We got a very good price on rooms here, so were a bit surprised to see all the Ferraris and Porche's out front. A delux hotel by any standard. My only complaint is noise: Miami is just not a quiet city, and the music everywhere gets tiresome.

Stayed at the Epic this month for a few nights while on a business trip. I'd like to give this hotel 3.5 stars, so keep that in mind:

First, the hotel is really beautiful and feels upscale. The 16th floor pool deck is gorgeous, and the lobby is quite nice. The decor is a bit more muted than you'll find at other Kimptons, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you have business in downtown Miami the location can't be beat, and if you have a car, you can get to local restaurants and attractions in short order.

A couple issues with this stay, the first being inconsistent service. The staff member who checked me in was very nice, as were the valet and in-room dining staff. Others weren't quite so friendly. I had a maintenance issue with my room the first night and had to switch rooms, and I was surprised that no one from the front desk called to apologize or check to see if my new room was satisfactory. My room switch also caused me to lose a beautiful water view, which was replaced by a view of the city and a very loud drawbridge. Not a major problem, but a little disappointing.

That brings me to my second issue...the noise. Road and bridge noise were definite issues largely out of the hotel's control, but the 16th floor restaurant played loud music until about midnight during a few nights of my stay. Normally it wouldn't bother me too much, but considering I was there for business and had early morning appointments, I wished for a bit more tranquil atmosphere. (Not very Miami, I know!)

I think what this all comes down to is that the Epic is a very nice hotel, but it feels more like a large chain hotel than many of the other, more truly "boutique" Kimpton properties. Because of this, things felt a little less friendly and intimate. If you don't mind that, you might like the Epic quite a bit. If the Epic could bring a bit more of the expected Kimpton hospitality to this property, it could really be a standout hotel among the many good options in Miami.

The Epic Hotel in Miami is a member of the Kimpton chain. As we had previously stayed in the Vancouver Kimpton and enjoyed it we decided to stay in this Miami hotel. We were definitely not disappointed. It is excellently situated and takes about 15-20 mins to walk, along a pleasant waterside path, to the main bay front tourist area.

We had decided to treat ourselves to 4 nights in a water view room on the executive floor. Although we arrived very early, soon after 10.00 am, we were greeted in a friendly fashion, asked if we would like a coffee, and told our room was ready. (We also had a late checkout with no problem and no charge.) It was 3003 and had a magnificent view over the water – we spent several happy evenings on the balcony watching the watery world go by. The room itself was a good size with extra chairs and a desk with a computer and free wi-fi. The bathroom was large with both a shower and a tub.

After unpacking, we went to the executive lounge on floor 29 where sandwiches, cold drinks and coffee were available. We next organised ourselves out on a few trips then went to the pool. Plenty of sun beds in shade or sun and two lovely pools – a touch chilly for us but it was December.

In the evening hot snacks and free drinks were available in the executive lounge from 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm, in addition to these two wines were available for everyone to taste in the lobby from 5.00 pm to 6.00 pm. We tried these a couple of nights and enjoyed chatting to the other guests and looking at the lovely Christmas trees.

Overall I could not fault our stay and would recommend paying the extra and booking the water view executive floor for the great view and the food and drink in the lounge. We shall certainly return on our next trip to Miami.

After staying at the Epic for the past 4 days and 2 days remaining in my trip, I have had such an amazing experience with the staff here.

My main rave goes out Christian the daytime front desk operator, who's hospitality, can do attitude, willingness to getting everything done and sheer lever of perfection and professionalism has made my stay here the most memorable.

He has been the best and most helpful during my business stay here, going above and beyond to make things perfect and quick to correct and hiccups.

If you are ever visiting the EPIC in LA he's the person to go see and he sadly will be leaving the Miami Beach location after the new year. :(

If it wasn't for Christian, things wold have been way more complicated and less enjoyable. I highly recommend him as the go to guy at the front desk.

Most of the staff is very "on it" but his warm charms, always friendly and smiling attitude blows everyone else's away.

The hotel it self is pure luxury and more than I expected. Having stayed here for the first time ever since living in FL for the past 11 years, this will be one of the first places I think of coming back to stay or recommending for my clients that come in from out of town.

Only down side traffic is a nightmare, the valet attendants are great but the parking situation is horrendous and I could do without the sheer snottiness of most of the guests. People are always dressed to impress no matter what time of day it is, so make sure you're wardrobe is on point and expect to see 90% of vehicles pulling in and out to be ultimate luxury!! Lucky, must be nice.

Cheers,

xo