Elite Marriott Bonvoy members get special benefits like suite upgrades, free lounge access, and free breakfast. Can you use Marriott Bonvoy points to upgrade to a club level room at a Ritz-Carlton for free? Can your Elite Gold and Platinum status get you access to their executive club lounge?
Do Marriott Platinum members get free access to the Ritz-Carlton club lounge? The answer is no. If you have Marriott elite status, you are unlikely to get a free upgrade to a club level room at a Ritz-Carlton hotel. Ritz-Carlton, unlike St. Regis, does not offer Marriott elites free breakfast, and Platinum elites are not eligible for suite upgrades. Only Titanium and Ambassador elites get this privilege. These reduced elite benefits may be a reason to choose the equally luxurious St. Regis brand of hotels over a Ritz-Carlton hotel if both are available in your chosen destination.
Not all Ritz-Carlton hotels have executive club lounges. Most of the best Ritz-Carlton hotels have executive club lounges, but not all of them do.
Club Lounge Access For Free
Book a standard room at the InterContinental in New York, Paris, Sydney, or London, which partner with our luxury travel concierge and you will get a guaranteed room upgrade and free club lounge access.
Why Choose A Hotel With A Club Lounge?
When deciding which hotel to choose for your stay, it is sensible to consider the added extras provided by a hotel club lounge. Offerings usually include complimentary drinks and snacks throughout the day, breakfast in the morning, and evening cocktails with canapés. The evening food and drink offering is often more than enough to replace the need to go out for the evening.
Club or executive hotel lounges provide an interesting environment to work and relax. Some lounges also provide dedicated meeting rooms, although I find holding meetings in the main lounge more friendly. When I travel on my own for business, I’m not particularly eager to sit in restaurants on my own. Room service is also a lonely affair, so a club lounge provides the ideal environment to enjoy good food and atmosphere whilst being completely comfortable that you are sitting at a table for one.
The clubrooms themselves are often a little bigger and offer more luxurious facilities than standard rooms, with more space, plus they are often on higher floors with better views.
Finally, executive and club benefits are great for early check-in / late check-out as you can often stay in the club lounge room with all the benefits in the afternoon if you have a late flight. Conversely, you can use the club lounge and executive facilities from early in the morning if you arrive early and your room isn’t ready.
What Is A Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge Like?
The Ritz-Carlton club lounges are fairly incredible, beautiful with amazing food. They are usually the best executive club lounges in a city or a resort. Within the lounge, there are five signature food and beverage servings each day.
Typically, for breakfast, you will find scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, fruit, a cook-your-own waffle station featuring organic honey, and buttermilk waffle batter accompanied by a selection of hand-crafted toppings. The exact offering may vary according to which Ritz-Carlton hotel you are visiting. Still, all Ritz-Carlton hotel club lounges will offer hot breakfast options, unlike many standard Marriott executive club lounges.
Lunch will be something like a huge selection of gourmet sandwiches, brisket, pasta, veggies, soup, cheeses, salads, and dessert and cookies. A very nice selection of wines and champagne tends to appear at lunch, and mid-afternoon, they add a self-serve bar with Gin, Vodka, etc. Alcohol is not always free at club lounges in Marriott hotels. In fact, in North America, alcoholic drinks like beer and wine are chargeable, even if you enjoy them during the hotel lounge’s “Happy Hour”.
The evening food includes substantial hors d’oeuvres, meats, cheeses, etc. You can usually mix your own drinks in the bar area and later in the evening. They put out a huge spread of desserts. You could easily fill up in the club lounge without ever having to venture to any of the resort’s other restaurants.
Most Ritz-Carlton club lounges are open 24/7, and the concierge team is usually there and can organize your day between 7:00 am – 10:00 pm. There are actually five culinary offerings presented daily: breakfast, lunch, light snack, Hors d’Oeuvres, desserts, candies, and cordials with alcoholic beverages served throughout the day. Complimentary pressing daily for two garments per room is also offered.
Ritz-Carlton hotels tend to be fantastic and offer true five-star luxury in that destination. You cannot use points or your Elite status to access club level rooms and the associated lounge. To access the club level lounge at Ritz-Carlton hotels, you must pay for a club level room.
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