We booked this hotel for a 2-nights stay following a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale and I'm sorry to say it was the most disappointing hotel experience I have ever had. How I wish we had booked another stay in the Atlantic hotel just down the street where we stayed before the cruise. This hotel looked very nice on the Internet and we decided to book it through Get-a-Room.com. I booked a "stunning king" room which has a floor to ceiling window (well, not quite but never mind).
Our cruise arrived in Fort Lauderdale at 7:00 am and hence we arrived at this hotel at 9:30 am, well before the 4:00 pm check-in time, we do realize. No problem we were told by a very nice young man. As soon as our room category was vacated and it was cleaned we could check in. Happy to hear this we went off to have breakfast in the bistro (a very ordinary little space, food was ok) and then went out to sit by the pool. Where we sat and sat and sat. And sat. Fast forward 4 hours and we ask at the front desk if our room is ready. No it's not we are told. So we sit and wait. We ask again. No is the answer. We take a taxi to find a bookstore. When we return an hour or so later we ask again. Still not ready. We wait and finally, lo and behold, our room is apparently ready. But - it is the wrong room category, a "captivating king" which is a downgrade from what we booked and paid for. Luckily we have a printout of our confirmation letter which clearly states the room category. But we have to wait again for almost an hour to get this room. It is now 3:00 o'clock, still an hour before the official check-in, a fact that the desk clerk Mariana impresses on me. Yes, I know. I get it. But in many hotels an early check-in is possible and we were certainly told that after the 11:00 am checkout time our room would be made ready as soon as possible for us. 5 -1/2 hours is the best they could do??
I can say with certainty, from the huge numbers of people filling the lobby all trying to get their rooms, that this hotel has a problem with room turnover. Whether they don't hire enough housekeeping staff I don't know but it was utter chaos and a really unpleasant experience being there.
Now to our room. It was fine, it has the nice ocean view (hey almost every hotel along that strip, and there are dozens, have nice ocean views). Our room at the Atlantic Resort just down the street, (see my review) was much nicer, much bigger, had a kitchenette and an ocean-front balcony, all for less money.
This room was fairly small, had no bathrobes or slippers, although you could call down and request one - yeah right, who wants to do that. There is no coffee maker in the room although there are a bunch of expensive snacks you can purchase. The bathroom has a shower, no tub. My husband says the ceramic tile floor is the worst tiling job he's ever seen (OK, he's an architect he notices those things). Although there are 2 bedside tables there is only 1 lamp. Guess only one of us gets to read in bed. The room is definitely older with a whitewashed veneer to make it look cool and über modern and sleek. Truly it's nothing special.
My advice is to take your money and business somewhere else.
Room Tip: Go to another hotel
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
November 12, 2012
Dear Lillybelle, thanks for sharing your comments and apologies for not meeting your expectations. We certainly do our best to accomodate early arrivals, but when the hotel is full this is a reality that will occur from time to time. We do not like to have our guests wait, and that is why we communicate ahead of time the 4 pm check in. That being said, when we are not fully booked the night before, we do accomodate early arrivals, as witnessed by many on this site. One more thing: our rooms are less than 2 years old, so actually newer than the rooms at the Atlantic!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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