We stayed here for the second time over the Labor Day weekend. We were able to get a decent rate using the Ritz's Reconnect package. Note rates here and at the adjacent JW Marriott are highly dependent upon events scheduled at the nearby Staples Center, Nokia Theatre, and LA Convention Center. Our stay, for instance, was sandwiched between the Primetime Emmy Awards and the MTV Video Awards shows at the Nokia.
Our first stay was fine (see prior review), but this one was even better. It seems like there has been additional staff training since our first visit, because overall staff attitude has improved. Dual doormen and dual reception desk staff (one is a concierge) greet you as you enter, other staff all greet you as you pass by in the halls, at the pool, at the fitness center. The one front desk person who I remembered gave me misinformation previously, I avoided.
The biggest difference with this visit was access to the Club Lounge, a $70 value that is well worth it if you are available everyday for each of the 4 daily food presentations, which we were for this reconnect/disconnect/do nothing weekend. The presentations include: 1) Breakfast, with 2 hot selections, one usually oatmeal, and a wide variety of fresh fruit, carbohydrates (breads, cereals, danish, muffins, etc.) and proteins (hard-boiled eggs, smoked salmon, sliced meats). 2) Mid-day meal, with a selection of gourmet petite sandwiches (including one vegetarian and one seafood), and veggies/salads, plus fabulous house-made potato chips and more. 3) Hors d'oeuvres/cocktails, a selection of dainty small bites, plus 2 hot selections like empanadas, coconut shrimp, and again those fab chips. 4) Desserts/aperitifs, again a selection of dainty bites, including chocolate lollipops.
The Lounge staffers are a hardworking bunch of multi-taskers who serve simultaneously are concierges, hosts, waiters, buspeople, bartenders, and food and beverage restockers. For this weekend, the Lounge was busy but not overwhelmingly so, and there were almost no business people. There were usually 2 staff working at a time. The Lounge is a large, comfortable space with sofas, tables and chairs, a private meeting room, multiple TVs and computers. An entire wall of windows faces west, where the Pacific can be glimpsed on a clear day. There are several jars filled with cookies at the door.
Dinner is the only meal you have to think about with Lounge access. We dined, once again, at the hotel's WP24 (as in Wolfgang Puck), a fancy Asian place which now has prix-fixe pricing, and also tried the nearby Rivera (chef John Rivera Sedlar, who we remember years ago from the restaurant St. Estephe), which has 4 menus of Latin cuisine served in 3 dining areas.
The physical idiosyncrasies of the hotel remain: the tiny lobby, the lack of a bar or meeting area for business, the modern design/decor some find incongruous with the Ritz name. For me, these issues are neither here nor there. Note, Club access is for double occupancy; there may be additional fees if extra people, be they family or business associates, are brought in.
I noticed that the hotel no longer puts out a selection of newspapers by the elevators in the morning, although the Club Lounge does (one is also delivered to your room). One morning I think the LA Times delivery was late, so a copy of the paper printed entirely off a computer was delivered instead. Also, the DVD player connection to the TV was confusing, necessitating 2 visits from an engineer.
Judging from TA reviews, it seems this new hotel got off to a bit of a bumpy start. Our second visit made it clear the staff has taken heed and has made efforts to improve. This is one of the closest hotels distance-wise that we have chosen for a staycation, and one we will continue to consider in the future.
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