I have stayed at many Ritz-Carlton properties, and I will start by adding that one of my favorite resorts anywhere is the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua on Maui. However, the experience we had at the Ritz-Carlton Boston was completely uncharacteristic of my other experiences and can only be summed up by saying it was HORRIBLE.  
 
My mother and I went to Boston a few years ago for a week as a part of a trip to New England, and we chose the Ritz instead of the Four Seasons since we tend to favor the chain in our travels. We loved the location, which is right across the street from the Public Gardens and Boston Common. The hotel is located a block from the T (subway) on the green line, which was also very convenient to use for getting around to go shopping and dining. The interiors are rather old and in desperate need of the facelift that it is now receiving. However, it wasnt the aging interiors that turned us off to this property, so facelift or no, a makeover wouldnt be enough to draw us back to the Ritz-Carlton Boston.  
 
From the moment we arrived, we were put-off by the snooty attitudes of the staff, but we didn't think too much of it. Our room was in the older half of the hotel overlooking Newbury Street, which wed requested instead of the newer addition on the opposite side of the hotel. Friends of ours had stayed in both the old and new areas and had discouraged us from the newer addition.  
 
We arrived in the late afternoon, so we dropped our bags off in our room and went out in search of a light meal. When we returned to our room, there was a flower arrangement awaiting us with no card, so we assumed that this was an amenity since my mother works in the travel industry.  
 
We settled in, and a little later we received a phone call that room service wanted to deliver a fruit tray to us. We assumed again that this was an amenity as there was no mention of it being a gift, and we declined having it delivered right then. We instead arranged for delivery the next day since we'd already eaten that evening and wanted to turn in early.  
 
The next day we received a phone call from a close friend and client of my mother's, and after an awkward few minutes, she asked how we enjoyed the gifts she'd arranged for us. I'm sure she felt rather uncomfortable having to ask us at all, but she thought it was strange that we'd not mentioned it. Imagine our surprise when she told us that she was the one who had sent us the flowers! She had also arranged for a cheese tray with my favorite cheeses to be delivered, not a fruit tray, and had specified that they be waiting when we arrived since she knew wed be famished after over 12 hours of flying. She had also sent a check ahead of time and asked the concierge to purchase a gift certificate to Legal Seafood for us to enjoy during our stay and had mailed a hand-written note well in advance to be displayed with these wonderful gifts when we arrived. All of this was paid for in advance with a generous tip included for the concierge.  
 
We immediately took this matter up with management who denied any knowledge of these arrangements. They never apologized, and we never saw the gift certificate, the hand-written note, or the cheese! The final insult was their response to our friend. When she called to complain, they lied to her and told her that wed refused the cheese tray delivery and had indeed received the gift certificate and note, and when she told them that shed spoken to us and knew this wasnt true, they told her that we were the liars! She followed up with a letter to their corporate offices, but even that was responded to with a form letter and no personal addressing to the problems. She and her husband, both frequent, affluent travelers, refuse to stay at any Ritz-Carlton properties since then. Following our complaints, we received unwelcome glares walking through the lobby, which only served to anger us further.  
 
But the story doesnt end there. If you can even believe it, it gets worse.  
 
After a few days of being at the hotel, we awoke one morning to the most awful smell. We couldnt figure out what it was, but we were choking on it. I opened the window to our room, and my mother called downstairs for maintenance. It took them over an hour to arrive, and when the hotel repairman did finally arrive, he told us the Freon from the fridge had leaked or some similar problem. I dont know much about things of that sort, but whatever leaked intoxicated the air. They removed the fridge, which apparently the entire floor of the hotel had complained about, but you know where they put it? In a maintenance closet on the same floor! So the stench/choking smell lingered on the entire floor. This was just too much!  
 
We called downstairs again, and fully expecting understanding of the problem, asked to be moved to another room. Simple request, right? They told us no! We were outraged! We were fully prepared to move to the Four Seasons, but we had only one more night and felt it wasnt worth the trouble, that wed simply never return to their Boston property again.  
 
Id also like to comment on the restaurants. We did not dine in the formal Dining Room upstairs, but we did enjoy a less-formal meal at the cafe on the first floor facing Newbury Street. I have no complaints about spending money on fine dining, but the food here was overpriced and uninspired. My mother summed it up as mundane at best. They had a harpist playing, which was nice, but we were unimpressed with the rest of the experience. The waitstaff, however, was attentive and more than satisfactory in their service.  
 
Despite our unfortunate experiences with the concierge, front desk, and management, we did have compliments for a few other staff members that did help to brighten our overall dismal stay. The doormen recognized us and chatted with us each day when wed return from shopping or sightseeing, and they remembered our names and details about us, which was nice. Since the hotel has the only working, manned elevator today, the elevators have attendants to run them, and one of them allowed me to work it one night, which was fun. We also spent an evening in the lounge, and this was by far the only true highlight of our experience. The pianist John was so terrific; he knew every tune you could imagine. He actually got everybody in the lounge singing together at one point, and when the waiter came for our drink order, my mom tried something new on his recommendation and was more than satisfied with the concoction he chose.  
 
Besides these few gems, though, it was terrible beyond my worst travel nightmares. It was little surprise to us when, shortly after our stay, the property was demoted from a five-diamond property. If you want a convenient location, excellent service, and fine accommodations, move about one block down to the Four Seasons.  
 
Website: www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/boston/  
 
