Hilton marina, best room for ship view

[mina]

We are staying at Hilton marina. Want to do online check in 24 hours before arrival. Have a tower water view king reserved. Want to get best view of port and ships. Can anyone who has stayed there recommend a specific room number to select? We know higher up the better. Just want to make sure select room with good port view. Thank you.

[RAYJO]

We are staying at Hilton marina. Want to do online check in 24 hours before arrival. Have a tower water view king reserved. Want to get best view of port and ships. Can anyone who has stayed there recommend a specific room number to select? We know higher up the better. Just want to make sure select room with good port view. Thank you.

 

We were in Rm 1108, 11th floor, but it was 2 Dbls. Had beautiful view of port. Watched six ships leave port. Balcony; wine and cheese; beautiful day; priceless.

[BlueHerons]

We are staying at Hilton marina. Want to do online check in 24 hours before arrival. Have a tower water view king reserved. Want to get best view of port and ships. Can anyone who has stayed there recommend a specific room number to select? We know higher up the better. Just want to make sure select room with good port view. Thank you.

 

 

 

Anything facing East, southeast, or south on a higher floor will work.

 

Honestly, I'd ask the front desk person to assign you the room with the best view.

 

People forget rooms numbers and could accidently tell you one that faces a pole.

[jennmaybe]

Any room on the top floor of the tower with a port view will be excellent. We've had corner rooms there with outstanding views!

[worldspan]

The Tower rooms definitely have the best views but keep your expectations about those rooms in check. Finally stayed there for an overnight in May after driving by the hotel for years on end and the tower rooms (and bathrooms) are tiny indeed. This hotel is no better than a 3 Star.

[Hydrokitty]

The Tower rooms definitely have the best views but keep your expectations about those rooms in check. Finally stayed there for an overnight in May after driving by the hotel for years on end and the tower rooms (and bathrooms) are tiny indeed. This hotel is no better than a 3 Star.

 

If you're talking about the Hilton Marina Hotel in FLL the best room would be in another hotel! I stayed in this hotel in March, 2016 and paid $250 for a room on the ground floor with a balcony that looked out over the yachts in the marina. There were no glasses or towels in the room and the place was filled with college kids on spring break so you couldn't get near the pool. The one thing that made this hotel worth it was the restaurant. Best Asian food ever! But definitely not what I expect in a Hilton resort hotel.

[mina]

thanks for the input. Have read all the trip advisor reviews on the hotel and know that the non tower rooms are not worth the $$ and it is not a top notch Hilton. I am okay with the room being small (Marriott Renaissance had tiny rooms on our last stay). I absolutely want a great view of the port and this is the only hotel with the option of booking a room class with a view of the Port that I know of. If there are others, please let me know. The Marriott Renaissance is booked (and you have to walk to the open area hallway balcony near the stairs to see the port -- no port view from the rooms I have been in). Embassy Suites I have heard have some rooms with views -- but never got one in past stays and don't want to chance it. Thoughts? Thanks!

[Hydrokitty]

thanks for the input. Have read all the trip advisor reviews on the hotel and know that the non tower rooms are not worth the $$ and it is not a top notch Hilton. I am okay with the room being small (Marriott Renaissance had tiny rooms on our last stay). I absolutely want a great view of the port and this is the only hotel with the option of booking a room class with a view of the Port that I know of. If there are others, please let me know. The Marriott Renaissance is booked (and you have to walk to the open area hallway balcony near the stairs to see the port -- no port view from the rooms I have been in). Embassy Suites I have heard have some rooms with views -- but never got one in past stays and don't want to chance it. Thoughts? Thanks!

 

One thing that is worth doing at this hotel is eating dinner in the Nanking Restaurant. Delicious....and after flying from NY in March, it was so nice to be sitting outside. Haven't stayed in the Embassy Suites in Ft.L...but we really like them. It's a shame that it's not a better run hotel because the setting is lovely, although you really can't walk to anything. Breakfast is NOT included BTW, and there's 2 different buffets. It's in the same place as the Nanking and the food was pretty good. But do try the Nanking if you like Asian food.

[Dan-P]

thanks for the input. Have read all the trip advisor reviews on the hotel and know that the non tower rooms are not worth the $$ and it is not a top notch Hilton. I am okay with the room being small (Marriott Renaissance had tiny rooms on our last stay). I absolutely want a great view of the port and this is the only hotel with the option of booking a room class with a view of the Port that I know of. If there are others, please let me know. The Marriott Renaissance is booked (and you have to walk to the open area hallway balcony near the stairs to see the port -- no port view from the rooms I have been in). Embassy Suites I have heard have some rooms with views -- but never got one in past stays and don't want to chance it. Thoughts? Thanks!

 

The Hilton Marina and the Hyatt Pier 66 both have rooms with great views of the port. They are both on 17th street just on opposite sides of the Intracoastal Waterway.

 

We have stayed in tower rooms in both hotels with amazing views of the port.

 

In the Hilton, we were in room 1424 and it almost seemed like we could reach out and touch the Princess ship that docks right near the 17th St bridge. Link to cell phone pic from the room balcony: http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r74/turbo4door/Mobile%20Uploads/20160304_161858_zpsgmwebf9r.jpg

 

I, for the life of me, cannot remember the room number for the Hyatt. I know it was on the 9th floor. This was our port view from the balcony:

 

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r74/turbo4door/Independence%20of%20the%20Seas%202014/P2080002Small_zps5cfc2b67.jpg

 

Dan.

 

-edited to add- I'm on my cell phone now and apologize if either of those pics are too large. Didn't have the ability to resize them from my phone.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Dan-P

[CruiserBruce]

Unless you are in a suite, I am not sure how you get to pick a specific room.

 

You may request a specific side of the hotel, or in this case, a Tower Room- that is your best bet. As a long time elite with Hilton, I stand a little better chance, as a port view room in the Tower would be an upgrade the hotel would give to a elite over a non-elite who booked a standard, basic room.

 

If you are not an elite, and simply booking a room, I would be looking at a higher pried room, and bite the bullet and pay the higher price. That will best assure the view you want.

[Dan-P]

Unless you are in a suite, I am not sure how you get to pick a specific room.

 

You may request a specific side of the hotel, or in this case, a Tower Room- that is your best bet. As a long time elite with Hilton, I stand a little better chance, as a port view room in the Tower would be an upgrade the hotel would give to a elite over a non-elite who booked a standard, basic room.

 

If you are not an elite, and simply booking a room, I would be looking at a higher pried room, and bite the bullet and pay the higher price. That will best assure the view you want.

 

 

At the Hyatt, I just got lucky. You could request a port view room at check-in, but no guarantee.

 

At the Hilton, if you are a Hilton Honors member, and have the Hilton Honors app on your phone, you can do a digital check-in 24hrs before your arrival and pick your room of choice from those available in your chosen room category. A map of the hotel will come up showing available rooms. This is what we did in March at the Hilton Marina.

 

Not all Hilton properties have this option, but more and more do.

 

Dan.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Dan-P

[mina]

Thanks Bruce and Dan. We have booked a tower water view high floor room which is described as having a view of the port. We did not book the basic room. We are also Hilton elite members and plan to use digital key to check in in advance. We have no standing with Hyatt, so would not want to risk not getting the view we request. Hydro kitty, we will definitely try the Asian restaurant.

[Hydrokitty]

Unless you are in a suite, I am not sure how you get to pick a specific room.

 

You may request a specific side of the hotel, or in this case, a Tower Room- that is your best bet. As a long time elite with Hilton, I stand a little better chance, as a port view room in the Tower would be an upgrade the hotel would give to a elite over a non-elite who booked a standard, basic room.

 

If you are not an elite, and simply booking a room, I would be looking at a higher pried room, and bite the bullet and pay the higher price. That will best assure the view you want.

 

Well Bruce, that was part of the problem. I'm a long time HH diamond member too and I thought I did reserve tower rooms (2 of them) but when we checked in they didn't have two on the same floor (which we requested when we booked 6 months ahead) and since we wanted to be close we got a room that was so far from the lobby, I'm not sure I was still in Florida!! Not to mention the lack of glasses, wash cloths or hand towels. This could be a wonderful hotel, it's the management that needs work. I did send a letter to Hilton and got a very nice apology in return and it was only one night, but still not how I expect to be treated.

[CruiserBruce]

Well Bruce, that was part of the problem. I'm a long time HH diamond member too and I thought I did reserve tower rooms (2 of them) but when we checked in they didn't have two on the same floor (which we requested when we booked 6 months ahead) and since we wanted to be close we got a room that was so far from the lobby, I'm not sure I was still in Florida!! Not to mention the lack of glasses, wash cloths or hand towels. This could be a wonderful hotel, it's the management that needs work. I did send a letter to Hilton and got a very nice apology in return and it was only one night, but still not how I expect to be treated.

 

Oddly enough, a couple of hours prior to my above post, I was on the phone with the Diamond Desk, trying to make sure a reservation I had made for an additional room to ours at the FLL Embassy Suites next March is attached to our reservation, so that they can be as close as possible, and get any relative upgrades for a Diamond.

 

Last two times we were there, both times as Diamond, we got port views (one east side, one south side), both on high floors. Pretty good views. Asking for two rooms with the same sort of desires is asking a lot, but we will see what the Diamond Desk can do. Its on a busy Saturday night, before our Sunday sailing...so not an easy scenario. But we will still be on the ship together the next day...

[Hydrokitty]

Oddly enough, a couple of hours prior to my above post, I was on the phone with the Diamond Desk, trying to make sure a reservation I had made for an additional room to ours at the FLL Embassy Suites next March is attached to our reservation, so that they can be as close as possible, and get any relative upgrades for a Diamond.

 

Last two times we were there, both times as Diamond, we got port views (one east side, one south side), both on high floors. Pretty good views. Asking for two rooms with the same sort of desires is asking a lot, but we will see what the Diamond Desk can do. Its on a busy Saturday night, before our Sunday sailing...so not an easy scenario. But we will still be on the ship together the next day...

 

We were there on a Saturday night too...and keep in mind it will be filled with spring breakers.....pool might be a bit crowded :D

[BlueHerons]

We were there on a Saturday night too...and keep in mind it will be filled with spring breakers.....pool might be a bit crowded :D

 

This is a misnomer.

 

While we get some spring breakers, they are only here for a one week. Only specific schools and fraternities and sororities are here for a specific week.

 

If you are worried about them, ask the hotel if they will be present.

 

Fort Lauderdale as a spring break destination has been over for decades.