Need thoughts on these Miami hotels

I’m back with more hotel questions, sorry for the bother.

We’re sailing from MIA in June and we’re doing research on hotels. We’re a group of 6, 30something adults who go on Friendcation every 2 years. I suggested several hotels after researching and for whatever reason my friends vetoed them. So, I went off in search of more hotel options.

I’ve got some points with an airline that I’m looking to use since they vetoed 99.9% of the Marriott options and wouldn’t give me an answer on the other ones. I’m almost to the point where I just make the reservations and tell them to deal with it.

Aside from that drama, I’ve currently got a list of 6 hotels that I have enough points for and I’m looking for any insight or thoughts & opinions that the lovely people of CC might have on them. I’ve never been to Miami (except for my very first cruise when I was 12 & we were rebels and flew in the morning of the cruise...even as a 12 year old, that triggered my anxiety) so, I have no idea what I’m looking for as far as areas are concerned other than I want to be close to the port if possible.

Lovely, intelligent, and experience Cruise Critic family please help me! Pros and cons are helpful too.

Here are the options.

Hampton Inn Brickell

Marriott Biscayne Bay

Conrad Miami

ME Miami

W Miami

JW Miami (not the Marquis, that’s one of the ones they wouldn’t answer me on)

I sincerely appreciate all the help y’all have given me in the past and I have no doubt y’all will help me out on this hotel debacle too.

We have stayed at the Hampton Inn very nice location not far from the port

free breakfast buffet/pool & restaurants close by

Do not think you can go wrong with any of them

I would just book the one that you want & tell the others that is where you will be if they choose to book a room there

You will never please everyone ;)

JMO

We have stayed at the Hampton Inn very nice location not far from the port

free breakfast buffet/pool & restaurants close by

Do not think you can go wrong with any of them

 

I would just book the one that you want & tell the others that is where you will be if they choose to book a room there

You will never please everyone ;)

 

JMO

So very true. I’ve already done that on our upcoming cruise, might as well do it on this one too.

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Hampton Inn Brickell - It's not a full service hotel but I think it provides a lot of value for the price and includes a nice breakfast and is close to shopping and restaurants.

Marriott Biscayne Bay - Hotel is nice but I personally do not like the location. I would not want to walk around out night and just prefer hotels more downtown like the other ones on your list.

Conrad Miami - Nice Hotel but it's been around for along time compared to some that you have listed. I do love its location as you are very close to Brickell Centre, Mary Brickell Village and between the two you have lots of restaurants and stores in close proximity. Bay is with a minute walk. They have a restaurant that we have gone to for dinner a few times over the years and we get discount coupons on restaurant.com

ME Miami - Can't give you input.

W Miami - It's the old Viceroy. From what I read they have a long way to go to get it up to the standards of the W. I would not stay there.

JW Miami (not the Marquis, that’s one of the ones they wouldn’t answer me on). A nice hotel very close to the Conrad Hilton. I like the location a lot and again you are very near shopping and dining and the bay and there is even a CVS open x24.

Lots of good choices.

Keith

We just booked the Hyatt Regency for our pre-cruise hotel in December. It looks to be fairly close to port and we stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando during Irma, and were very happy with hotel and service.

Yes, Hyatt Regency is near the port.

Keith

Hampton Inn Brickell: A very popular hotel for cruisers. Great location. Not a full service hotel but nice enough. I know most people really enjoy their stay here.

Marriott Biscayne Bay: The worst location in your list. Still not a bad location though. Some rooms offer nice views. Its on what I would call the outskirts of Downtown.

Conrad Miami: A bit south in Brickell but still a very nice location. Don't know too much about the hotel though. All I know its in a good spot.

ME Miami: This is the first time I have seen this hotel listed. A nice location in a luxury condo building. I see no negatives from this hotel based on location alone. A little bit out outside the "core" of downtown but its a quick walk to free Metromover ride away.

W Miami: As others have said it used to be the Viceroy. What I have read it still needs a lot of updating. The complex was built during the 2005-2007 housing bubble and while its a luxuary complex it almost went bankrupt and had some bad constrcution. I beleive the main pool area is still closed for major renovations due to the poor construction. It is a great pool area though. I think the roof top pool? Is still open. I would check if a pool is imporant. Fantastic locaiton though. The best out of the group of hotels listed.

JW Miami: Good location, close to the Conrad. Not as nice or new as the JW Marquis of course.

If you are only staying one-night your list is great. I would also look at the Intercontinetal Miami as well. If you are staying more than one-night I would highly suggest looking at places in Miami Beach.

Let us know if you need any other tips, like things to do and food reccomendations.

Thanks guys, I'm leaning towards the Hampton Inn Brickell or the ME Miami. ME seems to be relatively new but also very hip and chic. I'm going to do some more research and I'll let y'all know if I find anything out about it and what we decide.

Good luck with this.

As long as you are looking at new hotels take a look at East Hotel. It's at Brickell Centre and also relatively new.

Keith

We stayed at Hampton inn Blue Lagoon - great place. Publix across Street and great Cuban restaurant too!

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Hampton Inn Brickell - It's not a full service hotel but I think it provides a lot of value for the price and includes a nice breakfast and is close to shopping and restaurants.

Marriott Biscayne Bay - Hotel is nice but I personally do not like the location. I would not want to walk around out night and just prefer hotels more downtown like the other ones on your list.

Conrad Miami - Nice Hotel but it's been around for along time compared to some that you have listed. I do love its location as you are very close to Brickell Centre, Mary Brickell Village and between the two you have lots of restaurants and stores in close proximity. Bay is with a minute walk. They have a restaurant that we have gone to for dinner a few times over the years and we get discount coupons on restaurant.com

 

 

ME Miami - Can't give you input.

W Miami - It's the old Viceroy. From what I read they have a long way to go to get it up to the standards of the W. I would not stay there.

JW Miami (not the Marquis, that’s one of the ones they wouldn’t answer me on). A nice hotel very close to the Conrad Hilton. I like the location a lot and again you are very near shopping and dining and the bay and there is even a CVS open x24.

Lots of good choices.

Keith

This is perfect advice. And as Keith said, also look into the East Hotel and the SLS in Brickell.

The W still needs some work and the main pool deck is still closed. Hurricane Irma cause an even further delay in the opening of the pool. I would also pass on this hotel.

I've narrowed it down to Conrad and Hampton Inn Brickell.

I've narrowed it down to Conrad and Hampton Inn Brickell.

Putting price aside, now you just need to decide do you want a full service hotel or not.

Just my suggestion and I've done this before. If undecided I book two locations and then revisit it another time. I also check rates and if they go down I get the lower pricing and if they go up I'm protected.

Keith

Putting price aside, now you just need to decide do you want a full service hotel or not.

 

 

Just my suggestion and I've done this before. If undecided I book two locations and then revisit it another time. I also check rates and if they go down I get the lower pricing and if they go up I'm protected.

 

Keith

I'm using points so the rates don't bother me, there's not much difference in the point rates. I'm going to discuss with the rest of the crew and see what they think. If they don't answer, I'll decide for us and tell them this is where we'll be. Thank y'all so much. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Hampton Inn includes breakfast if that is important

DH likes to eat when he gets up & not have to out looking for a restaurant

YMMV

We stayed at Marriott Biscayne Bay. We took a cab to South Beach area, asked the driver where we should have dinner and walked around there and down to the beach. Here is the view from our room.

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Well if the rates don’t bother you, go to the Epic. Lol Phenomenal hotel, big rooms and bathrooms, one of the best restaurants in Miami on property, about 5 minutes to the port and if any of you like wine, there is a free nightly wine hour in the lobby. I LOVED it but have been priced out.

I'm using points so the rates don't bother me, there's not much difference in the point rates. I'm going to discuss with the rest of the crew and see what they think. If they don't answer, I'll decide for us and tell them this is where we'll be. Thank y'all so much. Your help is greatly appreciated!

If it's the same, I would personally choose the Conrad. The Hampton Inn is great but it's a Hampton Inn and not a full service hotel while the Conrad is. There is a great bar with an outdoor terrace at the Conrad. Both are here in Brickell and both will be within walking distance to great bars and restaurants.

Any thoughts or experiences with the Fortune House Hotel in Brickell? I can actually get a 2 br suite there. It looks decent. I’m wondering since it has a living room with a couch if we couldn’t figure out a way for 6 of us to sleep in that 2 bedroom suite. Thoughts?

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I agree with Carolyn's advice on Conrad.

I am not familiar with the Fortune House. I would visit Trip Advisor where there are a bunch of reviews you can look at.

Keith

Thanks for all of your help! After much discussion we decided to go with a 2 bedroom suite at Fortune House Hotel. The hotel confirmed that we could sleep 6 with the couch in the living room and they offer a rollaway bed as well. We figure we will be there for about 18 hours, we can make it work.

I know a lot of people have been asking questions about this hotel so I’ll be sure to come back and do a review after our trip.

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Thanks for all of your help! After much discussion we decided to go with a 2 bedroom suite at Fortune House Hotel. The hotel confirmed that we could sleep 6 with the couch in the living room and they offer a rollaway bed as well. We figure we will be there for about 18 hours, we can make it work.

 

I know a lot of people have been asking questions about this hotel so I’ll be sure to come back and do a review after our trip.

 

 

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How much of a deposit are they charging you?

It’s a condo/hotel, not a standard hotel and they do charge a security deposit of $100 to $500 upon check in. You may have to wait to get the deposit returned Each unit is owned and they do monthly rentals so some may be a bit different looking than some of the pictures you see.

How much of a deposit are they charging you?

 

It’s a condo/hotel, not a standard hotel and they do charge a security deposit of $100 to $500 upon check in. You may have to wait to get the deposit returned Each unit is owned and they do monthly rentals so some may be a bit different looking than some of the pictures you see.

I booked with points and did not have to do a deposit. I called the hotel itself to confirm this. I understand it’s more condo than standard hotel & it works for us because we’ve got a group of 6 adults.

I booked with points and did not have to do a deposit. I called the hotel itself to confirm this. I understand it’s more condo than standard hotel & it works for us because we’ve got a group of 6 adults.

I would ask them to send that in writing. Points or not, it's always been my understanding that they have to charge a deposit each time some one checks in. Perhaps they have changed this policy. Did they already charge you the service fee as well?

This is directly from their page.

During special events (e.g., Artbasel, New Year's Eve, Boat Show, Ultra Music Festival, Tennis Tournament) and National Holidays (e.g.: Memorial Weekend): The refundable security deposit amount may vary up to USD 500 at check-in. Contact the property in advance to confirm the security deposit amount.The deposit must be paid with a Visa, MasterCard, or American Express credit card. Debit cards cannot be accepted. A security deposit of USD 100 is required upon arrival for incidental charges. This deposit is fully refundable upon check-out and subject to a damage inspection of the accommodation.The name on the card must match the name on the booking. Otherwise, guests cannot be checked in.

I would ask them to send that in writing. Points or not, it's always been my understanding that they have to charge a deposit each time some one checks in. Perhaps they have changed this policy. Did they already charge you the service fee as well?

 

This is directly from their page.

 

During special events (e.g., Artbasel, New Year's Eve, Boat Show, Ultra Music Festival, Tennis Tournament) and National Holidays (e.g.: Memorial Weekend): The refundable security deposit amount may vary up to USD 500 at check-in. Contact the property in advance to confirm the security deposit amount.The deposit must be paid with a Visa, MasterCard, or American Express credit card. Debit cards cannot be accepted. A security deposit of USD 100 is required upon arrival for incidental charges. This deposit is fully refundable upon check-out and subject to a damage inspection of the accommodation.The name on the card must match the name on the booking. Otherwise, guests cannot be checked in.

Just confirmed, you are correct. They will not actually take the money out of my account, they will simply place a $100 hold on my card until checkout. Once we checkout, the hold will be released.

Thank you for bringing that to my attention. As someone who travels overseas for work this is something I’m familiar with so it doesn’t bother me.