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Marriott has announced the opening of the Ritz-Carlton Langkawi in Malaysia as well as the opening of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel de la Paix in Geneva. The former is a new oceanfront luxury resort (Marriott’s first resort in Malaysia) while the second is the result of a multi-million dollar renovation of the Hotel de la Paix in Geneva.
Ritz-Carlton Langkawi
A beach hut at the Ritz-Carlton Langkawi
The property offers 70 guestrooms, 15 suites and 29 villas (like the on in the image above) and all are “framed by delicate references to Malay architecture, which can be seen in the intricately-designed features, large windows and gabled roofs“.
The highlight of the resort (for a room point of view) is the “Villa Mutiara” which offers accommodations for up to 8 people and comes with two pools (in case one isn’t enough!) and access to a private beach.
This is what Marriott has to say about the dining options:
The resort is home to four distinct dining venues, each overlooking the glistening Andaman Sea offering striking views from sunrise to sunset. From the blend of Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine in Langkawi Kitchen, to western favorites in the Beach Grill, and Chinese seafood in Hai Yan, there are options to delight the palates of all.
The Ritz-Carlton Langkawi is a Tier 2 property in the Ritz-Carlton collection meaning that a single reward night will cost 40,000 points (30,000 if you find elusive PointSaver awards).
At the time of writing award night seem plentiful and if you take advantage of Marriott’s 5th night free you can book a 5 night stay for just 160,000 Marriott Rewards Points.
Ritz-Carlton Hotel de la Paix Geneva
This 152 year old hotel has a multi-million dollar facelift and has joined the Ritz-Carlton brand in time for the fall season.
The hotel is set on the shores of Lake Geneva and offers guests views of Geneva’s famous Jet d’Eau and tallest mountain in Europe (Mont Blanc).
This is what Marriott has to say about the restoration:
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel de la Paix, Geneva has been thoughtfully renovated to seamlessly blend modern design, functionality and the hotel’s heritage. The newly restored public areas reflect a design concept created around art, time and nature, representing the hotel’s lakeside setting and the city of Geneva. In the hallways of the hotel’s atrium, guests will find an exhibition of tapestries that feature historical figures who played a role in attaining peace, from Giuseppe Garibaldi to Victor Hugo.
The property offers 74 guestrooms in total and that includes 14 suites.
This property falls into Tier 3 of the Ritz-Carlton awards table so a free night will set you back 50,000 points (40,000 if you can find PointSaver inventory).
Right now there’s quite a lot of nights available at the regular rate….
…and if you take advantage of the 5th night free option a 5-night stay will cost you 200,000 points….but I don’t imagine all that many readers will be spending 5 nights in Geneva .
Thoughts
The Geneva makeover looks as if it has been done very nicely and the location on Lake Geneva is beautiful…but its the Langkawi property that I think captures the imagination most.
The rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Langkawi look like they have been designed more like rooms at a Park Hyatt than a traditional Ritz-Carlton and that’s a very good thing. The property looks sleek, elegant and modern and without too much of the ostentatiousness that can sometimes go along with the Ritz-Carlton brand.
Starwood loyalists have been complaining that Marriott doesn’t have many aspirational hotels in its portfolio at which to spend their points…..so this may cheer them up a bit.
The Ritz-Carlton Langkawi may not be aspirational in the same way as the InterContinental Bora Bora, but at 160,000 points for 5 nights (that’s just 53,333 Starpoints), it definitely looks like a great place to burn some points.
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All images courtesy of Marriott.
