We made the booking for breakfast over one month in advance and recevievd a confirmation email which informed us of their rules regarding dress code, cancellations, service charge, etc. We accepted all of these terms and conditions and understood the “penalties” for any failure on our part to abide by those terms. We did not feel these rules to be unfair: to enjoy breakfast at The Ritz we had to agree to deliver on our part of the bargain. It is, in effect, a contract. When I booked Breakfast at The Ritz I knew what I was looking forward to. Indeed it was very clearly articulated on their website: "A sparkling atmosphereAs the sun pours from the dining room’s grand windows, delight in grandeur with our refined Two Michelin Star dining experience in one of Mayfair’s most elegant Two Michelin-starred restaurants." "With sparkling chandeliers, towering marble columns, and soaring floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the calm oasis of Green Park, the elegant Ritz Restaurant is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful dining rooms in the world." … and this is what I expected to be delivered. But it wasn’t. Because of the extensive building work currently being undertaken at The Ritz, there were no “floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the calm oasis of Green Park” and so the room lacked that promised “sparkling atmosphere” that we had expected to enjoy “as the sun pours from the dining room’s grand windows”. I fully understand that the renovations they are currently undertaking mean that the windows overlooking Green Park are now obscured with dull plastic sheets – but that fact was never mentioned to me at any stage from the date of my booking (4 weeks earlier). Instead, their website continued (and continues) to promote the room as though it is operating normally. As I mentioned above, it is in effect a contract: we delivered our side and I had expected The Ritz to deliver on their side of the bargain but, even though they knew in advance that you could not do so, they never informed me. But I was charged full price. No explanations, no apologies. When we arrived (on time and appropriately dressed – as per the conditions laid down) the dining room was almost empty. We were shown to our assigned table. This table was on the front row of tables nearest the entrance to the restaurant (and furthest from the windows). The seating on our table (and, I noted, as with most other tables) was arranged so that almost every guest including us had their backs to the (now obscured) windows. In our case, we also had our backs to every other guest in the room. So, instead of being able to enjoy “one of the most beautiful dining rooms in the world”, we faced an empty space, a serving trolley, a pillar and the waiters serving area for the entire meal with every other guest sitting behind us. Had we simply walked in off the street without a reservation then I would understand that we may have had no option but to accept a table positioned with a restricted view and with our backs to the room and to all other guests. But we had booked over four weeks in advance. This was unfortunate; or just careless. It really made the experience somewhat more disappointing than it needed to be.I raised all of these issues in writing with the management within a few days of my visit. Despite several messages and reassurances that they had taken my comments on board, The Ritz refuses to offer any (even partial) refund and continues to advertise its restaurant as though it is functioning normally. In fact the breakfast room had all the charm of a gold-gilded air hangar. I was misled and feel somewhat ripped-off by all of this.
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The best 5 star hotel experience in Piccadilly with stunning rooms and suites, afternoon tea, Michelin-starred dining and private dining at The Ritz.
