The Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Harbin

The Ritz-Carlton is essentially the go-to choice for hotels in Harbin. Not that it's perfect, but frankly, hotel options in Harbin are quite limited. The Shangri-La feels too old and dated, and I wasn't keen on staying across the Songhua River, as the Songbei area seems to lack the quintessential urban charm of Harbin. So, the Ritz-Carlton it was. To be honest, while both the Ritz and Shangri-La are situated by the Songhua River, the Ritz's surroundings genuinely lack proper dining options. The area felt quite desolate and lonely. The only truly comforting and enjoyable aspect of staying here was the vibrant cityscape bustling with traffic and illuminated by countless lights when viewed from a high floor at night. Gazing at the night view and chatting, a sense of contentment naturally arises. That's why I gave this hotel a full score. Of course, I do have a few minor points of feedback, hoping the hotel can make some improvements. This is just my personal opinion and may not represent other guests. 1. The toothbrush bristles were excessively hard, to the point of being able to pierce one's gums. 2. Toothbrushes should ideally be color-coded. When two people stay, having identical toothbrushes makes it very inconvenient to distinguish them. Providing 'his and hers' sets with different colors is standard practice for hotels, yet the Ritz-Carlton surprisingly missed this basic detail. 3. The cotton swab sticks were too flimsy. When trying to clean my ears after a shower to remove water, the stick bent with just a light touch. Even the cheapest cotton swabs shouldn't use such a fragile material. 4. The shampoo was extremely unpleasant to use. This is subjective and not a major issue. 5. A crucial area for improvement is the service. The front desk staff seemed to lack a genuine customer-centric mindset or perhaps management has not empowered them sufficiently. Despite their smiling faces, they often delivered rather insensitive remarks. Moreover, breakfast staff frequently cleared plates at extremely inappropriate times, completely disregarding whether guests were still eating or in the middle of a conversation. 6. Non-guests were roaming freely, playing music loudly on their phones, and children were opening paid snacks from the mini-fridge and eating them endlessly, all without any staff intervention. Meanwhile, actual hotel guests did not receive the attentive and comprehensive service they deserved. 7. For the breakfast wontons, perhaps use a little less filling. Even the staff cooking them felt the current filling was difficult to cook through. With so many guests waiting, it's naturally hard to cook wontons that contain something like a meatball inside. Additionally, the chef really needs to improve the wonton filling, making it juicier and more tender. A tough, dense filling is neither easy to cook nor pleasant to eat. If the chef prepares a tender, flavorful filling, and the wonton-wrapping staff use just a bit less, the wontons would be both easy to cook and delicious.