The Gates Hotel South Beach - a DoubleTree by Hilton {US-FL}
Sep 20, 2016, 9:48 am
The Gates Hotel South Beach - a DoubleTree by Hilton {US-FL}
Hopefully, they will keep the Starr restaurant, it becomes full service and better priced than the Hampton Inn.
I miss the Doubletree Surfcomber!
Sep 20, 2016, 5:26 pm
Sep 21, 2016, 1:37 pm
Dec 7, 2016, 4:39 pm
The Gates Hotel South Beach - A DoubleTree Hotel
2360 Collins Ave Miami Beach, Florida US 33139
Two Nights at the Gates Hotel South Beach, a DoubleTree Hotel (2 Photos)
The Gates Hotel South Beach - A DoubleTree Hotel
I chose the Gates South Beach purely on price- other rooms in the area were going for $200+ and I wanted to stay in South Beach on the cheap. Thus, we booked on a Hilton sale at this former Aloft property for about $150 a night with all taxes and resort fees included.
Check In
Check-in was very quick- I inquired about upgrades (I'm a Hilton Diamond member) but was told that we had the best room with two beds. Fair enough. We were given our standardly delicious DoubleTree cookies, and were on our way to the 8th Floor.
Room
The room itself is funny- I could definitely tell it was an Aloft room at one time. We were given a nice corner room with a view over Collins Avenue. Colors were much different than an Aloft room, though- nearly everything was white, and tastefully done.
The door to the bathroom is one of the sliding variety, and didn't work very well. I feel as if Aloft rooms aren't great for sharing with friends- not terrible if sharing with a loved one, though.
Service
Service was very nice for a low-service property. Everyone always greeted us warmly, gave us some extra cookies if we wanted, and were there to help. No complaints from me.
Dining
Diamond breakfast is a continental breakfast in, appropriately, the Continental Diner attached to the hotel. This restaurant is clearly retro, but tastefully redone. However, due to our late nights on South Beach, and early departure to Cuba in the AM, we never had a chance to try out breakfast here. A full breakfast was available for an upcharge, which I found annoying.
I'd consider going downtown for dining in Miami- the views are amazing from the new City Centre.
Location
Location is caddy-corner to the W Hotel on the canal side of Collins. It's close enough to the beach for me, but if you're looking for an "on-beach" property, look elsewhere. Umbrellas and chairs were available as part of the resort fee, but we never chose to use that amenity, opting instead to walk down the beach ourselves.
Pool
There's a very nice pool area for a DoubleTree (or Aloft, even), as this isn't a very old hotel. It's on the water, but not the water you think of in Miami- it's on the canal.
Overall
Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again, especially if other resorts in the area continue to charge ridiculous amounts of money for the pleasure of staying with them. Resort fees are astronomical here, and $25 is still extortion at The Gates, though I will say it's lower than many other resorts located nearby. A combination of Cheap-For-South-Beach and decent enough location make this a worthwhile place to spend a vacation. While not in the "thick" of South Beach, it's a quick Uber ride or long-ish walk away.
Nov 18, 2018, 9:17 am
I stayed in one of the pool terrace rooms. View was quite pleasant. Overall, I did like this property to an extent. It definitely has a chill but party vibe. I would suggest it's not the most kid-friendly even with the available games and pool toys. The rooms are reasonably quiet but not likely to be the most business-inviting of spaces.
Several fixtures in my bathroom were in need of repair. The toilet roll holder on the wall was basically swinging. The fixture around the shower was also quite loose. The deadbolt on my door to the hallway was also broken - but the chain worked. The deadbolt to the terrace worked just fine. It is possible to squeeze through the greenery separating each terrace. And I was able to smell the recreational MJ habits of my neighbour...
The front desk staff was kind given I've been having some issues with my HH account. Actually, it was a bit of a nightmare week for me overall and the desk staff were pretty great given my hot mess state of affairs. They kept offering me cookies, too...
I did use the shuttle service to the beach. Chairs and towels are included with the resort fee. The use of umbrellas is $15. Soft drinks are $5 from the stand. I did not inquire about the cabanas. If you want to use the shuttle service, it's on demand. The beach chairs and towels are contracted out by another service. Also included in the resort fee is the use of their bicycles available in the lobby. However there is a 2 hour time limit for their use. I think this is per day (meant to ask, but forgot).
The included breakfast is indeed limited to continental - and I've had much worse continental styles. The Greek yogurt is extremely thick, the fruit was fresh, pastries didn't look that great (hold out for a proper bakery). Coffee was good. I didn't spring for the $6 up-charge for eggs/bacon/et cetera. No omelette station - no dice.
Housekeeping was somewhat demanding. Despite leaving up the Miami-esque YAAAS/NOOO! sign (their cleverly branded Do Not Disturb sign with neon pink accents), they did repeatedly knock to ask if I wanted housekeeping and when I wanted them to come by. I did notice that if I was out in the morning, I got better housekeeping services. If I waited until afternoon, the service was not so great. I actually came back one day to several of my things just thrown across the room - but oddly enough my pyjamas folded neatly under a table. And a leftover a cleaning rag. They did restock the water bottles daily. But everything was always cleaned at least. Nary a stray hair in sight.
The lobby bar is minimal. And they were out of two kinds of wine from a very small wine-by-the-glass selection one night. The bartender was quite nice though. There is a small pool table in the lobby along with the work desktops. It's a very social atmosphere so I have no clue how anyone is accomplishing work here.
Oh, and Uber/Lyft are pretty good at getting here - even for drivers unfamiliar with the location.