The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain

The Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain is the best hotel in Arizona! The location is secluded in the beautiful mountains that surround it. The rooms are gorgeous and have all the amenities that you would want. The spa is spectacular and has nice cabanas, spas, a pool. My wife's spa treatment was terrific and would highly recommend guests receiving treatments from the spa. The main pool is very well laid out that has a long slide that is equally enjoyable for both adults and kids. All the restaurants are fantastic. We ate at Ignite 5 nights and all the meals were quite tasty from the sushi, burgers cauliflower, and more. The Mexican restaurant has amazing tacos, quesadillas, and cocktails. The flagship restaurant Core had some very creative and delicious food! The best part of the hotel though are its people. One of our all time favorite Marriott associates is Mr. Delgado who is part of the senior management team. Mr. Delgado is personable, pro-active, and a genuine person exuding the Ritz Carlton's values in every way. He went out of his way to ensure our stay was extraordinary is every aspect. The welcome amenities in the room was one of the most thoughtful and creative welcome amenities. The pastry chef who created it is so skillful! The treats throughout the stay and upon checkout could not have been nicer and we very much appreciated them. The hotel goes above and beyond to ensure guests have a unique and special stay. I highly recommend this property to anyone going to Arizona as you will not be disappointed!

The staff are great people. The hotel is very clean. The food is excellent.

I've stayed at this property at least 5 times, but it's been around 8 years since the last time. Unfortunately it has very noticeably changed for the worse. I recall this being one of my favorite 5 star hotels, so was very excited to finally come back. While the physical property itself is solidly 5 stars, the service has significantly deteriorated. I can't point to anything being objectively bad except for the checkout process (they gave me some attitude about removing a $17 charge that was on my bill in error), but it wasn't great either. If this was a 4 star hotel, service would be middle of the road, but it really does't live up to a 5 star standard. Food is overpriced and not great quality. Breakfast buffet is in the bottom 10% of 5 star properties I've stayed at. I stay at around a dozen 5 star hotels a year, and I'm struggling to think of one with a smaller breakfast spread in last couple years. Again, it wasn't terrible, but buffet it was more along the lines of a larger 4 star resort, well below 5 star standard. I probably won't return and will instead try out another 5 star resort next time we come to AZ. It's a shame how many things have changed for the worst post COVID. I'm starting to learn that any rating less than 4.6 to 4.7 for a major resort on trip advisor means questionable service. That's my biggest take away from this trip.

Did it deliver at nearly $1000 a night…. Nah, not really. Nice place just for a grand a night my expectations are high. Clean, everyone was nice, everything worked… hair in the tub, just one but like I say at $1000 my eyes are looking for stuff. If it was $500 a night, I’d not even notice or just put it in the trash. I’ve worked in hotels 30 years. GM for 20 plus at a small place with a $500 ADR. I know how to adjust expectations to value. I also know the pain of a meh review. So I’m sorry.

This resort is fabulous, with well trained and enthusiastic staff that elevate the entire experience. We were fortunate to be upgraded using suite rewards for my lifetime platinum and current titanium status, and believe me I do not take that for granted - and am very appreciative of the Ritz accommodations in a 5th floor executive suite. The room is fabulous, with two balconies and one being very private as it is set back into a corner section. Without this, most standard balconies are side by side, with little privacy but all have wonderful views. Some highlights: - glass of champagne at reception along with very warm welcome and guided tour to our room. Every single staff member (throughout the entire visit) clearly is focused on delivering the most exceptional customer experience. - Room was amazingly maintained by Nicole and Sophie - we never saw them but they made everything fresh twice each day with turndown chocolate at night. - A welcome bottle of wine and charcuterie platter - wow - such an unexpected treat! - Super comfortable bed, and each night we enjoyed a hot bath following a (surprisingly) couple of cool days playing golf. - Unfortunately it was too cold during our four night stay to use the pools, but we did eat lunch there twice and they would be super nice to spend a warmer Spring day poolside. (Super disappointed since I brought swimwear and books to enjoy poolside, but the weather does what it wants! - restaurants and food are all very good, although overpriced (which is expected at a Ritz property). - the gym is fabulous. One morning there were some ladies asking about the yoga schedule, and the fitness instructor present said “what do you want, I’ll give you a personalized class right now.”!!! I mean - WOW! - Be sure to allow time to explore the miles and hours of hiking trails - any questions and Ranger Ron is always available to answer them! - We golfed twice, and they were two very fun and relaxing days together. Beautiful three 9 hole courses, again SUPER great staff at the course and the team in the restaurant are fabulous (shout out to Nicole and the creative concoctions from the bartender)!

Really enjoyed our time at this Ritz !! Special thanks to the lovely staff

We spent three nights at the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain. We had a king bedroom and used Marriott points to book the room. We usually stay at another Marriott property in the greater Tucson/Oro Valley area for our twice-yearly visits but wanted to try Dove Mountain. There are some really wonderful things about this property. The resort is in a beautiful location with tons of hiking trails. We enjoyed the glass of bubbly upon check in. 😊 We loved the room. Our room was quiet, huge – the size of a lot of suites – and very comfy: comfy chair, comfy updated décor, comfy pillows, comfy bed. The room temperature control was really good. The TV was good-sized and there’s a nice-sized table, fridge and Nespresso in the room. Turndown service was great. Our balcony looked down over the fire pits and seating, and we could hear flute music at dusk, a lovely touch. The outdoor areas are very tidy and well-tended. While we didn’t use the pool or golf, we noticed that the kids’ pool area with the slide looked totally awesome. We did use the gym, which was very clean with a decent lineup of equipment (Smith machine, lots of free weights, stability/BOSU balls, some aging Technogym cardio equipment but a lot of treadmills, and a group fitness room which held two free fitness classes in the mornings.) We thought the bar drinks/wine bottles were not bonkers-expensive, and the yogurt parfaits, pastries and lattes at the little to-go café were delicious. Above all, the staff were fantastic: valet service was efficient and speedy, everyone was friendly and helpful, and when we did have a couple quality issues, they were resolved immediately and thoroughly. The staff are what sets this property above many others. The resort was less than excellent for us on a few things: while the location is beautiful, we thought it a bit too removed for our taste. The shower in our room was so-so. Wifi wasn’t particularly strong. The balconies in our room's building all diagonally face other rooms, so there’s not a huge amount of privacy. There’s a mandatory $40 valet fee for cars and a $60 resort fee per day, which in the grand scheme of things for Ritz-Carlton we guess is under the “in for a penny, in for pound” guest expenditure category. Since the resort is so out of the way, you’re essentially a captive audience, and the prices and quality of food reflect this. We expect to pay a premium for food at resorts, but the quality fell very short with breakfast at CORE, our BBQ lunch at Cayton’s and a glass of wine with our (delicious) sandwich from room service. Staff corrected the quality issues to our satisfaction, but we feel that for a Ritz-Carlton they shouldn’t be having these issues in the first place. But overall a very enjoyable three-night stay for us!

At the end of our Arizona roadtrip in March 2025, my husband and I splurged for a night at the Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain resort. The view at the entry, of the outdoor mountain backdrop and pool is stunning. At the check-in counter, we were warmly greeted with a glass of champagne and shown to our room by a friendly porter. We enjoyed the grounds and hiking trails, and had dinner at Cayton's Restaurant, about a mile away, accessible by the hotel shuttle, or one of the well-maintained hiking trails. In the early morning, we took a dip in the pool and hot tub before checking out. It was a quick visit but we felt like high-rollers and were treated with the upmost kindness and respect. The service at the Ritz Carlton Dove Carlton is top-notch.

We decided to go here for a staycation and were very pleased. The hotel is great for all ages with a great golf course, several dining options, an arcade, multiple pools including hot tubs and a water slide, and guided short hikes and talks. The mountain views are great and there is an abundance of wildlife. It is definitely a lower cost per night than many other Ritz hotels, but the quality and service does not disappoint.

Our favorite hotel in the Tucson area, Holly at the front desk is wonderful, we only had positive interactions with all staff. Thankful for the special touches, surprised us with balloons, chocolates, macaroons and champagne as we were celebrating a special occasion. We took advantage of the driving range, wish we had more time for a round of golf, the course looks beautiful. Lives up to Ritz standards, we look forward to returning.