The Ritz Carlton and other nice details in life

Recently I stayed at a Ritz Carlton and a Courtyard Marriott. I've been at many Ritz Carltons before, and while luxurious, they are by no means the perfect hotel chain. Mostly, I enjoyed this experience at the Marina del Rey site. However, the little details that make it great, are also the ones that taint it as well.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of both Marriott owned facilities (Note--I'm really picky about bathrooms and use it as a big qualifier for liking a room. And I love baths. So if you prefer a great shower, your opinion might vary.)

Courtyard (Culver City)
Cost: $169/night
Room Size: Enough to walk around without tripping.
Room Amenities: Modern design, clean, average quality, firm comfortable bed, nice size desk with plenty of outlets, no ipod dock alarm clock.
Bathroom: Nice use of granite and travertine stone. Small but functional. Adequate shampoo/conditioner/shower gel provided of good quality. Unusable bathtub typical of Marriotts of all price ranges - so shallow that even a under 5'2 female cannot cover body in water. Exposed pipes under the sink, also typical, and gross, visible from bath and toilet.
Check-in/out: Quick and easy.
Bellhop assistance: Non existant. There's a desk, but no person around when we were there. There was a cart that can be used.
Overall staff presence: Pleasant but sparse.
Parking: $16 for valet, $10 for self which is close to main entrance.
Food: Not-included breakfast, continental style, average quality.
Internet: Wifi is free and works well.
Other: Free coffee in the mornings. Safe did not work. Must pay for water that is in machine down the hall. Nothing in room.

Overall: Good value for the money.

Ritz Carlton (Marina Del Rey)

Cost: $259/night

Room Size: Enough to walk around without tripping. Plus small seating area, roomy desk area.

Room Amenities: Typical Ritz Carlton, designed for your grandfather with dark wood galore, yellow and gold highlights. Firm bed with soft topper makes a great night sleep, plush sheets and comforter. Desk is nice size, but not enough spots for plugs, for computer and cell phone charging. No plug in the safe. Drop moldings near ceiling leave straight shadow, which is a nice touch and reveals good quality build. Lots of storage space. Ipod charger alarm clock in room was useful. Especially since there were not sufficient plugs at the desk.

Bathroom: Lots of marble. Not too small, but not very big. Good smelling shampoo/conditioner/shower gel but the containers were difficult to extract the liquid--wonder what it would be like for someone with arthritis? Useable bathtub, but not a large soaker that I've experienced at other Ritz Carltons. Not a special experience, but at least functional. Shower is not separate, only one showerhead. Nothing special. Nice cabinetry that hides pipes under the sink. Robes are nice, absorbant, and plush--albeit very heavy.

Check-in/out: Quick and easy.

Bellhop assistance: They gather your things and magically bring them to your room. Friendly. Helpful. Always trying to offer directions.

Overall staff presence: Pleasant and plentiful. Gift shop attendant was very helpful and sent items to our room.

Parking: $35/day for valet! No self-park associated with hotel. Front desk lied to us about self-park availability. Bellhop told us about public parking next to hotel that is not in/out parking, but only $6/24hours.

Food: Worst breakfast buffet I've every seen at a Ritz. Great quality off-the-menu items, with fabulous banana praline french toast. Good quality buffet, but some days there was only a small selection of prepared items, no made to order tables. Nice view of the marina from the restaurant.

Internet: Wifi costs $10/day, slow, and clunky sign-on. Annoying and disappointing. Left a bad taste in my mouth.

Other: Free watermelon water in the mornings that is fabulous. No free morning coffee that I could see. Excellent fitness center with state-of-the-art machines. Too bad they were not facing the water view. Love the hand towels placed on each machine. Nice pool, jacuzzi, location on the water, tennis courts and basketball court. Hotel design was drab exteriorly--too much beige. Free newspaper, bottled water in room.

Overall: While the $90 difference in price would suggest the Ritz is a great value, the little extras that cost more do add up and frankly, I'd rather have them rolled into the price. The nickel-and-diming that occurs at a luxury chain like the Ritz is stupid. However, if you plan on using the pool and other amenities, that does make it worth it. I love the great service that a Ritz Carlton provides, but here the service was amazing and sometimes disappointing. The luxury features were less evident, and frankly, I think the Ritz could modernize their design throughout the whole brand. I've also stayed at locations that were vastly superior in room size, and bathroom design for similar prices.