I stayed at this hotel due to it's location and price. I had never stayed at a Hyatt place before (or any Hyatt, for that matter) but was drawn to it for it's location. Just to give you a little heads up, Hyatt Place is the Hyatt brand's more budget-friendly, more family oriented less-resort-y type of offering. I would say, and I could be off a little on my comparisons but I'd say it competes with maybe a SpringHIll Suites by Marriott or perhaps, with the sitting area and hot breakfast available- more of a Courtyard type of offering. Either way it was competent and I felt like it was a good value for the price I paid. But... it get's better... lol! I was meeting a friend who lives in Miami for the day and I wanted somewhere safe and also easy for her to access from the interstates. She has a car and was willing to go wherever so being in downtown or Aventura or a particular area wasn't as much of a concern as was price, cleaniness and safety. I was also leaving for a trip the following day out of Fort Lauderdale airport and having a car, wanted somewhere easy to just hop on an interstate or artery and go. This place fit the bill perfectly. I know Carnival Cruise Lines main headquarters is here in Doral and also the big golf tournaments. Carnival has picked a nice upscale location for there big Carnival Place hq so since I was right around the corner I figured you can't go wrong. I was right! While there is nothing within walking distance (welcome to most of FL), if that's not a priority than that's the only drawback about the location.
I had a volunteer project in Hialea that day and it wasnt too far away for that. When I came back from the project (demolishing/renovating an old United Methodist church to be used as a community financial planning and education center) I was in bummy clothes and hot and sweaty. The hotel had no problem extending my checkout so I could come back to my room in the early afternoon and take a hot shower and get changed. Very "no problem," friendly and professional. Speaking of room, that was a surprise. A very pleasant one, I might add. I was expecting a standard two bed or a king with a tv and a nightstand kind of room but there weren't having any of that! There was a separate sitting area when I walked in with, as some other reviewers pointed out, a "ginormous" couch awaiting you. This room didn't short me on any sofa space, that's for sure! Opposite the sitting area was a work desk, comfy desk chair and things you might need to take care of business, wastebasket, outlets, lamp, etc. In one corner of the room was also a sink with counter space, a cabinet, glasses, etc. Behind a hip looking divider was the bed, and it was competing with the couch for footprint size, that's for sure! IT was big! Also, worth noting, it was very comfortable and the pillows were dust-free and comfy, too. I remember that bed! I woke up well rested for my volunteer project, despite not getting a full night's sleep. The bathroom was a decent size and one thing that impressed me was the towels were in the bathroom, too! They were even accessible FROM the shower. As much as I travel I still usually forgot about the "towel" part until I'm ready to get out of the shower. Then it's streaking across the usually chilly, air-conditioned bathroom (or worse, into the stateroom), dripping wet hair-in-my-eyes to find the closest thing that resembles a cotton something or another and try and warm up, dry off and now wipe down all the floors that are now slipperier than a wet Chiquita peel on a December afternoon! Yea, that's quite a picture. Sorry about that! ;) Well, get that picture out of your mind because none of that happens thanks to the thoughtfulness of these folks at the Hyatt Place in Miami. And they were already warmed up (thanks to shower, I suppose). When you are on vacation and things are a little unfamilar and new, it's the little details that make you feel better about the whole thing. Details like that.
The next morning they had some nice food offerings for breakfast, a little cafe inside with food for sale (reasonably priced) and Starbucks coffee. I don't remember seeing espresso, but they definitely had the coffee. I was told this was an AmeriSuites property that had been recently converted over to a Hyatt Place. You could tell they were in the process of gradually bringing everything up to a "Hyatt way." Since then I'm sure everything is the way they want it now. I did see an airport shuttle around, though can't rate it since I had my own car. They did ask me several times if I needed the shuttle and I thought- heck- maybe I'll ride it just for kicks, check out the airport and then come back while I wait for my friend. But... I didnt. (I guess the fact that the airport's initials are M.I.A had me a little worried... plus the fact that a last minute deal to Hawaii and a recently upgraded credit limit might make this a whole different type of review! Nah just kidding! I just hung around the pleasant lobby and enjoyed myself!) They had a hot, made-to-order breakfast available too with different breakfast sandwiches and the like which, while not included, would have definitely been on my agenda if I had more time. You may want to check their current policy on breakfast pricing as that may have changed since my visit. I just picked up a fruit salad and hit the road, well-rested and off to let the adventures begin!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
