There's a new look in Ritz-Carlton lobbies across the country: casual elegance.

Particularly at the newer Ritz-Carlton resorts, the formal, somewhat stuffy style for which the brand is known is being updated with a look that is more relaxed and in keeping with the properties' settings. At the Ritz-Carlton Grand Lakes, Orlando, Fla., for example, the dress code for staff is a Tommy Bahama shirt with a collar. No tie. And the interior design, while still redolent of silk, damask, and marble, feels more relaxed than the typical urban Ritz-Carlton.

Ditto for the spectacular but similarly dressed-down Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas. Here, the Mediterranean design aesthetic is completely different.

How far is too far? According to one Ritz-Carlton spokesperson, “We're not going to lose our core customers by allowing people to come to the dining room in flip-flops and crop tops.”