I had stumbled across some comments about this hotel in Cruise Critic that indicated they provided a free shuttle to the pier if you are taking a cruise out of Miami...they do! And they provide so much more. First off, there's a free shuttle bus from the airport to the hotel. They also have great rooms at a reasonable rate - the rooms are clean and comfortable and the beds have plenty of pillows, too. They also offer express checkout. They will slip your charges under your door in the morning and if you don't have any questions about the bill, simply call the desk and let them know you'll be using express checkout and leave your room keys in your room. Couldn't be simpler. There's also a free breakfast in the morning and the food is good...but it is crowded because it is a popular resting place for travelers taking a cruise. We ate sitting on a couch in the lobby/breakfast room area...it wasn't as bad as that sounds because there was a coffee table that held our drinks. There are free shuttles to the airport and the pier. There's a stand in the lobby where a rep from the shuttle company that services the pier will book your return (from the pier to the airport) for $10 a person. That's a deal. Our cruise line charged much more than that for the return transfer and from what I could glean online a taxi would cost about $25 or so. Before booking this hotel I talked with the cruise line to determine which hotels they use if you book air with them and come in a day early. The cost of the hotels they use were more and I was able to get airfare cheaper than what they quoted, too. Next time my husband and I cruise out of Miami this will be the hotel I book - it's a no-brainer for me.

There was some noise from the jets BUT the rooms were clean - basic, but clean. The parking lot was well lit. The staff were helpful as well. I wasn't crazy about the location, but if you are flying in to Miami, this may be perfect.

although there were cheaper options on line, i booked this hotel due to favourable customer reviews / scores compared to some of the horror stories at cheaper hotels. it also ticked the main boxes - free shuttle , free wifi, continental breakfast included.

nobody replied to my e-mail about how and where to pick up the shuttle, and i waited about 20 minutes until i saw the bus cruising the arrivals area. return shuttle left on time - journey c 5 minutes.

reception was swift and efficient with no frills. the express checkout option was a good idea, and worked well.

the bedroom was decent size, and very clean despite the carpeting. the 2 large beds were extremely comfortable. there was a big flatscreen tv, and a dedicated work desk with proper lighting and a nice executive style swivel chair.

in contrast the bathroom was a little disappointing. on the small size, and consisting of a single plastic prefabricated unit just dropped into place. shower was hot and strong, but toilet flush stopped working in the morning...

the rooms were double glazed, but still affected by noise from airplanes and ice-machines / general corridor traffic. the alarm call came on time, but i was already awake.

the free computer terminal in the lobby was a bonus, as there was also a free printer which proved very helpful in printing the aa boarding pass for onward travel.

i had been hoping for more of a hotel feel, rather than motel. the lobby lounge was just a couple of grubby sofas across from reception desk, and behind that was about 10 small tables for the breakfast area, which got fairly busy, particularly with early closing at 9am... my table had such a wonky leg, that my cereal spilt everywhere, but there was no other free table...the products themselves were decent prepackaged stuff in the main, but with some real boiled eggs and fruit. coffee was very good.

i did not get to see the pool. the advertised gym was a joke - just 3 aerobic machines jammed side by side in a small room the size of a bathroom, with a small tv.

between this hotel and the redroof is a brennigans pub/restaurant which provided decent food and drink with good service, if overpriced when considering tax and tip added to advertised prices.

overall the hotel served its purpose well, but i was hoping for a bit more for my $89 including tax. i guess there is just too much business to get good quality and a good price in the same place around miami airport, with a lrage number of 1-night stays.

We chose this hotel because of the previous positive reviews and after staying there pre-cruise I'm happy to say it was a good choice. We didn't have to call the hotel at the airport because the hotel shuttle bus came by within 15 minutes. The hotel is showing its age a little but that was not a concern considering we paid a fair price. At checkin we booked for the free cruiseport shuttle the next morning. It was a separate company who provided this service and they also offered an after-cruise return for $20 per person. The only thing to remember is that if you don't have a car there's only an old Bennigans to go to for dinner and there's nowhere nearby if you want a full breakfast instead of the hotel's limited complimentary offering.