The Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood, Curio Collection by Hilton {US-FL}
Nov 18, 2019, 7:15 pm
#151
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,466
I tentatively have a weekend stay for mid-December booked while the rates are still relatively inexpensive, but I do have to say that Resort Fee is giving me pause, $35 a day is absurd. I am looking at what it provides and on the list the only thing I care about, WiFi, I am already getting as a diamond. I had two nice stays here within the year it switched over from Westin and there wasn't a resort fee and Diamonds got real breakfast so it's not a great sign.
I agree it's a total ripoff, but at least at the Diplomat/Hilton/Conrad the resort charge includes beach chairs. I stayed once at the Westin FLL Beach where the resort charge didn't include beach chairs, haven't been back since.
Apr 12, 2021, 6:15 am
#156
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,162
Talking to a local investor, it seems the main business of the hotel was accomodating conferences/events, which are currently not really happening. Due to the odd location it is difficult to reliably fill it with leisure travellers who prefer a location near FLL or S.Beach, so they rather keep it closed than run it at 30-50% occupancy.
May 22, 2021, 7:26 pm
#157
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Gulf Coast
Programs: Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond; National Car Rental Executive Elite
Posts: 2,320
lol...
This property appears to be reopening on 6/1. Their website proudly announces on the landing page “we guarantee you an ocean front view with every reservation.”
What this means, of course, is all rooms available for booking are premium rooms. (Intracoastal-facing rooms are considered “standard”.) Points reservations are not eligible for 5th night free.
Lowest-level room available for booking is 2 double beds ocean view. $416/night or 216,000 points.
This property appears to be reopening on 6/1. Their website proudly announces on the landing page “we guarantee you an ocean front view with every reservation.”
What this means, of course, is all rooms available for booking are premium rooms. (Intracoastal-facing rooms are considered “standard”.) Points reservations are not eligible for 5th night free.
Lowest-level room available for booking is 2 double beds ocean view. $416/night or 216,000 points.
Dec 29, 2021, 9:00 am
#160
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: SFO
Programs: AY Plat, LH FTL
Posts: 7,374
Yes, the TA reviews are awful, but are hopefully just re-opening / staffing up pains.
I'm looking at a visit with the family during the 2nd week of June. I'm wondering if the location is family friendly - definitely don't want a spring break or South Beach vibe.
I'm also curious to know about benefits for a Gold. If we book here, I'll likely do it through the amex hotel collection, for the $200 credit.
Thanks in advance for any insight.
I'm looking at a visit with the family during the 2nd week of June. I'm wondering if the location is family friendly - definitely don't want a spring break or South Beach vibe.
I'm also curious to know about benefits for a Gold. If we book here, I'll likely do it through the amex hotel collection, for the $200 credit.
Thanks in advance for any insight.
Dec 29, 2021, 11:18 am
#161
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Rochester, MN
Programs: UA Silver, Hilton HHonors Diamond, IHG Plat
Posts: 1,830
Look forward to your assessment. My fam is booked into the Conrad there late Feb. I'd rather have the better pool scene at the Diplomat but not at the expense of poor service or facility condition, etc.
Jan 5, 2022, 6:02 am
#162
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 51
I just completed a 3 nights stay over New Years. I had traveled down to the Diplomat on a paid rate specifically for the Orange Bowl. To my surprise, which I found out after booking, it was also the team hotel for Michigan (super cool as a UofM grad). The hotel was totally packed and I'd guess 98% of the rooms were full.
So what did this mean?
All of the beach chairs and towels were taken and reserved by about 9AM up until New Year's Day. Some guests were just laying on the sand. I am an early riser, so grabbed seats without an issue. But so many people just leave books and towels on chairs unattended for hours. They do not enforce any sort of rule around thus and thus the chairs were scarce. For the number of chairs they set up, the beach is beyond packed, but still nice(ish).
The food options are fine. Not good, not bad. The little coffee shop in the lobby was slammed every morning, but you could order ahead and I never had to wait more than 5-10 minutes. As for the beach, I ordered to go food and drinks from the Bar / Playa restaurant every day. They didn't have people taking orders on the beach. We did not do dinner at the hotel.
The rooms were nice, updated and large compared to South Beach where I usually stay. We had housekeeping come one of the days which is on request at the property. Getting clean towels or anything of the like wasn't an issue.
Here is where I stand. It's a nice 4-ish star convention hotel that also is on the beach. If you are looking for better service and a more relaxing environment, I am sure other place will suit you better but for our occasion the hotel was totally fine.
So what did this mean?
All of the beach chairs and towels were taken and reserved by about 9AM up until New Year's Day. Some guests were just laying on the sand. I am an early riser, so grabbed seats without an issue. But so many people just leave books and towels on chairs unattended for hours. They do not enforce any sort of rule around thus and thus the chairs were scarce. For the number of chairs they set up, the beach is beyond packed, but still nice(ish).
The food options are fine. Not good, not bad. The little coffee shop in the lobby was slammed every morning, but you could order ahead and I never had to wait more than 5-10 minutes. As for the beach, I ordered to go food and drinks from the Bar / Playa restaurant every day. They didn't have people taking orders on the beach. We did not do dinner at the hotel.
The rooms were nice, updated and large compared to South Beach where I usually stay. We had housekeeping come one of the days which is on request at the property. Getting clean towels or anything of the like wasn't an issue.
Here is where I stand. It's a nice 4-ish star convention hotel that also is on the beach. If you are looking for better service and a more relaxing environment, I am sure other place will suit you better but for our occasion the hotel was totally fine.
Jan 12, 2022, 2:52 am
#163
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: LHR
Programs: Ex-NWA Plat
Posts: 1,480
Not recommended
This is intended to be an in depth review of the Diplomat for a stay that was over the festive period (Christmas through New Years.)
Summary: a convention hotel on the beach. not up to the basic standards for a 4 star beach resort geared towards the leisure traveler or families.
The property
Its a 1000 room hotel split into two towers - the North and South Towers (both have same views, though the South tower will benefit from not having close proximity of voyeurs from the neighboring building that the North tower is stuck with).
The lobby has the reception/front desk and the bell desk on its right and the Prime steakhouse on its left - just in front is a bar which sadly spoils a direct view on to the ocean (the bar is also mostly closed - opening only at 5pm and closing relatively early at 11pm - strangely enough the bar on the poolside was always closed, it was only the lobby bar that was open 6 hours an evening.)
Front desk staff was robotic (managers on the other hand were attentive - more on that later). No Hilton member acknowledgement, no elite status mention, no offer of benefits till I specifically asked about it.
Approximately 36 floors. Ice machine on each floor and 6 elevators on each tower with v. little waiting till the elevator reached you (nice touch - one was always programmed to be waiting at the lobby level.)
At the lobby level, the "Canteen" sells overpriced drinks (including alcohol), the "Counter Point" coffee shop had a 20 minute or greater wait for morning coffees every single morning, the Playa on the beach was extremely understaffed (kudos to the bar staff and also the greeter who despite the staffing issue, made one feel rather welcome) and the food quality was mediocre at best (one time we waited almost an hour and left without being served, another time we took food to go on the beach after an acceptable 15 minutes.) Try the fish and chicken tacos from the menu, both were good. We never managed to get to Prime - the steakhouse was mostly fully booked - recommend advance reservations for sure.
There is currently NO place for lunch or dinner at the property (aside from the fully booked Prime) - seriously???
There is no room service. And housekeeping will also refuse to deliver silverware and plates to your room. This is uncalled for, for a property of this stature and repute.
Shockingly there was no housekeeping. Using the excuse of COVID regulations...
Our room had a decent sized balcony (definitely recommend an oceanfront view with balcony, your budget permitting). However the chairs were rusted and in general reflected the general state of disrepair of the hotel.)
Some of the furniture had outlived its life and should have been replaced a while ago. Nice touches however, were USB points scattered across the room at convenient locations.
Pillows were rather lumpy, comforters(blankets) were of poor quality - totally unacceptable. Water pressure in the shower was just about acceptable. And this should be better in a high end property.
Air conditioning was excellent!
Other mentions:
Shocked that the business center charges you by the pound to receive packages. Ordering a book from Amazon meant that I paid USD 10 to pick up the book from their desk.
The outsourced beach staff charged up to USD 300 a day to reserve a beach bed and fluctuated pricing based on demand (price dropped to USD 150 right after new year's.
Valet parking worked mostly well (they forgot to get my car twice though during my time there) but I also felt it was overpriced at almost USD 50 a night (USD 45 + tax)
Good business model, poor customer experience. It felt that the hotel was out to fleece its customers at every single turn.
And finally:
While the staff took good precautions, most of the guests are not masked. Seriously, Florida...?
Overall, this property is absolutely not recommended. One of those moments where I loathe to give even a one star review - just not deserved by the hotel.
It might be perfectly acceptable for large groups and conventions. But misses the mark entirely for families and leisure travelers.
I was told by one of the staff that they recently hosted a 1400 person wedding.
And of course UofM's entire fan base was there for the 31st December Michigan-Georgia game - a group of over 300 rooms (so we were told.)
Kudos to them to bring in this kind of business during the pandemic. But that only confirms my opinion that there is no way I would go back there. EVER.
We chose location and hotel to be away from South Beach crowds. Not only did we get stuck being there with crowds and a large (mostly unmasked) group, we also missed out on so many fine dining experiences we could have managed - had we been closer to South Beach and Miami.
Despite this mostly negative review - should you still wish to consider the hotel - ensure you ask them about what we traditionally include in expectations of 4 star beach resorts: room service, housekeeping, etc.
Perhaps they will change their scope of services in the near future... but for the moment this is certainly not the kind of Curio experience I have had across the United States.
If you are still looking for a fantastic Curio experience in South Florida, consider instead Baker's Cay Resort, a quiet chic experience just an hour south of Miami.
https://www.bakerscay.com/
Summary: a convention hotel on the beach. not up to the basic standards for a 4 star beach resort geared towards the leisure traveler or families.
The property
Its a 1000 room hotel split into two towers - the North and South Towers (both have same views, though the South tower will benefit from not having close proximity of voyeurs from the neighboring building that the North tower is stuck with).
The lobby has the reception/front desk and the bell desk on its right and the Prime steakhouse on its left - just in front is a bar which sadly spoils a direct view on to the ocean (the bar is also mostly closed - opening only at 5pm and closing relatively early at 11pm - strangely enough the bar on the poolside was always closed, it was only the lobby bar that was open 6 hours an evening.)
Front desk staff was robotic (managers on the other hand were attentive - more on that later). No Hilton member acknowledgement, no elite status mention, no offer of benefits till I specifically asked about it.
Approximately 36 floors. Ice machine on each floor and 6 elevators on each tower with v. little waiting till the elevator reached you (nice touch - one was always programmed to be waiting at the lobby level.)
At the lobby level, the "Canteen" sells overpriced drinks (including alcohol), the "Counter Point" coffee shop had a 20 minute or greater wait for morning coffees every single morning, the Playa on the beach was extremely understaffed (kudos to the bar staff and also the greeter who despite the staffing issue, made one feel rather welcome) and the food quality was mediocre at best (one time we waited almost an hour and left without being served, another time we took food to go on the beach after an acceptable 15 minutes.) Try the fish and chicken tacos from the menu, both were good. We never managed to get to Prime - the steakhouse was mostly fully booked - recommend advance reservations for sure.
There is currently NO place for lunch or dinner at the property (aside from the fully booked Prime) - seriously???
There is no room service. And housekeeping will also refuse to deliver silverware and plates to your room. This is uncalled for, for a property of this stature and repute.
Shockingly there was no housekeeping. Using the excuse of COVID regulations...
Our room had a decent sized balcony (definitely recommend an oceanfront view with balcony, your budget permitting). However the chairs were rusted and in general reflected the general state of disrepair of the hotel.)
Some of the furniture had outlived its life and should have been replaced a while ago. Nice touches however, were USB points scattered across the room at convenient locations.
Pillows were rather lumpy, comforters(blankets) were of poor quality - totally unacceptable. Water pressure in the shower was just about acceptable. And this should be better in a high end property.
Air conditioning was excellent!
Other mentions:
Shocked that the business center charges you by the pound to receive packages. Ordering a book from Amazon meant that I paid USD 10 to pick up the book from their desk.
The outsourced beach staff charged up to USD 300 a day to reserve a beach bed and fluctuated pricing based on demand (price dropped to USD 150 right after new year's.
Valet parking worked mostly well (they forgot to get my car twice though during my time there) but I also felt it was overpriced at almost USD 50 a night (USD 45 + tax)
Good business model, poor customer experience. It felt that the hotel was out to fleece its customers at every single turn.
And finally:
While the staff took good precautions, most of the guests are not masked. Seriously, Florida...?
Overall, this property is absolutely not recommended. One of those moments where I loathe to give even a one star review - just not deserved by the hotel.
It might be perfectly acceptable for large groups and conventions. But misses the mark entirely for families and leisure travelers.
I was told by one of the staff that they recently hosted a 1400 person wedding.
And of course UofM's entire fan base was there for the 31st December Michigan-Georgia game - a group of over 300 rooms (so we were told.)
Kudos to them to bring in this kind of business during the pandemic. But that only confirms my opinion that there is no way I would go back there. EVER.
We chose location and hotel to be away from South Beach crowds. Not only did we get stuck being there with crowds and a large (mostly unmasked) group, we also missed out on so many fine dining experiences we could have managed - had we been closer to South Beach and Miami.
Despite this mostly negative review - should you still wish to consider the hotel - ensure you ask them about what we traditionally include in expectations of 4 star beach resorts: room service, housekeeping, etc.
Perhaps they will change their scope of services in the near future... but for the moment this is certainly not the kind of Curio experience I have had across the United States.
If you are still looking for a fantastic Curio experience in South Florida, consider instead Baker's Cay Resort, a quiet chic experience just an hour south of Miami.
https://www.bakerscay.com/
Jan 13, 2022, 2:01 am
#164
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,162
What you describe above holds pretty much true for any hotel in the area during the NYE time. They are usually fully booked and the staffing that is sufficient during normal times is completely blocked/stretched. Providing service in those times is bloody tough. Finding additional staff in such times is also impossible.
Aug 3, 2022, 7:49 am
#165
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Midwest
Programs: UA Silver, Bonvoy Titanium, Speedy Rewards Beverage Club
Posts: 480
Any recent experience here?
I'm trying to find something beachy and family-friendly in the area between Fort Lauderdale and North Beach for a quick weekend trip with wife, mother-in-law, and kids (8, 6, & 4) before school starts back up. Any recent experience at the Diplomat Beach Resort? Last time I was here, it was a nice SPG property. I'm Hilton Diamond.
Any recent data points? Are the amenities back open? How do they treat upgrades? Are they honoring the $30/night food and beverage credit?
Any recent data points? Are the amenities back open? How do they treat upgrades? Are they honoring the $30/night food and beverage credit?