We travel quite a bit. Recently we stayed two nights at the Ramada Inn in Hollywood, Florida. We are very disturbed over an incident that occurred during our stay. Although there are a few good things about this hotel, we will not be back.
When we arrived at the hotel it was late. We had just flown into Miami from out of the country. We had decided to stay two nights in Florida after our trip, before flying home to Maryland and made reservations to stay at this hotel before we left. We were tired, hungry and unfamiliar with the area. Our first impression of the area was not good. The only places we saw to eat were a Sushi Restaurant and a Cigar Bar. My husband went to check us in while I waited in the rental car. He asked the woman at the front desk if there was any place we could get something to eat. Her rude reply was, “There are a number of restaurants and bars in the area”. That certainly wasn’t helpful but my husband didn’t say anything. She could have at least told us a safe and easy way to get to the restaurant area. We parked in the parking garage, which by the way cost for hotel customers to park in, and went to find our room. We were given a handicap room which we didn’t need and hoped we weren’t taking a room from someone who may need it. We later found out that the shower was very slippery and don’t see how it could be safe for someone who is handicapped. After putting our suitcases in our room we went try to find something to eat. Outside our room was a nice patio area and there was couple sitting at a table eating. We asked if they knew where we could get something to eat and they told us to go down stairs and walk around the block. We did and found several restaurants. We ended up going into a carryout pizza place that had the biggest slices of pizza that we had seen. We got a couple slices and went back to our room. I wish I could remember the name of the place because the pizza was good.
The rooms are entered from the outside. The walls are very thin. Our room had a mild smell like mildew. The bedspread was old, looked worn, dirty and had a couple small burn like holes. The towels and wash cloths were nice and thick. There is a pretty nice breakfast area and a Tiki type bar outside by the pool on I think the 2nd floor. The building is old but has so much potential.
Our last night there we were woke up at 4:00 am by extremely loud voices and banging. We didn’t know what in the world was going on. Since there is a patio area right out our door we assumed that it was a rowdy bunch that decided to hang out there. My husband called the front desk and complained. A little while later the noise calmed but started up again. It was quite a while before it completely stopped. We couldn’t get back to sleep.
At breakfast I happen to meet a couple who had been woken by the noise also. They said when they checked into the hotel, they went to their room and were shocked to find it was already occupied.
We went to check out at 8 am and I ask one of the girls at the front desk about the incident. She said they had 7 rooms call to complain about the noise and the police had been called. About that time a woman had come up to the desk, very upset. Her room was on our floor. It was obvious that she too hadn’t had much sleep. She told my husband and me that the guys had 4 rooms on our floor. After the police left the guys in room next to her would bang on her walls and made prank calls to her room. They were harassing her thinking she had called the police. She said she has a heart condition and needs her rest. She was originally from Australia, lived in California, visiting Florida with her daughters and was very scared. She told me that her husband was a Marine serving in Afghanistan. This lady’s husband is serving our country, keeping us safe. She deserves to feel safe while he is away. The families of our service men and women deserve better. I would hope that the Ramada Inn Chain would want better for all their customers.
I can’t get that incident out of my mind. It was awful. I do not understand why these guys were not thrown out of the hotel. The hotel should give all the rooms that called to complain a credit. The management certainly needs to do something to compensate the lady who was so harassed.

The rooms were dirty and in desperate need of routine maintenance. The staff (with a couple exceptions) was not helpful or friendly and in a couple instances were downright hostile. The parking in the garage is a joke - you're better off parking on the street especially if it's a weekend. At least that is free and you have about as good a chance of finding a spot. The pool was hot - we visited in the middle of FL winter (72 high) and had to actually get out of the pool to cool down. The breakfast was standard but seemed to be handled properly. The location is perfect and if you don't plan on spending much time on property it is worth it but beware if you are looking for a resort type experience.