To be honest, I was really scared of what to expect after reading the reviews. I was imagining the worst - and it all turned out to be for nothing! Staying at the Venezia Hotel has been apleasant experience. Surely you can't expect a 5 star hotel will all the neat little stuff and even though the interior was spartan it was enough and (my biggest concern) clean.
We found our room with a parquet floor instead of a carpet which they must have renewed and which I was really happy about. Also the badthroom looked nice. The shower seemed new, in elegant white and so was the sink. I was positively surprised by the bathroom after hearing all kinds of horror stories. The only small little thing was plaster on the floor. The beds were okay. Really short actually so that our feet always sticked out. We solved that problem by laying diagonally. We brought pillow cases and bedsheets from home just in case but the hotel sheets were clean too. Our TV was running and had a decent offer of channels like tbn and cbs. Afterall we weren't there for watching TV anyways. Our 2-bed room was fairly big and had 2 addiontal closets. Everyday after coming back in the evening we found our room cleaned and tidied up. Only the floor never got swiped which got kinda annoying after a while because of alle the sand from the beach we brought in.
Breakfast was small but okay, enough to feed you. They provided bagels and cereals, as well as coffe and pastries in the lobby. The few seats inside and outside were taken fast so you had to be quick.
The employees were always nice and we couldn't complain at all.
Even though I was totally fine with the hotel there were a few things that bothered me.
The Noise was probably the worst problem. I hardly slept my first night because we were located right next to the busy street. The windows weren't fully closed because the air conditioning made it impossible. So you basically felt like you were sleeping with an open window. The air conditioning itself was really loud too. Last but not last the walls were thin and especially the people in the halls seemed rude and very loud. We woke up in the middle of the night because people walked by talkign loudly and hammering at doors.
It was annoying but after a while you got used to all the noise and each night I slept better and better.
Another thing was that the room door looked like someone had tried to break in. It was all bent with a little gap to almost look inside. Overall it was kinda scary looking but there were 3 locks which made me feel save.

Genereally I can say that I had a pleasant stay in this hotel. The price is just great and you know what you get for such a cheap price. Also the location is the bomb! You are right next to the beach, only 3 walking minutes down the street where you'll find a beautiful not too crowded beach. A bus station is right there which takes you everywhere really easily, and South beach isn't far away either. A Walgreens and a little bakery/souvenir shop is right by. All in all I can only recommned the hotel if you're looking for a cheap stay and don't have to high standards. BUT it is definitely not as scary as some say!

We didn't expect much because of the price but still we were shocked. The hotel seemed unsafe, the staff didn't speak English that much, the rooms weren't clean and there were a lot of ants in our room. The room was small and the TV didn't work well. Even though the beach is near there are more cons than pros. We couldn't stay longer than couple of nights.

Overall, the building needs to be demolished. It was absoultely disgusting. A friend and I stayed for Memorial Day weekend in 2011. The outside of the building was just ok, at least until we saw a roach. The lobby was small and outdated. Not clean. The staff was nice but when i asked for an extra towel, they gave the last one away. What? This is a hotel. The mattresses had no large stains but was so old that there is no telling what lived inside. Spots all over the walls, disgusting carpet. The shower was also dirty. The kicker you ask? They left envelopes on the bedside table requesting tips. You want a tip? Exterminate, demolish, and build something besides a hotel.

Stayed here for two nights on a trip with friends. The hotel has great location within walking distance from almost all the beaches. There's a bus stop right in front. There's free breakfast which is not lavish but adequate. They claim to have wi-fi but you can only get it from the lobby. The no free parking is a pain as many people have pointed out and at 8 AM there is a steady stream of people to refill the meters. However I would recommend this hotel only if you're in Miami with friends especially on a budget probably not for families.