To the OP: Welcome to FT! I am sorry for the experience you had at the hotel and am sure it was not "fun" in any way. As others have mentioned, if you call *wood Corporate they will open a file and the hotel must respond to it within a certain number of days. Additionally, as an FYI - 10K points does equal one free night at various *wood properties.

Breakfast or little lounge for plat.?
 

Hi,

i hope now is all arranged with "your accident".

Maybe you or other FT can say anything about the amenties for plat. guest?
free breakfast, lounge..?

We look for 3-6 nights in 2007/11

Thanks
Ramle

Seriously Ramie, you can get better service and be more comfortable on a park bench than here. I can't believe the nasty attitude and lack of response/follow up from management....AND IM FROM NY!!!

This is one time I wouldn't be loyal to *wood.

If Ramie needs to be in South Beach, then this might be a time to go non-starwood, but up the beach less than 20 miles is the total opposite: Westin Diplomat. Excellent reviews, great recognition of Plats and they take the SPG program very seriously.

Oh oh, reading this thread and the 4P master thread - it looks like South Beach is another location I can't stick with SPG? :( I'm already staying outside SPG for Singapore and Tokyo.... I feel so guilty giving money to competitors...:o [not to mention the loss of points and stay credits :p]

Pity the W isn't opening in time for my visit...

call me crasy -> i booked 3 nights from 18-21.11.2007 (double room for 130 USD inkl. TAX!)
(my girlfriend read some good reviews and the travelagent -MeiersWeltreisen- also said it is a good hotel)

i give you report when i'm back at home.

Ramle

I just spent the last 2 nights at the Le Merridien Sunny Isles. Same price as the 4Pts but new, clean, nice upgrade (with FULL kitchen) and a friendly staff. I'd rather drive the 20 min to get to Sobe or not stay with *wood on this one.

I really hope we're wrong and you have a great stay.

i completely agree, though the drive is rarely 20 minutes (unless you are doing the drive at 2:30 AM).

I have to be in Miami Beach for 2 nights in early December for a job interview (Mt. Sinai Med Ctr.). With all of these horrible reviews, I'm a little unsure about booking this property. I would love to stay at the Diplomat, but it's a little of the way (esp. considering I will not have a car) and the rate is double the Four Points for my dates. Anyone have any suggestions for an alternate?

i'm not crasy and i 'm back from FP Miami Beach
 

Hi,

here is my feedback for the Four Points Miami Beach:

When we arrived the reception told us, that the SPG# is not in the reservation and so they have no suite with beach view (only booked 2 double, prepaid by a third party in Europe). Thats right, because my TA make a mistake!

The reception ask us if we like a deluxe double with beach view or a suite with half beach view and half "wall view".^ My girl like to see the rooms and so i ask if we can check the rooms. No problem. So we check at first the deluxe double beach view room on the 7 floor (my girl liked the view....) and then the suite on floor 10.

So my girl like the great view from the deluxe double, the (nicer) suite has no chance. We check t in. 5 min later we take our car to the first trip in Miami Beach.:)

In the evening we park the car nearly 450m from the hotel (same street) on a big beach parking-area (free parking from 18:00 - 08:00, other time 1 USD per hour, max. 8 hours; CC pay possible). :D

At 20:30 the room service "knock knock": a present from the management "good bottle of red wine". Thanks^

Breakfast in the restaurant was good (13USD+TAX?), Dinner in the restaurant was great. pool ok (we never used). Little business center (pay) and one PC with internet and printer for free in the lobby.

For European people the walking distance to the art district is good (25min), bus need 8min. You can walk on a "special wood-way on the beach".^

Together: We had a good stay for 3 nights in FP ( for only 97 Euro per night; all TAX include!:)

But i like the west "gulf" side from Florida much more.

Ramle

If you have special question, please ask.
(Sheraton Suites in Key West was little better and more expensive)

I should have listened!
 

With all respect to Ramble this is not only the WORST Starwood hotel I have stayed in, it is the worst hotel I stayed in for last 15 years, since I once as a student ended up in a very cheap and horrible hotel in Paris.

I know 4P can be good (Kuwait for example), so it is purely this property that put Starwood to shame. I am not a fuzzy person, happily stay at a non-luxury / functional hotel that is CLEAN.

I know I should have listened to advise on this site and now fully concur that one should NEVER stay at 4P MIA. I drove past the Meridien and much better, even with the short drive.

4P MIA – where do I start? Elevator is very dirty, my floor selection button in the elevator was broken (careful not to cut your finger), food rests on the floor, etc. Room? So old you cannot clean it anymore, everything SMELLED old, disgusting carpet, window frames, walls. Bath broken, shower smelled like sewage. Windows dirty, etc. And this was in an "Executive Suite" with Sea View. Horrible. Only positive was the Valet parking team, not always quick but working hard and doing all they can.

Only reason I stayed is that my wife did not want the hassle of changing. I checked if any floor had been renovated for maybe a better room, but the answer was that only the lobby was renovated, with no hint at possibility of rooms ever being renovated.

At check-out I got asked how the stay was. I friendly explained the rooms are horrible, old, smelly, terrible. The front desk answer was "yes that is true".

I will write formal complaint if I can be bothered, but will from now on only be loyal when it makes sense, 4P MIA is a place to avoid at all cost.

Nightmare Stay at the Four Points Miami Beach
 

I just recently completed a nightmare of a stay at the FP Miami Beach. I booked a two night stay. First night on points and the second night in cash. As a courtesy I called the hotel in advance to inform them that I would be arriving late and that I will still be requiring a room as I was expecting flight delays out of BOS.

I ended up checking into the hotel at 1am and was upgraded to a Executive Suite because of my status. Was issued 4 different key cards for my room and was still unable to gain entry to my room. Hotel staff ended up letting me into my room around 1:30am using a master brass house key as the master key card did not work. Upon entry I was overwhelmed with a very musty and humid stench. The hotel staff stated that they were going to have a key sent up right away so that I could go out and enjoy the night(didn't plan on going out). The picture on TV in the living area was unwatchable due to static. The remote in the bedroom didn't work. I gave up waiting for the key around 3AM and went to bed. The shower had mold growing in it. Didn't get my brass house key until 9am the next morning when I went to complain to management. I was offered free breakfast while I waited on a manager to get in the office. Ended up speaking with a manager and was informed that my points would be refunded and that I would have additional points added to my SPG account after threatening to check out. I decided to give the hotel another chance as I finally had a key and the day was still early (9:30am). I get up to my room only to find out that my newly aquired key did not work and required another trip down to the front desk. Ended up having to wait on maintenance to address the issue and did not get a working key until 10:45am.

Needless to say I feel as if I was punished for being SPG Gold, because I wouldn't have been in the position to get upgraded to a problematic room if I had no status. I still feel as if I got the short end of the stick in this situation and wanted to know if I should continue to pursue additional compensation or just drop it as I have already been fairly compensated. Please let me know your thoughts regarding how you would handle this as I have never experienced anything remotely close to this during any of my stays at *wood properties.

Compensation to Date:
Free Breakfast
10,000 SPG Points Refunded
5,000 SPG Bonus Points for my troubles.