I really, really wanted to like this place. It's a great location if you're visiting Ft. Lauderdale, close to the beach, next door to a mall and the water taxi stops right there.

What happened with our stay? Frankly I'm not sure. We arrived around 11:30am after debarking a cruise ship on Christmas Eve and were told that while there was room at the inn our room wouldn't be ready until closer to 2:30pm. So off we went with our 3-year-old to the beach, had lunch and came back at 2:15 to be reminded checkin wasn't until 3pm. We're patient and rules are rules so we waited until 3pm to check-in. Now keep in mind the hotel appeared more than half empty based on the number of cars in the parking lot.

Bottom line is room wasn't ready until 3:45 with no explanation other than "the room wasn't ready." Staff were quite polite but just surprising that a reservation made many months ago can't be honored for a 3pm checkin. They did comp our parking which was a nice gesture but when you're traveling with a sandy, wet, tired 3-year-old after a few hours at the beach everyone is a little frazzled. I suspect that because it was Chrismas Eve/Christmas they were extremely short-staffed and didn't have enough people there to get the rooms ready. Oh... and next morning there was a knock on the door at 9:30 from the maid to see if we were ready to leave. So you can see why I felt they were in no rush to have us checkin and in a great rush to have us check out!

Okay... so why was this hotel a little weird? I think, and this is sheer speculation, that there's a massive changeover coming to high-priced condos. This hotel has a great location but there was a condo sales office set up in the lobby and there's evidence of construction in the higher floors. I think because the place is in transition the fact that it's a hotel is being forgotten. I don't you can get a room on a higher floor because of the fact it's being turned into condos, but again this is sheer speculation on my part, and not fact.

Now... as for the facilities. My wife hated it, said the carpet was soiled and the place looked old. I actually liked the hotel property and was eager to write a glowing review.

Our room had a great view. I took the advice of an earlier reviewer and stayed away from the street/bridge. It did seem loud.

But the room itself was extremely spacious, comfortable and the bathroom was huge. I'd never stayed at a Doubletree before and loved the little kitchen that came with the room, almost like a mini-apartment. And there is a great area to lounge around in by the intra-coastal waterway. Perfect place for a drink, a meal or just watching the boats with my son.

Would I stay here again? Yeah, but not with my wife! She was kind of ticked about everything. I liked it and might give them a second chance. Comping the $11/night parking was a decent gesture for the delay in getting our room ready. But this hotel definitely seemed past its prime and ready for an update. Not sure when it was built but the rooms and fixtures were looking a little tired although the hotel itself is a fine property. Oh and free internet access is available on the second floor.

I won't discourage you from staying and I hope that your checkin experience goes a lot smoother than mine did!