The Verdict
Yes — if you want a big, polished, freshly-rebuilt Gulf-front resort and the top of the Naples rate card doesn't make you flinch. No — if you want to walk to dinner, want an intimate boutique, or are choosing it for golf. It's beach-luxury done at scale, not an Old Naples town base, and the price matches the ambition.
The Reasoning
The Ritz-Carlton, Naples is the beachfront flagship on Vanderbilt Beach, in North Naples — and calling its recent work a "renovation" undersells it. The property closed in May 2021 and came back after a full multi-year rebuild that added the 14-story Vanderbilt Tower (Club-Level rooms and a large Club Lounge, LEED Silver), redesigned all roughly 474 rooms and suites, and built new pools, cabanas, and dining. What you're paying for isn't faded grandeur trading on a name — it's a current-luxe resort that reset its own ceiling.
So the "worth it" question really splits into two. Worth the money as an experience? For a couple who wants the best beach-luxury the market offers, or a celebration group that wants the resort to be the venue — the pool scene, the dining variety, the Gulf-front balcony at sunset, all under one roof — yes. The polish is real and the Club-Level tier is built for exactly this kind of stay.
Worth it for your trip specifically? That's where it gets honest. This is a large beachfront resort on Vanderbilt Beach, which means Old Naples' walkable heart — Fifth Avenue South, Third Street South, the galleries and the evening stroll — is a drive, not a stroll. If the town at your feet is the trip you picture, a boutique like Inn on Fifth serves it better for less. And if you're here to play golf, note that the beach flagship is not the golf resort: that's its sister property, the Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, inland, with two Greg Norman courses.
Book it if: you want top-tier Gulf-front beach luxury with a Club-Level tier and a pool-and-dining scene big enough to hold a group, and you'd rather drive to town than trade down the resort. Request a Gulf-front Vanderbilt Tower room for the sunset and the lounge.
Who It's NOT For
- Value travelers. This is a peak-tier Ritz-Carlton beach resort at peak Naples rates, especially in winter high season (January–March is the priciest stretch in the priciest coastal town in Florida). If the rate gives you pause, it isn't your pick.
- Anyone who wants a walkable Old Naples base. It's a big resort on Vanderbilt Beach — you'll drive to Fifth and Third. Walk-to-dinner travelers should look at Inn on Fifth.
- Golfers choosing it for golf. The beach flagship isn't the golf campus; that's the Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón. Confirm any cross-property golf access before you book on that basis.
- Travelers who want intimate or historic. The appeal here is freshly-rebuilt modern-luxe at scale — not a small boutique, and not period character.
How we know: Naples is home, but we haven't stayed at the Ritz overnight yet — this verdict is research-based, built from the property's official information and reviews cross-checked across platforms, each fact sourced in our data. We'll upgrade it to a firsthand stay-review the day we sleep there. Rates are shown as a band and get a dated live re-check before anything you'd act on. Last verified 2026-07-31.
→ Read the full Naples guide — the right hotel for your kind of trip