The Remodeled Ritz Carlton Cleveland
It isn’t every day when us Moms & Dads have the opportunity to slip away for even one night and experience luxury accommodations, fine dining and all of the fun amenities so close to home. So when The Ritz Carlton dropped me a note to come and experience their newly renovated hotel we could not pass up the night away.
Mr. C and I met downtown after work to a very warm welcome from the valet, the hostess, and the front desk staff. Their warm and genuine hospitality seemed like we were their old friends who we hadn’t seen one another in years. The newly remodeled lobby has more of an open concept design than the previous, more compartmentalized floorplan, giving it a more cool and fresh vibe. When you exit the elevators to the lobby you are immediately immersed into a very special atmosphere including a hopping lobby bar, their new fine dining restaurant called TURN, the concierge/check-in area and last but not least many little chic conversation seating areas. I especially love how the new bar is surrounded on three sides with plenty of space to meet friends and enjoy their creative craft cocktail menu selections; we will come back to that later!
Our room was on the club floor which included access to the club lounge. The longe is seriously the perfect place to hang out without actually have to go out. I can envision staying on this floor in the future for the perfect girls night away or perhaps for an overnight during the upcoming film festival. Their lounge was stocked with really great snacks and drinks and in the morning we even were able to have breakfast before we headed home. The staff was so pleasant and took the time to tell us all about their local offerings including beef jerky from the West Side Market, fresh local cheeses, chocolates and other local maker treats. They taught me how to use the help-yourself wine dispenser (dangerous, HA!) and how I could sample a few varietals or enjoy a full glass depending on the button I selected; it was super cool. The new club lounge is filled with some vibrant pieces of contemporary artwork and overstuffed; but with great lines, new upholstered pieces made specifically for relaxing.
After a glass of wine and some snacks, we went back to our room to get ready for dinner at Turn. The newly remodeled rooms feature marble-laden bathrooms including a no-fog mirror in the shower (perfect for shaving!) and some killer travel bath supplies by Asprey. I love the new bedding and furniture and applaud whatever designer chose the nightstands complete with charging stations built into the sides, next to the beds. I also loved their small directional reading lights tucked into the headboards for when you feel like doing a bit of night reading… when you can’t sleep. Speaking of sleeping..we haven’t slept so well in almost 3 years and I attest it to the fluffy Beautyrest For the Ritz Carlton Mattress which Mr. C stripped away the sheets to find the brand of the mattress for when it’s time for us to get a new one …it was that good.
We got dressed and headed downstairs where Monic and Jim walked us through the actual new TURN menu. We started dinner with fresh, micro green salads…I swear I’ve been craving more and am considering stopping down for lunch next time I am downtown to enjoy this salad. For dinner, I had the scallops paired with fresh Ohio City Pasta ravioli and Mr. C had the glazed short ribs, both really great dishes. We also had the brussels sprouts to share and I would highly recommend them if you love them as much as we do. Instead of dessert, we enjoyed their signature “Smoking Man Manhattan” which is infused with cedar-chips smoked tableside. and topped with some Luxardo cherries…a bit of sweet and a touch of smoky…SO GOOD!
As we were wrapping up our dinner experience the lobby was transforming before our eyes featuring a younger, more stylish crowd to groove the night away with the live DJ who was in the house. We hung out with some friends for a final nightcap and then headed up to our room to sneak in a bit of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” from the comfort of our bed.
All in all, I would highly recommend the newly remodeled Ritz Carlton as the perfect Cleveland staycation away from your daily routine. I think they did a wonderful job at the renovations and while I am a bit of an old lady at heart, I appreciate all of the updates and improvements…especially all of the new contemporary art hung throughout the hotel. Thank you to the Ritz for inviting us to experience all of the awesome changes you have undergone. You really did a wonderful job and didn’t miss a detail. We can’t wait to return and enjoy that club lounge a bit longer next time!
SPONSORED POST : Thank you to The Ritz Carlton Cleveland for inviting me to explore their remodeled hotel and share my experience as part of their social outreach. Thanks for supporting this business, while allowing me to create special content like this for iheartcleveland!