Originally Posted by Johnny Rocket

I stayed for a night at the AC Miami Brickell on a recent tour of the area.

The AC property exists in the same building as the element hotel. Both hotels share car parking, and the rooftop pool.

Having never visited Brickell before I was particularly eager to see why people rave about the area so much, and I was not disappointed.

For those that love to be immersed in the metropolis of Miami, the train perched high above the street on a midair tramway, runs right past the hotel window.

The Miami River can also be seen close by with fancy boats passing by from time to time.

From the rooftop pool area the expansion of Miami and building explosion that has been taking place in the area is plain to see - and it is mightily impressive, particularly at night when the buildings are all lit up.

It’s just a stones throw to reach nearby coffee shops, bars, restaurants and in a magnificent shopping mall in the form of the Brickell City Centre. It really is a sight to behold and one of the most impressive outdoor shopping malls I’ve seen ever.

The hotel itself has comfortable rooms with comfy beds and decent bathrooms.

Like other AC hotels, the hardwood floor that runs throughout is particularly pleasing and I also feel that it is cleaner than any kind of carpeted equivalent room these days.

The hotel was not as generous with it Titanium/Platinum benefits compared to the AC hotel in Wynwood.

Breakfast credit is only offered to two people, despite me having three people in my party. The resort fee is also not applicable towards Breakfast food so it meant I had to use my $15 food and beverage credit in the pool area the following day.

Car parking is also an extortionate $55 and there really is little way of getting around this.

I even loaded the SpotHero app but all other parking opportunities were some distance away and not that much cheaper than what was being charged by the hotel.

The pool area is particularly enjoyable with a clean and warm rooftop pool. There is some soft music being played around the perimeter and it made for an enjoyable experience to be sitting outside with the majestic skyline of Miami towering above us.

I think on a return visit I might be more tempted to stay at the Element at this location because the Element provides a free breakfast to those who are staying.

If the decor of the rooms is similar enough to that of those in the AC (you can literally walk through on each of the hotel's floors from AC to element) then I would definitely say the Element has the upper hand.

Those redeeming points will find that both properties are similarly priced.