The Ritz-Carlton Santiago

August 20th, 2023

Posts in this series:

Introduction - The Andean Crossing

Review - American Airlines Business Class B777-200 New York Kennedy to Buenos Aires Ezeiza

Review - Anselmo Buenos Aires, Curio Collection by Hilton

Review - Flybondi Economy Class B737-800 Buenos Aires Aeroparque to Mendoza

Review - Auberge du Vin, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Tupungato

Review - Mandarin Oriental Santiago

Review - The Ritz-Carlton Santiago

Review - Air Canada Business Class B787-8 Santiago de Chile to Toronto Pearson

Review - Air Canada Express Business Class CRJ-900 Toronto Pearson to Washington Dulles

Enroute:

As I mentioned in the previous post, ski season was just kicking off in Chile. When we arrived at the Ritz, I thought we had been teleported to the St. Regis Aspen.

Fortunately, the lobby cleared out in the evening once everybody had been checked in. The bellhop team at the Ritz was pretty useless. Guests were coming and going with their ski bags, but no bellman ever offered to be helpful and just stood there instead.

Our check-in was efficient, and we were soon on our way. While the building itself was modern, the interior of the public space was more classic.

Unpack:

The hotel was rather busy. Aside from all the skiers, Luis Miguel was also staying at the hotel. We got off the elevator on the top floor, and there was a security guard outside the elevator to make sure no interlopers set foot in Luis’s quarter. Throughout our stay, there were fans outside the hotel congregating and singing his songs, which was quite amusing.

Back to our room, we had been upgraded to a junior suite. A narrow entryway led into the room, with a closet on the right and the bathroom to the left.

The robes had seen better days.

The bathroom was a bit of a tight squeeze, particularly for a junior suite.

Toiletries were from Diptyque, as it was the standard at Ritz properties.

The rest of the suite consisted of the bedroom in the middle, and an alcove/living area by the window. This layout reminded me a lot of the Ritz we stayed at in Waikiki.

Turndown service was provided every evening, albeit not the most thorough. For example, the trash cans weren’t even emptied out, and they never replaced the used glassware with clean ones.

Unlike the Mandarin, the minibar was somewhat stocked.

We received some treats and a bottle of Carménère as welcome amenity, which was a nice touch.

The hotel faced the nearby neighborhood, so there wasn’t much in terms of view.

I liked the room at the Ritz. While it wasn’t anything over the top, and the décor was unimaginative, I found it to be comfortable and adequately upscale.

Unwind:

We had the chance to try out the Spa at the Ritz. You can see the menu here.

The spa facility was more dated than the rest of the hotel, which was slightly odd.

You could find lockers, a sauna and a steam room here. The treatment itself was alright.

On the same floor as the spa was the rooftop pool. This was a nice enough area with some loungers, a bar and an outdoor terrace.

Refuel:

The Ritz Santiago had an attractive-looking lobby lounge.

There was live music in the evenings, so it was a cozy place to hang out or for a night cap. The Ritz-Carlton Bar was technically a different venue. In essence, it was more of an extension of the Lobby Lounge, and they served the same menu. You can check it out here. We had drinks and dinner here on our last evening. Both were top-notch.

We didn’t intend to have such a huge dinner, but everything sounded good. I think the dinner we had on the day before was quite disappointing, so we overcompensated. We shared a salmon tartare, a tuna ceviche, a burger and a sliced beef Chacarero. All of these were terrific.

Breakfast was served at Estró Restaurant.

The buffet was well presented.

In addition to the buffet, you could also order eggs however you’d like.

Depart:

I preferred our stay at the Ritz to the one at the Mandarin, as it had just a tad more going for it. The waiter Isais at the bar was very friendly, the front desk and spa staff were responsive, and the overall food & beverage offering was quite good. Funny enough, the hotel was littered with Americans. I guess we all made the right choice, lol.