Ritz Carlton is betraying its LEGACY!!!

After reading the Forbes article on Barstool founder Dave Portnoy's scathing review of his experience at Tampa Edition, I not only felt anger but a profound sense of sadness over the loss of elegance and the amazing experience luxury hotels had to offer us once upon a time, especially the Ritz Carlton. To me, the Ritz is the Creme de la Creme, the pioneer among the greatest, best of the best, one whose founders legacy overshadows everything else that sprung in the hospitality industry. The name Ritz Carlton is synonymous with excellence, perfection and class or it at least used to be. Now its a mere shadow of its former self, riddled with self inflicted wounds that range from inexcusable service lapses to perfidious standards, best encapsulated by my stay at the Ritz Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan. Suffice to say, it was an edifying experience.

How does Ritz Carlton betray its Legacy? Let's just go to its website and see what it stands for and rebut it word by word.

• If you go to the section of 'Our legacy' on the Ritz Carlton website, the following is what you will find -

"A century ago, The Ritz-Carlton revolutionized hospitality by putting guests needs first while bringing luxury into the hotel experience. Today, that legacy of innovation and thoughtful service is why we create extraordinary moments for guests."

Guest's needs first? Wow...Sounds splendid right? Who are you guys fooling? In this era of cost cutting and positive cash flow, maintaining balance sheets with laser sharp focus on revenue and not customer service, Guests are the last concern of any hotel, including Ritz Carlton. Our sole purpose is to provide cash to keep the machine running, nothing more, nothing less. These grandiose statements feel so phony now. Extraordinary moments for guests? More like horrendous memories for guests which will be clear as you read more.

• "Boundary-pushing architecture, innovative amenities, intriguing destinations — all with legendary Ritz-Carlton service and attention to detail."

All this makes me laugh. boundary pushing architecture? Ritz Carlton Jakarta Mega Kuningan is about 20 years old with only a few floors renovated. Majority of the rooms are old and moldy and dust infested. It is an insult to call it Ritz Carlton, looks more like a motel with an elevated mahogany desk. Does the Ritz Jakarta not believe in full upgradation? Even the carpets in the club lounge are 20 years old with designs that are not simply out of date but so very painful to the eyes. Innovative amenities? Don't get me started on this. The towels and bathrobes that are in place at the Ritz Jakarta is unworthy to be placed even in a select brand like Fairfield. How do they come up with such fancy words like innovative when even the mere basics are not met? Shameful.

Under the Ritz Carlton experience, 'signature details' section, you will find the following -

• "Plush bathrobes, feathery duvets, luxe linens, exclusive Diptyque bath amenities — these are the elements that elevate every stay at a Ritz-Carlton hotel or resort. Intentional design nuances evoke the spirit of the destination, creating an authentic sense of place in a space that also feels like home.

I have already rebutted the plush bathrobes. Let's talk about the bath amenities which was the crux of the issue. Here they mention Diptyque, The Ritz Jakarta gives its guest some local subpar, useless products. And that's not the worst part, they package it in fake asprey look alike pouches so as to fool us into thinking we are actually using Asprey products. It's like biting us not once, but twice. This doesn't elevate , but DEGRADES the stay. Such a sham!!!

This next one really takes the icing on the cake, makes me laugh out loud every time I read it. So ethereally written, so evocative. If only it were true. The following lines are from the legacy section -

• " This attention to detail and dedication to service became the brand’s signature, and remain at the core of every crisp fold, exceptional meal and curated guest experience at a modern Ritz-Carlton hotel or resort. With each day, we’re finding new ways to ensure each guest feels a warm welcome, the pleasure of a well-crafted experience and the beauty of travel. The Ritz-Carlton remains dedicated to its legacy of exceptional service, artistry, and moments that last forever. Let us make your next journey one that is captivating, meaningful and inspiring."

Too much to unpack here. Let's take it one at a time. Exceptional meal? Ritz Jakarta didn't even have the basic things we take for granted that is there in every hotel including Fairfield. There was no vanilla ice cream, no canned apple juice and no Heinz ketchup. I found this extremely bizarre. Also, despite my repeated pleas not to serve me food allergens like nuts and corns, TWICE they served me corn and nuts. So it is anything but a warm welcome. In fact, its a disrespectful welcome with no care or concern to my wellbeing. What if I ate the corn and got an anaphylactic reaction? Who would be responsible? Even the quality of the food is nothing to write about. In a 5 star luxury hotel like Ritz, the omelette should be world class, the one I was served was not fit for even an animal. Atrociously repugnant and made so poorly, no taste whatsoever. Curated guest experience? More like can't make an egg properly repeatedly. I must also point out that when I was there, there was no Food and Beverage Manager, no housekeeping manager and not a single duty manager in the front desk. A huge shortage of staff and this showed in the slack attitude and sloppy nature of the service. Captivating and meaningful? More like disheartening and disillusioned. Or rather I felt like I am being made a fool of.

Look at the lofty words they use to describe their club lounge access. Even the great Robert Frost or Shelley would be at a loss of words in front of the person who conjured up these lines -

• " Defined by intimate settings, exceptional views, immersive experiences and dedicated services, The Ritz-Carlton Club is designed to create a meaningful, memorable stay."

Exceptional views? Perhaps they may be referring to the hideous 20 year old carpet that I mentioned earlier which adorns the floor of the Club lounge. As for dedicated services, Ritz Carlton Jakarta hires people on daily wages to work in Club lounge, those who are trainees that have little or no experience in hospitality to serve the most elite guests in the hotel. Twice I had a problem with these trainees. Once, they forgot my order and second time, they gave me someone else's food. So much for that immersive experience aye?

• " At the Ritz-Carlton, we look at travel as a series of moments that together create indelible memories — and it’s our mission to make those moments as magical as possible. Our legendary approach to service and our commitment to craft ensure that once-in-a-lifetime moments occur every day — and many times during your stay."

Want to know what's my indelible memory from my stay at Ritz Jakarta? Getting my bottom burned. Coming from Saudi Arabia and the US, I am not used to those fancy Japanese style toto toilets that even have a heated seat. When I sat down the first time, having sensitive skin, the heat felt uncomfortable and I called engineering to fix it. The engineer they sent told me that they have removed the heat setting from the toilet and that I am good to go. After an hour, I sat down again and this time I yelped in pain, it was super hot and burnt my skin. As it turns out, that incompetent engineer, instead of turning off the heat, he turned it to the maximum. Magical moments indeed. This kind of ineptitude happened 'many times' during my stay as I had asked them if their smart TV supports Netflix. For an hour, they tinkered around with the TV, raising my hopes in the process only for them to tell me in the end that there is some issue in downloading the netflix app. Simply fantastic.

The simple fact of the matter is that no one cares. Not the associate, the executive, the manager, the Director of rooms, the hotel manager, the General manager, the ownership, Area team, Continent head, Anthony Capuano, Bill Marriott, NO ONE GIVES A DAMN. All everyone cares about is PROFIT!!!Take, take and take, give nothing in return. It is so sad that things have come to this. Ritz Carlton was once the stuff dreams were made off, Now its a NIGHTMARE and they only have themselves to blame. Legacy what? It's just as Jerry Maguire screamed, " SHOW ME THE MONEY"!!!