Originally Posted by
NWAsilvELITE
Flagship property. Very sorry to see it go. Awesome lounge, always great upgrades and the one of the two best concierge I have ever met (Santiago).
I also have a vacation already booked for this hotel in January, don't know exactly what to do now. Too much swank for me at the W.
May have to check out the Keys.
Honestly, this is a huge loss for Starwood in Miami, and they were already a weak player in the keys.
By comparison, Hilton has the Casa Marina (a fantastic property), and SPG has either the Sheraton (very poorly located, and not a very 'classy' build), and the Westin (which is OK, but certainly not in the same league as the Casa Marina).
Yeah, they do have Sunset Key and ST Regis Bal Harbor at the extreme high end -- but in the $200-400 range, they now have some huge gaps.
I haven't stayed at the Westin Diplomat in a number of years, since I now live very close by -- but I used to go to that property every year, which is what introduced me to the area in the first place. It was always a great experience, v good SPG Platinum treatment/upgrades, v good beach, Beautiful building, etc etc...