HOTEL REVIEW: Ritz Carlton Mexico City

After a pleasant-enough 11 hour trip over the ocean from London to Mexico City which I reviewed yesterday [Click here], I was eager to hop into my 25 minute Uber to get to my hotel smack bang in the centre of the city. 

 
Other than the chance to freshen up and get my city trip started after a long-haul flight, I was also
looking forward to seeing the hotel, as it looked epic on paper, and especially to enjoying the views.
And boy oh boy are there some views! These views are absolutely stunning – both day and night –
and give you a real feel for the sprawling colour of the city, as much as for the wider valley where
this particular urban jungle nestles. 

 
The Ritz Carlton Mexico City – not to be confused with the Ritz Residences (more on this later) – is
atop a massive and beautiful tower, directly overlooking (and only a few minutes walk away from)
one of Mexico City’s largest parks – Chapultepec – that boasts two museums, an amusement park,
stalls, a castle, a lake, and a bunch more. 

 
The hotel is of course part of Marriott, and is a stone’s throw away from sister hotel the St Regis (up
a neighbouring tower), as well as high-end competitor The Four Seasons. While the wow factor hits
when you get upstairs, the arrival isn’t quite so tantalising.  

 
Specifically, when you arrive you need to navigate to a first floor mini concierge and welcome desk,
which in turn sends you to the formal reception on the 38th floor. The welcome there was very
welcome, but the space was underwhelming, due to being tucked away next to the lifts, in a
windowless part of the building core. (For the road warriors out there, I did get a Gold status verbal
welcome, but no room upgrade – which in my experience at Ritz hotels is not uncommon). 

 
Regardless, as noted above the real kicker is the view from the bar and restaurant, and of course
from the rooms. I chose a park view room, with a terrace, which was a steal as a redemption at 70k
per night, as opposed to the cash rate shown of around $700-800 per night. (As if that wasn’t eye-
watering enough, the Ritz Residences, which are located in the same building and accessed much in
the same way – merely higher up the tower I think – are more like $2k-3k per night, but who knows
what wonders and indulgence and cloud-like service and views you get for that spending power..!) 

 
Anyway, on to the room. I am not sure I looked at the room itself very much, initially at least, as
really the eyes are drawn to the floor-to-ceiling views of the city and the mountains in the distance,
which truly do make this a special place to stay. However when I did gather my jaw off the floor, I
did appreciate the room very much, which while fairly small, included a curved and comfortable
sofa, good amenities, electric curtains and a lovely bathroom. 

The free-standing tub, high-end Axor fittings, and the full-size Philosykos toiletries (which according
to a semi-polite notice cost $45 a piece if they ‘fall into your luggage’) met the 5-star expectation,
and so did the terrace set-up, with its table, pair of chairs, and small sofa. 

The terrace was separated from the wind and the (occasional) rain by a high glass partition, with a small gap at the
top that kept it feeling like an outdoor space. 

As for the wider hotel set-up, the restaurant and bar (Samos – which was lively in the evenings with
a typically affluent and sparkly crowd) were both also on the 38th floor, so enjoyed the same majestic
views in a space that curved the outside of the building on two of its flanks. 

 
Breakfast in particular was a fantastic experience the two mornings I sampled it, with serious flavour
in both local and international options, generous portions, beautiful presentation, and warm and
attentive service to boot. (The assorted homemade pastries option was worth it for the colour and
shape of the croissant alone!) 

One other element of the Ritz Mexico City to call out is that it had a very small but perfectly formed
spa. The highlight of this was an indoor pool, though the size and set-up meant it was more of a
floating/relaxation pool than anything else. It was accompanied by pleasant seating options and a
relaxing view out of the (12th floor) windows. 

 
Alongside fairly standard massage options and well-appointed and well-supplied changing rooms,
there was also a steam room. Sadly on one of my visits, it was not operating properly, with barely any
heat, but that seemed to be a blip.

Generally speaking, this was a wonderful sanctuary, only
punctuated by the occasional venture outside to be a semi-enthusiastic tourist, to see sights such as
the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon pyramids, the colourful canal boats and
waterways of Xochimilco, and the old city. (Quick side note; I did my research before going and knew
where I wanted to go, and when to use Ubers – which are fairly plentiful and cheap – so did not feel
unsafe at any time. That said the usual rules apply, and in particular I did not do any adventurous
walking after dusk in the slightest). 

 
My final comment is that the concierge team (the little satellite outfit, stuck down on the lowly 3rd
floor as mentioned earlier!) were really helpful, kind and thoughtful. They fixed a mis-booked
dinner reservation helped with a bunch of tourist advice and were a friendly face every time you
returned to the hotel. And a similar shout out to one of their always-on hotel taxi drivers, who
provided a wonderful ride thanks to his charisma, and who turned out to be an ex-architect, and
with a little encouragement pointed out some wonderful buildings and local history in a meandering
drive through the centre of the town. 

 
This hotel is about the view. But it owns the other small touches too. Simply put, if you go there,
make sure you enjoy the view from up top as much as you do while pounding those pavements…