The Ritz-Carlton, Suzhou recently officially unveiled, as the first branch of the Ritz-Carlton brand in Suzhou, its opening has attracted widespread attention. Although the official opening time announced at the time of signing the project was the end of 2024, the high-luxury hotel that was unveiled months ahead of schedule did not fully meet the expectations of the market.

Since its opening, The Ritz-Carlton Suzhou has received some negative reviews on social platforms, especially on the Xiaohongshu platform, where comments such as "opening is the floor" and "the sky is collapsing" are not uncommon. Consumers' evaluation of hotels mainly focuses on location, design style, and food and beverage offerings.

First of all, location has become a major focus of consumer criticism. The hotel is located in Suzhou's Shilu business district, which was once one of the most prosperous CBD in Suzhou 20 years ago, but in recent years its popularity has declined due to its old business format and poor shopping experience. The Shilu business district has changed from a municipal-level business district to a regional business district, and there have been no new shopping malls for many years, making the Ritz-Carlton a bit lonely. In recent years, most of the high-luxury hotel brands in Suzhou are located on the banks of Jinji Lake, and there are not many high-end hotels in the Shilu business district, which has increased the market challenge of The Ritz-Carlton to a certain extent.

Secondly, the design style of the hotel has also become the focus of controversy. Some consumers believe that the Ritz-Carlton Suzhou has changed the luxury style of the traditional Ritz and is too "simple". The room design is more like Marriott's mid-range and mid-to-high-end hotel brands, which is not in line with The Ritz-Carlton's high-end luxury positioning. However, there are also consumers who believe that this style is a "new luxury" that is contemporary and more local, and should not be simply compared to the brand's branches in other cities. The design sense of the hotel's public space has been recognized by many people, and the interior design of Peter Remedios Studio implements the minimalist style, and the overall landing texture is better.

Catering products have also become the focus of consumers' complaints. There are few breakfast categories, and the quality is not good, such as "dry wonton", "air-dried and rock-hard xiaolongbao" and other reviews are frequent. The dining area and pick-up area are also not spacious enough, which further affects the dining experience of consumers. However, there are also consumers who think that the bakery of the hotel restaurant is good as a whole, and the beauty of the space design is online.

Despite its shortcomings, The Ritz-Carlton, Suzhou has also received positive reviews on social media. Many consumers said that the hotel service is very good, and every staff member tries their best to serve the guests well and asks for suggestions for improvement, which improves the overall stay experience to a certain extent. However, for a high-end luxury hotel, the "opening is the floor" evaluation is obviously not the norm.

In fact, in recent years, newly opened high-luxury hotels have generally faced consumer scrutiny in the early stages of opening. Alila Shanghai, Hangzhou Center Four Seasons and other high-end luxury hotels have also received negative reviews after opening. Problems such as hardware design, spatial flow fluency, and construction acceptance frequently arise, which make consumers question the newly opened luxury hotels.

Industry insiders believe that there are three main reasons for the repeated negative reviews of high-end luxury hotels in the early days of opening: first, most of the consumers who are keen to stay in the early stage of hotel opening are frequent travelers with certain experience in high-end hotel experience; Second, high-luxury hotels are opening faster and faster, and the renderings released in the preparatory stage have raised consumer expectations; Third, the opening of high-luxury hotels that are too fast and too dense may lead to a big discount on the overall landing of brand hotels.

Therefore, how to find a balance between quality and quantity has become the key to the development of luxury hotel brands in China. It is important to settle down and develop quickly, but it is necessary to work slowly and carefully in product polishing. Especially after achieving the achievement of two stores in the same city, brands need to work the purification and presentation of regional culture to meet the real needs of consumers.