One of the highlights in the Colonnade is the excellent breakfast buffet, which compares favorably with Hyatt Diamond ones in my experience. Sadly, there is rumor they may shut the breakfast operation and return to outsourcing with they have done before to very poor results. I hope tyey don't do that, but if they do the Hyatt is only a block away.

The staff are invariably very helpful and greet guests by name when they return, and remember preferences too. That is 5-star service.

The rooms are mostly what one would expect. The two floor executive suites have a bizarre corkscrew staircase, and have no bath on the lower level. If I am upgraded to one of those I request a downgrade to the very nice deluxe rooms.

The single huge frustration is the porter/garage ripoff. The garage is separate from the hotel so one not only has prices more than twice as high as other locations within a block, but the porter who unloads your bags cannot take them to your room, and the one who takes them from your room cannot put them in your car. They are all nice, but if you have bags you will feel ripped off. This should be addressed, but it has been the same way for years.

Reception is on a mezzanine floor above the ground floor, up a narrow escalator. It should be on the ground floor with access to rooms directly from the ground floor.

Otherwise this is a delightful place to be. There is a new sparking wine bar open in teh lobby every afternoon, with cheese and crackers also. It is always good.

The hotel has a planned renovation coming soon so now is the time for us to beg then to fix those nagging problems we've had for years. Please join me begging them to keep the breakfast, ditch the two porter scam and parking scam, and make other good changes.

Rumor has it the new restaurant to replace the defunct Normans 180 and the forgettable predecessors will be Sushi Samba. I wish them good luck, but I cannot even imagine how bad a breakfast from them would be. While it probably won't be worse than Normans 180 was, it certainly will be a big step down.

I have stayed here through all the changes because of the consistent good service. I will defect if they drop breakfast and fail to fix the porter/garage situation.

The rooms are what you expect from a Westin -- comfortable, attractive and clean. The pool area is fantastic, the neighborhood is lovely, but it was the service that set this hotel apart for our family. They were friendly from the start and remained helpful and understanding even after our daughter became sick in the middle of the night and we needed new bedding. The same gentleman that helped us with such consideration then, was still there in the very early morning offering us snacks and juice for the kids as we left for our flight home. Sometimes small gestures make a big difference. Plenty of hospitality here!

This hotel is very pretty, and the rooms are clean. We had an accessible room (we did not request one), which provided plenty of room for our family of four, but it was not entirely practical (no tub, no closet). The furniture was a bit worn here and there, but overall, the room was lovely. The staff is very friendly, but the concierge did not always have the most relevant info. Twice, he had to look up information on the computer regarding local restaurants--aren't that many, so you would think he'd know something first-hand. I could have used my computer as well; I wanted his "expert" advice. Also, you should definitely rent a car if you want to get anywhere--the staff knew little about public transport, and taxis were not reliable when we were out somewhere. Despite having called the hotel to ask them to send a cab three times, we were left waiting at the University of Miami for over an hour and a half. We could have walked back to the hotel in that time, but no one at the hotel suggested that as an option. Essentially, this hotel is lovely, with a very beautiful pool area, in a fancy neighborhood with dress shops and restaurants, but not much else. Would recommend for a wedding or a night away for local residents. However, be aware that if you are staying there when there are weddings, it will be VERY noisy at night. We were near the elevator and the noise at night was constant. I must mention that the restaurant staff was wonderful!

We got a deal on priceline for $100. We took a cab from airport for $18 and went without a car. If you enjoy shopping and nightclubs, its a good spot to stay. The neighborhood outside Miracle Mile was quiet and safe, we enjoyed walking around. We got a free upgrade to a two-level suite which was really cool and we very much enjoyed. The pool and whirlpool were not heated, probably because it is hot most of the year. No freebies, but a nice room for a night.