IC Miami (downtown)
Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked cheapest standard and upgraded to IC suite with club access.
How are the rooms?
Separate bedroom and living room with large entryway and 1.5 baths. Generally nice and comfortable, but for having recently been renovated it didn't "wow" me.
Minibar was decent. The bottle of white in the refrigerator was open and mostly empty. Everything consumed was replaced the next day.
Housekeeping came one day at 5PM, which was inconvenient.
How is the exec. lounge?
OK. Breakfast was basic but did the trick; happy hour hot food was not that great.
What was good and what was bad?
Good stay overall. The gym was a good size and had plenty of equipment. The pool area was nice.
When the plug for the iron blew up a new iron was furnished within five minutes; management called shortly thereafter to follow up.
Both bathrooms had doors to connect them to adjoining rooms. They don't provide any sound insulation - you can hear someone brushing their teeth in the next bathroom. And they really did nothing for the partying and singing/shouting that started next door at 3AM, but closing the bathroom and bedroom doors solved that problem. The doors also don't seal very well, you can see light under them and when the guy next door was smoking at 5AM my bathroom smelled like an ashtray. (Reported shortly thereafter at checkout; the agent said they would investigate and charge the guest; it's a non-smoking hotel.)
The hotel has a strange lightshow on the building that you can see from very far away - a woman doing a skanky dance. Not sure how that comports with the IC brand or clientele. Wasn't just us - a cab driver asked what was going on too.
The hotel is well located for downtown things and right on the free Metromover train; cabs to South Beach are about $17 (traffic depending), but be aware that some drivers will try to longhaul you by taking 95, which takes you well out of the way, adding extra time and another $10 to your ride. Tell drivers to take Biscayne. Had one do it before I knew any better; the second driver who tried it was pretty contrite as soon as I caught him and told him to take Biscayne. The hotel should warn guests.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes