy are like: pinch all the pennies 'til they weep while not exactly noticing where the dollars come from or go to. Had a mega-rich college roommate who thought nothing of spending $400 on the CUTEST evening bag, got to play all summer instead of waiting tables, but she never spent more than $3. on underpants, re-used teabags 'til they were pale, and figured out each person's share to the penny whenever a group of us had lunch together. BTW, she tipped less than 10%.

So it doesn't surprise me at all that someone who can afford club-level hotel accommodations would want to know how far they could stretch the food.

The other explanation, of course, is that they are on an expense account and making someone else pay for it all.

Sal

d-
You should check with the Ritz where you're planning to stay. I have found, when staying on their club level,that the food presentations and concierge service varies by property. For instance, when we have stayed at a Ritz that caters primarily to the Mon-Thurs business traveler, the club level amenities are scaled down on the weekends.

paul

I agree with the above post about the different degree of club service at Ritz Carltons depending on the clientele. With that said, I have found most of the Clubs to offer a fairly wide variety of foods that are meant to be light breakfast and lunch with appetizers around dinner time followed by deserts. If you are a light eater, you certainly could have all of your meals in the Club. I think contacting that specific hotel is a good idea.

Frank

I personally think it's a BIG waste of money, especially if you plan on utilizing room service or having wonderful meals in their restaurants or on the outside! I don't know about others, but I simply CANNOT eat what's offered on the club level AND enjoy my other regular meals at the same time! Now, if I were 17 again, perhaps that would be another story!!

d

hey. thanks for all the replys.

i can assure that i am not a troll for sure.

i am not mega rich, although i wish i was.

we are getting a really good deal on our rooms at the rc in dubai and we are staying in the off peak season.

i wanted to know about the benefits of the rc club because if i am gonna spend $200+ for four people per night, i wanna know i'm gonna get something decent for my money, on top of a regular room.

as food seems the only extra thing thats really applicable to me and my family, i wanna know that we are gonna be able to get $50 worth out of it each.

we are not big eaters, and although we enjoy eating out, we like our gourmet cuisine, not mcdonalds, especially in dubai.

plus, i've heard that its expensive to eat and drink out in dubai.

plus, the hotel location, i imagine, is in a touristy area and we like to eat local authentic cuisine if we go out to a restaurant.

plus, we are only staying in dubai for a few days on our way back from a busy and exhausting trip to hong kong. we do not want to spend a lot of money, or effort, but we just want to relax in luxury for a few days before flying home to the uk and getting back to work.

for us the holiday is about relaxing too. it doesn't seem that we will do much of that in hk so we've booked a dubai stop over. ok?

cheers for the responses guys. xd.

ps are the rooms any different.

Paul

The Club floors are usually in the best location within the hotel but I don't think the rooms themselves are any different. The best suites are located on Club levels but you are referring to the standard rooms. I think that the Club level makes a Ritz Carlton vacation all the more special and I always try to stay there.

howard

Your key phrase is "relax in luxury." That's what you're paying the extra dollars for. Sure, you get some tangible things like "free food," but you really can't sit down and "add up" in dollars and cents and have that be the total determining factor in making your decision as to whether it's worth it. You're paying extra dollars for extra amenities, service and attention, only part of which can be measured in hard cash! That's what a hotel's club level, concierge level, towers, or whatever else i may be called is all about!

howard

Howard,
I think your either jealous or too cheap to spend extra money on luxury hotle accomodations. Not everybody is happy in a travelodge or motel 6 like yourself, hell that's probably too expensive for you!

howard

To the other Howard (i.e., [email protected])---
What the hell are you talking about? I was hardly being critical. In fact, if anything, I was endorsing the concept of the luxury of the club level. Where do you get the idea that I'm jealous or too cheap!!! I suggest you cool it for a while, fella!

d

thanks to everyone.

tom

d,
You really don't have to explain yourself to the others on this board. I've stayed at the club level at the Ritz Carlton in San Juan and it was worth the extra money. Although I can't speak specifically about the Ritz Carlton in Dubai, you could definitely "live off" of the free beverage and food offered, especially if you're not a big eater. I did this for one day when in San Juan - not because I didn't want to spend the money to dine out but because one day i just didn't like it.

tom

that last line was supposed to read "I just didn't feel like it." sorry

d

thank you tom. xd.