Asa friend put it, the only good thing about this Hotel is you get to Reminisce about Ye Ole Miami Beach

Avoid!!
 

Hasn't this hotel been delayed maybe...a thousand times?

Will Do^

Yuck--thanks FTers. I've just canceled my reservation and am looking at a non-Starwood brand.

Nice Experience
 

yes, this isn't the most up-to-date property, but if you go here not expecting the Delano, then you will be pleasantly surprised...We had some amazing service from the manager this past week...

So we decided to go to Miami for my father's 60th birthday. Being a Starwood Platinum member, I opted for the Sheraton, despite some of the reviews I read here. Wow, was I surprised at the amazing service. All 3 of our rooms were upgraded to Ocean Front suites. We had complimentary champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and wine delivered to all of our rooms (without even asking!) -- and a free breakfast everyday for everyone. I travel to many Starwood hotels, and this was some amazing Platinum service for both me and my family.

I must compliment Maryalice, the Manager, who went out of her way to ensure we had a great stay. She was there for everything we needed- and more.

We did have one issue you should be aware of. Instead of opting for valet parking at the hotel (which we should have done), we parked across the street at a garage that "validated." Well, upon leaving the shady garage people told me it would cost $40. I gave them a Credit Card, but then they said suddenly their credit card machine wasn't working, so I needed to go to an ATM (and of course they knew where the closest one was). I went and took out money and gave them the three $20 bills i got expecting change. Well, suddenly they told me the garage cost $59 and wouldn't give back any of my money! A clear scam by the crooks working there. They refused to refund the extra $20, but when I alerted the manager of the Sheraton, she paid us back the $60 in cash and took care of the garage herself...very impressive!

Overall, this isn't a W or a Westin. This is an avg older, affordable family hotel with outstanding service. Don't mistake this for luxury.

You know, JBauer, that it is utter blasphemy here at Flyertalk to say anything nice about this hotel. ;)

Seriously though, I'm glad that you and your family were well-taken care of during this special event. ^

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

Thanks for making me laugh and get a HUGE smile on my face reading this, William!

I am STILL laughing as I type this knowing what a raucous sense of humor you have. That is why some many of us FT'ers love you and, by extension, love SPG!!!^

I just did a recent 2 day stay at this property, it was a freebie as I had a holiday voucher to use up before the end of March so I didn't receive a stay credit. I have to say I was dreading going here after reading this thread so my expectations were pretty low.

I am happy to say that my expectations were exceeded considerably. I was upgraded to a rather nice balcony suite, albeit a small one. The room looked like it had been recently refurbished and had a LCD flatscreen. The usual Four Points free water & internet both made an appearance and worked well.

I had a small issue with a broken remote control for the TV when I checked in but as it was past midnight they said they couldn't fix it until the morning which I thought a bit odd, but I was tired so I didn't take it any further. The next morning the front desk called about 10 minutes after our wake up call and said that if we were ready they'd send maintenance up. We were and they did and we got a working remote control. Not having to call down a second time was excellent service in my view and that detail alone is something that would make me want to go back.

On the downside the valet was pretty slow to bring our car around both times as they seem to have an off-property facility. Also the rooms only had decaf (heresy!) in there and they did tell me that they had run out but offered to send up some complimentary coffee for us from the breakfast room.

So whilst our stay wasn't trouble free the service to rectify any issues was fantastic! I've stayed in Westins and Ws with less of a service ethic.

For a limited service brand I thought they did a pretty good job. I have my doubts that it should be a Cat 4 property but SoBe hotels tend to be on the pricey side.

Well my expectations were to be presented with something from the Soviet-era. Cabbage and turnip soup for breakfast followed by a dip in the freezing cold pool all whilst being verbally abused by the concierge and front desk manager.

What I did get was a nice enough suite, a good couple of nights sleep and that warm fuzzy feeling that my expectations had been exceeded. Having said that had I paid $225 a night here I might not had been so complimentary but SoBe is SoBe, and that means expensive.

Sadly I didn't take pictures of the hotel room. I will next time, if there is a next time as I hope the W will be open next time I'm in Miami.

Oh and my Plat amenity posted without prompting!

Dont laugh Cheap Elite!!
 

Don't laugh....this could happen to you.
On day trip ORD-MIA
Caught up and asked office to book me in the W
Yes the W

Turned out the late temp who did my booking screwed it up and I am staying elsewhere overnight:mad:
Such is life:o

Oh my. That would be a nasty surprise, expect to stay at the lovely shiny new W and ending up in the Cheap Elite Suite at the Four Points Miami Beach.

Do you have status with SPG? Even if you don't you should see if you can wriggle out of your 4Pts room and get in at the W.