Andrea Brandon

Review of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Laguna ...

This hotel is wonderful. Normally.

This hotel is wonderful. Normally.

But this review is about their holiday parties, open to non-guests and their pets, to benefit local animal rescue groups and shelters. The event in December of 2012 was phenomenal, in spite of bad weather. Their graciousness was superb. Valet parking was available, too. No one got wet or had to walk in the rain.

However, the event of December 2013 blocked all attendees from using the valet parking, reserving that service solely for the hotel guests. People like me, who weren't hotel guests, were told by the valets to park a couple blocks away in a coin-metered lot and that they could either walk uphill to the hotel, or wait [in the pouring rain!] for a shuttle to come and transport them. I am older and cannot walk up/down hills steps. And who knows how often the shuttle comes? Along with my dog, I had several large gift bags of toys and treats to donate to the rescue group. In short, it was not at all feasible for me to park two blocks away. I would GLADLY have paid any parking fees for parking in the hotel structure. I arrive half an hour before the start of the event, so it wasn't as if they ran out of parking spaces. I don't understand how they had plenty of parking a year ago and this year there was no provision.

The hotel ruined my opinion of them. I will be telling all clients not to stay here [or at any Ritz] in the future.