The Ricardo Marriott® Dfw Westlake

“Stunning Renovation… Now If Only the Service Matched”

I travel extensively within the Marriott system as a Titanium Elite member, and I have to say, this is probably the most beautiful full-service Marriott interior I’ve seen anywhere. The hotel clearly just came out of a very expensive renovation, and it shows. The design is absolutely gorgeous. The… more

I travel extensively within the Marriott system as a Titanium Elite member, and I have to say, this is probably the most beautiful full-service Marriott interior I’ve seen anywhere. The hotel clearly just came out of a very expensive renovation, and it shows. The design is absolutely gorgeous. The color palette is subtle, elegant, and different from what you typically see in the Marriott brand. Honestly, the place looks so stylish and bougie that it almost feels like it belongs in the Autograph Collection instead of a standard Marriott. I found myself looking around the lobby and public spaces thinking, “Wow… they really spent some money here.” Unfortunately, the service experience didn’t quite live up to the beautiful surroundings at all! The concierge lounge was messy and not very well stocked, which was surprising given how polished the rest of the hotel looks. Even more puzzling, the signage outside the lounge lists incorrect operating hours. I mentioned it to the staff and was told the hotel is aware of it… But apparently no one has gotten around to fixing the sign yet. The message to the guest is "It's just not important". At check-in, the front desk agent was friendly enough, but there was no recognition of my Titanium status. Ironically, they did thank me for my loyalty at checkout, so someone eventually remembered. I also confirmed a late checkout at check-in, and the agent said it was no problem. Unfortunately, it was never entered into the system. As a result, housekeeping knocked on my door in the middle of a work Zoom call. I had headphones on and almost didn’t hear them. I had to interrupt the call, excuse myself, and answer the door. Not exactly the seamless work environment you hope for when staying at a business full-service hotel. The bathroom is another example of style over execution. Visually, it’s beautiful. Very sleek, upscale, almost spa-like. But the body wash bottle was missing. The holder was there… just empty. It looked a bit awkward, as if someone had forgotten the final step before opening the room. They also only provided one bar of soap at the sink. Which means when I realized this while already in the shower, I had to step out, soaking wet, to grab it from the sink. Not the end of the world, but also not something you expect at a full-service hotel. I also stopped by the lobby restaurant, which is absolutely stunning from a design standpoint. The space is gorgeous and clearly part of the hotel’s big renovation. However, the service experience once again didn’t match the aesthetics. I sat down at a table and waited over 15 minutes without anyone acknowledging me. Staff members were present and walking around, but no one approached. Later, I learned that I had sat down at 3:45 PM, while the restaurant technically opens at 4 PM. Fair enough. But when a guest sits down, and the team clearly sees them, someone could easily walk over and say, “We open in about 15 minutes.” That would have taken all of ten seconds and avoided the awkward wait. Instead, I sat there wondering if I had somehow become invisible. Small moment, but again it left me with the feeling that the guest experience was not top of mind. Which is unfortunate, because the restaurant itself is one of the most beautiful spaces in the hotel. That’s really the theme of this stay. This is an absolutely gorgeous property that clearly had a lot of money poured into its redesign. But the service and operational details just aren’t keeping up with the level of the physical product. It's a shame as I wanted to love this place sooo bad. Personally, I would rather stay in a hotel that maybe isn’t quite as Instagram-worthy, but where the service makes me feel cared for and valued. Unfortunately, that’s not the feeling I left with here. The bones of a great hotel are definitely here. Now it just needs the service to match the beauty. It's so nice that I'll stay here again next time. Hopefully, by then, they will have their act together.

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