A Collection of Exceptional Stories, Tips, Recipes, and Memorable Moments from the Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton
During the winter of 2009, The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia faced the ultimate challenge: planning a wedding, in four hours, during a crippling snowstorm. The drama started early on a Saturday morning. The bride and groom had planned an off-site wedding about a half hour outside of the city. Many of the guests were visiting from Australia and staying at the hotel. However, due to a major blizzard and hazardous road conditions, they were trapped in Philadelphia with no means of getting to the big event. All transportation companies were completely shut down and the wedding, two years in the making, was about to be cancelled.
At 9:00 a.m., the bride and groom asked the concierge if they could relocate their wedding to the Grand Ballroom. Within four hours, the Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia had prepared a full-blown wedding on-site. Everything from soup to dessert, personalized menus, wedding cake, flowers, special lighting, an eight-piece band and photographer were in place thanks to all who braved the storm to come to work and assist with this impromptu event. There were other heroes, too. The wedding cake vendor was in the city and attempted to deliver the cake to the hotel. When it arrived, it was cracked in three places. The hotel's pastry chef rebuilt the entire cake one hour before the reception began.
The bridal couple had a suite at the nearby hotel that evening. During the reception, the Director of Banquets and the Director of Meetings and Special Events took a picture of the happy couple and placed it in a silver Ritz-Carlton frame. They both trudged through 18 inches of snow to the couple's hotel for the evening and had the gift, along with a personalized wedding card from all the employees, placed in the guest room to surprise the couple when they arrived. This spectacular story landed on the front pages of newspapers throughout Philadelphia with headlines such as "Wedded Blizz."
We are pleased to share these true stories experienced by guest at various Ritz-Carlton properties. These stories are shared as examples of unique experiences. Each guest experience varies by circumstances, location and hotel. Certain experiences may not be available or charges may apply.