An incredible experience in paradise
Wow. Hope you have time to read! I attended a medical conference at the Ritz Maui from January 31-February 7. Booking a medical conference at the conference rate usually means a reasonably good room, but I have a 5 year old autistic little boy with some specific needs, so I am always wary of what I book and what I need for him to travel. Having said that, we travel a LOT. Montana 6-7 times yearly, Hawaii yearly, family in Philadelphia and Atlanta yearly, at least one hunting trip yearly. So our little guy travels a lot as he is always our third wheel. Wherever we stay we need to buy an air fryer, sometimes a toaster oven, and an ice chest. His diet is very limited and specific. If it isn’t right, he won’t eat. We bring his special brand of peanut butter and honey, his specific drink mix and his specific snacks to ensure he eats during the trip. This has worked around the world as well. Luckily, we have a great friend who works with the Ritz Carlton at a signature property in California who offered to call Maui and have them reach out to us. A few days later we received an email from the Hotel manager Melissa Lee to set up a Zoom call with the head chef, their concierge, and herself with my wife to discuss our specific needs. They assured us things would be taken care of. On arriving at the hotel we were greeted by Julie, their administrative assistant of food and beverage, as well as their traditional greeter with leis for the three of us. Julie assured us that Melissa and the chef had insured we were in a room with a full refrigerator and freezer, a microwave, stovetop, and a newly bought air fryer to accommodate our 5 year old. They upgraded our room in order to do so, and when we arrived to the room the refrigerator and freezer were stocked with the specific foods Jacob would need. A welcome fruit plate only made it that much better. We had heard about the legendary customer service from Ritz Carlton but had never had the opportunity to stay there previously. Simply phenomenal. While I attended the conference, my ire and baby were welcomed throughout the hotel…the pool, beach, stores, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. People remembered our names and specifically, remembered Jacob. Melissa, the hotel manager, whom I am very sure had many more important things to do, met us for coffee one morning to chat. We bonded over Irish heritage and life’s fateful moments, making a wonderful friend in the process. Melissa was even so kind as to outfit Jake with some Ritz “swag” for the pool. Beyond these incredible experiences, the conference was amazing as well The Ritz certainly does know how to make a conference special. Wonderful Kona coffee, breakfast fruits, fresh juices and pastries for breakfast, incredible sushi and one of the best burgers ever for dinners. And on the Mai Tai scale, they are a solid 9 (the best still being Monkeypods in K’Olina with their incredible foam!). So many wonderful staff members to mention from the front desk, to the housekeepers, bartenders and servers, shop personnel, and again, their wonderful Hotel Manager Melissa. An incredible place I hope to visit again and again.