This was our first time at a Ritz Carlton hotel. And it won't be our last.
We enjoy quality hotels while on vacation but do not have the financial means of staying at a Ritz Carlton or other high end luxury hotels. But, in celebration of my wife's birthday a three night stay at the Orlando Grande Lakes facility was just the ticket. And we were truly delighted.
First of all, the service is second to none. Everyone here goes out of their way to make it a truly relaxing experience. Each of the employees we encountered serviced our needs in a prompt, courteous manner. And more importantly it did not appear contrived.
We were overjoyed to get a room upgrade to celebrate our special weekend. The room was simply spectacular and that alone will be etched in our memory forever. It didn't stop there. Minutes after our arrival, my wife was presented a birthday card and gift of hand and body lotions. Nice touch! It continued at dinner with a complimentary glass of champagne and dessert. Their fine dining restaurant "Norman's" by the way is highly recommended.
There is not much we can complain about. The grounds were beautiful and well groomed while inside the hotel was handsomely decorated but not over done. It was spotless!
One minor complaint was the poolside service for drinks. At times there was no one around. Inconsistent. Which is hard to believe considering the cost of drinks.
When it was time to leave we hated to go. But for special occasions we will be back at this hotel or another Ritz Carlton property. And that is the best compliment one can give.

My wife and I visited this property with our two sons. We had two rooms reserved. We had one room with two beds and the other room with a king bed. When we arrived for check in, we were informed that they had upgraded our single bed room to an executive suite.

This is a classy property with the lobby and rooms tastefully decorated. It is clean and it smells good. The staff is amazing in how they try to make you feel special. They had live music in the lobby bar which were wonderful.

We left a treasured item in our room and realized it when we arrived home. I contacted the hotel and the lost and found coordinator said they would retrieve the item if found. About a week later, I received via UPS the item we left sent at their expense.

I have stayed at some of the highest rated hotels in the world, but never have I enjoyed a stay as much as this. I wish I could have stayed longer.

I hope everyone's experience will be as good as ours was.

Spent a weekend here in August 2008. This Grande Lakes resort complex [the JW Marriott and the Ritz] are in a strange location--in the general neighborhood of the airport expressway and International Dr. It's not far from SeaWorld, but otherwise it seems a strange choice for a place to put a resort of this size. It appears they mostly do convention business; if you're a vacation traveler, then you'll really only want to stay here if exceptional service is your highest priority.

Check-in was smooth and I was able to get the room I requested at 9am, so that was a good bonus. Rooms have the typical Ritz layout, but more cheerful colors than others I've stayed at--springtime yellows and greens, with vine-print wallpaper in the bathroom. I had a good-sized balcony but did note that many rooms had smaller balconies. The rooms adjacent to the elevators have truly private, walled, larger balconies while others have smaller ones that are directly open to the neighboring rooms. Incidentally, I wouldn't bother about paying more for a view here--they're all pretty much on a par. One side overlooks the front fountains and downtown Orlando in the distance, the other side overlooks the pool, part of the golf course, and the sunset. No matter which room you're in, you'll have a "lake view"--the property is dotted with a bunch of little ponds. [I wouldn't call any of the lakes "grand", so the name Grande Lakes is a bit of a marketing ploy.]

There were a couple of housekeeping issues in the room--dust on the back of the desk, a cobweb on the balcony, and a four-day-old newspaper and Cheerio under the ottoman. The linens, bathroom, and other main surfaces were spotless.

Service here is top-notch, even by Ritz standards. Each area of the resort was always fully-staffed, so there was no wait for anything. Cocktail waitresses, bar staff, concierge, room servce, spa attendants--everyone was right at hand and efficient and friendly.

The spa was exceptional--with a different design scheme and layout than any other I've come across. The waiting area had charcoal curved sofas with burgundy accents and looked like someone's sophisticated Manhattan apartment--very appealing. The spa pool is also a great spot to spend some quiet time. It was far less crowded than the main pool and almost as large.

There are several dining options and all the ones I went to were strong--Norman's is a must, and the Fairways pub at the Golf Clubhouse makes a terrific crab and corn chowder. All the amenities of the JW next door are also available--and make a trip over to eat at Primo [separate review].

All in all, the property is very solid, just in an odd place. I'd definitely stay here on business, but probably not as a tourist again.

My wife and I spent a week at the Ritz Carlton at the beginning of July. We can't speak highly enough of the hotel, the staff and the great customer service we received. Staff made every effort to remember our name despite the fact that the hotel could be very busy at times. Room service and front desk always called us by name when we called. Such efforts are to be applauded as it is something that we have experienced in only the most customer service orientated of hotels.
The room was well appointed, very clean and fresh. We also had a great view over the lakes and golf course.
Room service and house keeping were excellent and we had no problems with them at all. Stocks of complimentary water and bathroom toiletries were always replenished, often more than once in a day if required. Turndown servcie was always timely.
The hotel was immaculate in all regards and we enjoyed relaxing days at the pool where bottles of complimentary water were very welcome.
Food was execellent and we found the breakfast menu good value for money. We also ate in the hotel restaurants and lounge area. Although a bit pricey we felt the food and service was of a high quality.
Took the hotel eco-tour. Although we originally felt the cost to be a bit expensivre, we thoroughly enjoyed the trip and our tour guide made every effort to inform us about the local area and point out the wildlife in it. We were very well looked after with towels and bottles of chiled water made available to us.
We enjoyed the experience so much that we hope to return.