Overall a fantastic experience that was negatively...

Overall a fantastic experience that was negatively affected due to one simple thing. The property is amazing which is to be expected for the Ritz and the location in general along the coast is incredible. The rooms are a tad dated, but ours was clean with the exception of a few ants. I did notice a drinking glass outside our room for the entire weekend that was never picked up. With multiple staff members walking by several times a day, I think that's a bit tacky. The majority of the customer service was on point; for the Valet Service, Front Desk, Housekeeping, Bell Staff and Concierge we experienced quick & high-quality service. We can't speak for the spa, though I'm sure it's amazing. The Angel Oak Restaurant was by far this place's downfall from a customer service perspective and the experience was quite disappointing from beginning to end. I had called the Thursday before and made reservations for Saturday dinner at 6:45 inside the restaurant. I however failed to write down who I spoke with, thinking they could handle making the reservation and this would be a done deal. We arrived at 6:40 and they didn't have our reservation... I show the hostess my phone so she can see that I in fact called and spoke with someone. We were seated OUTSIDE within 10 minutes or so. I understand mistakes happen, we're willing to take what we can get at this point and just want to try and enjoy this dinner. When I had made the reservation they did the usual "Will be we celebrating anything when you're visiting us?" and yes, we were, a marriage... but nothing special offered while we were dining. I know they botched the reservation, but why ask, if you're not going to do anything? We had mentioned the celebrations on multiple occasions to our server... plenty of birthday's going on in the restaurant with something offered but not a wedding? Food took forever and a day... I understand the whole dining experience, we weren't in a rush... but apparently neither was our waiter or the kitchen. The gal who was refilling waters was great, fun personality while still being professional and she was attentive. The food quality was terrific... I would have been livid if all of this happened at the food was bad, but it truly was delicious. The overall Angel Oak experience was just mediocre at best... how embarrassing for us to take our newly married friends to a nice dinner as their wedding gift and this was the experience we got. Working in hospitality I know issues come up, and you handle it... but I was just not impressed entirely with how it was handled.

1. Provide a damn dessert for the married couple... if the service was just a tad better we probably would have bought a few coffees and at least 1 more dessert... so you missed an opportunity for a small up-sell that night... but you for sure missed a return customer.

2. If you or your staff/resort is clearly at fault for botching a reservation, own it. Don't just say "I don't know what happened," that's my line... because I truly don't know what happened other than someone failed to do their job. I appreciate that we were seated quickly. All things considered waiting 10 minutes is reasonable. Perhaps in the future, restaurant staff could take accountability for the error and offer their guests a glass of champagne or house wine while they wait. This alleviates tension and gives them something to do other than stand at the host/hostess stand.

Again, a beautiful resort and a great weekend other than the dining experience. This place is amazing but should certainly be held to a high standard. There's always room for improvement.

I would be happy to speak with whomever handles the Ritz Carlton's Reputation Management if they want any additional details. The dates of our stay were 11/9/18 - 11/11/18.