SKYEG

Hello,

May I get some recommendations for which hotel would be most enjoyable for a quick 1 night/24hr stay? I fly in around 10pm and fly out 8pm the next day, during the week. Main goals are to chill by the pool, eat good food eat the hotel/nearby restaurant and relax. Solid free breakfast would be a plus. Here are the options:

Conrad Hilton
Hilton Miami Downtown
Hilton Cabana South Beach
The Gabriel Miami
Bentley Beach Club

Bentley costs a bit more than the rest of them, which are all around the same for the base rate. It would be nice to be at the beach so the Cabana/Bentley sounds better for location but is it worth staying at Conrad/Hilton Miami/Gabriel instead and just Uber over to the beach to check it out? I'll probably uber rather than rent to avoid having to park.

Thanks for all your help

miadeals

Some of those are not in Miami Beach so I would avoid them, I wouldn't stay downtown for example. The best location of the group would be the Bentley in South Beach as it is right near multiple restaurants (literally across the street from Prime 112 and a couple blocks from all the restaurants on 1st) that are well regarded by many people and is "south of fifth" which is one of the better areas of Miami Beach. If you don't care about being near an actual beach, I don't know about the pools at any of those other ones. The Hilton Cabana is actually in North Beach but you could walk to some restaurants on Collins Ave, but nothing held in high regard. I have not stayed at any of those, as I staycation at other places (Marriott and IHG hotels, or independent like Faena.) Ubers can be absolutely insane down here (what used to be $10 can now be $40) so I would avoid that, plus traffic back into south beach across the bridges...not fun sometimes. All the most common stuff to do on vacation is in Miami Beach (lincoln road, espanola, ocean dr, beaches, etc) especially if you're short for time. I would not recommend a rental car here on vacation (street parking is $4/hr, public garages can be full, private garages can charge unlimited amounts.)

bonoman

I highly recommend the Bentley too. As a Diamond, I had 2 bottles of wine and snacks waiting in my room (award nights) and was upgraded to a nice suite.

ringingup

I've narrowed my options down to Gale and Bentley for 5 nights in Dec/Jan after Christmas as a couple.

The Gale. Pros: it looks cooler, probably less family oriented, it’s in the heart of the action. Cons: not beach side, no real bar/hangout scene as far as I can tell, tiny rooms with no storage space.

The Bentley. Pros: right on the beach, larger rooms, still in south beach but in the slightly quieter area, probably better for hanging out by the pool. Cons: rooms look dated, probably busier and more family oriented, less contemporary.

Gabriel looks nice too but not available to book at the moment.

Any thoughts and recommendations?

aztimm

I'm looking at a Fri-Sat-Sun night stay in Miami in mid-April. Right now prices seem a bit high (to me at least).
Properties near the beaches (Miami Beach down to South Beach) are $325 on up (the Bentley is $777). Near downtown, Hilton properties are closer to $265-325 (the Tru W Brickell is $264, seems to be the lowest without going near the airport).

I'm doing an event on Virginia Key on a Sunday, so I'd prefer to be somewhat near that, and I likely won't rent a car and I'll rely on local transportation and/or rideshare.

Comparable Airbnb properties in the area are considerably less; some near the Bentley for $150-200/night (even with their fees, the all-in prices are far less). Many of those come with additional features (kitchen, laundry, etc.) and space that simply isn't available in a hotel room.

Does anyone know the Hilton properties in this area? Is this a high-demand time? If the Hilton properties aren't likely to go down, I'll probably go another route..

indufan

That is close to the going rates. I know it's just anecdotal but the demand seems insatiable despite talks of a poor economy.

Super Mario

I just stayed at the Bentley on a free night certificate. It was an enjoyable stay. I think the rate was $700 without it. It is not worth that.

ProjectSunburst

March and April is Spring Break season for South Florida, the Keys and Panama City.

aztimm

A friend who teaches in the area told me that my travel is after they have Spring Break this year.

In looking at Marriott, IHG, and Hyatt properties, they all appear to be anywhere from $50 to $100 less per night (when comparing similar properties). Evidently Hilton is able to get a premium, but they won't get it from me.

ProjectSunburst

Different colleges throughout the country stagger their Spring Break throughout March and April.

arlflyer

So, following this thread and I actually got curious. I always had it in my head that Spring Break for any institution would always conclude by Easter Sunday (Apr 9 this year) at the latest. But what does the data say? One search and I found this.

From that data, I'd say that if you go after Easter Sunday, the bulk of Spring Breakers will have headed home. Though if you go the week after, you'll still have to contend with the likes of Rose-Hulman and Yeshiva - I bet they get pretty wild.

rrgg

Has anyone tried the Gale and Gabriel South Beach who can compare them (not Gabriel downtown)? I read complaints about both having very small rooms, even if upgraded. Gabriel seems to have more complaints about the overall quality though. Unclear about food options, but saw positive comments about Gale rooftop pool area.

SK AAR

Any recent experience with the Hampton Inn & Suites Brickell-Downtown? Nice area and easy to get/to from airport with public transport?
I'm only in town for 1 night, night week. I'm not looking for beach or pool. No status with HH but points to burn.

No experience with Miami as I'm not from the US, but to be honest I'm shocked (and put off) by the rates at Miami properties. $374+ /nt for a Hampton Inn?? - you got to be kidding! (I consider using 70,000 points).

PeterBruce

I had multiple stays at both these properties in the past two weeks, which met and exceeded brand standards. On weekends, full occupancy, particularly with cruise passengers [to/from ships]. Both had shuttles every 30 minutes, pool, breakfasts. In both cases, staying every 2nd night at alternate hotels [helped with the stays count], I was able to see consistency in the people and product. A one-off visit can always be enjoyable as the first impressions and activity occurs over a short time frame. I saw this over a 2 week period, and the same high standard was displayed daily, with each person keen to offer their best for the guest in both hotels. The rooms in both hotels were immaculately maintained - I stayed in 14 different rooms, and all were to the same high standard. [no surprises!!].

The Hampton Inn has a great front desk team, each welcoming and keen to assist with guest stays. Monica in the breakfast area kept it clean and stocked continually. The room attendants in the hallways or elevators, always acknowledged me, said hello, and smiled in their passing, even with English as a second language. Hampton Inn King beds have a shower; twin queens have a bathtub.

The Embassy Suites is under refurbishment, bringing this brand member to a modern and crisp appearance with freshness overlaying the former room appearances. The new carpet, drapery, paint, paper, beds and electrical fittings all bring a modern tone to the guest suite. In the bathrooms, single use small containers have been replaced by larger refillable bottles, great plastic saver.

The upper floors 8-10 are completed; Level 7 is well underway and 6 is at the commencement of the work. One elevator is dedicated to the contractors [7am-6pm] for their use in moving items to/from refurbishment floors. The new floors can be easily noted by their white paintwork, rather than the traditional yellow scheme.
HAMPTON INN

Hampton Inn exterior

Hampton Inn breakfast area


Hampton Inn King bed

EMBASSY SUITES

Embassy Suites exterior

Embassy Suites floors - white for refurbishment, progress downward

Embassy Suites breakfast and evening drinks area

Embassy Suites bedroom

Each room has a towel art item. I moved these two from the bed to the front of the television. Sums up my stay!

SK AAR

So for stays totaling 2 weeks you probably have burned almost USD 3k?

I'm shocked by how expensive Miami properties are, even aorund/near the airport.