We arrived in SOBE after Christmas on Dec 26. It was pretty packed with people. We booked a room with an ocean view and balcony. We got an ocean view but no balcony. The desk gave us a different room because I asked for something a bit quiter. Our room had a kitchenette, fully equipped,making for a very homey feeling. The rugs should be steamed cleaned, however, smelled like smoke and some stains, even though we were told it was a smoke free hotel.This hotel is right on Ocean Drive in the heart of party central, loud music and lots of loud party folks at night. The music goes well into the night. It was a bit hard to sleep well because of this, but we knew it would be loud. The bed was very comfortable. The couch pulled out as a futon for our 3rd person. The room could use a floor lamp and end table for extra comfort.The desk folks were nice to give us comp. breakfast vouchers for our stay, since Expedia did not include this in our booking. They had free champagne , apples and cookies in the lobby. Our room was in the next building , so we had to go outside to get to it. The pool is located in the main building where the lobby is located. NICE POOL GORGEOUS VIEWS! Housekeeping was not good at all however. We rarely had enough toiletries and towels. The front desk did however respond to our needs when called,including a stopped up sink. They really tried to accomodate us whenever possible, and they were really pleasant to work with. Overall I would recommend this, in walking distance to everything, restaurants right on Ocean Drive, easy access to public transportation and shops. And of course the beach right across the street, very nice! This hotel is a good place to stay if you want to be centrally located. As for the issues it presented, the management was very fair and very accomodating whenever possible. We had a great time in SOBE . Thanks to the staff, for making our stay as pleasant as possible.

Really exceptional service by South Beach's standards. Ask for Rafael at the front he will make sure you are well taken care of. Beach towels, chairs and anything else you need to have a relaxing vacation are provided.The front desk was also very accommodating. The rooms are awesome and definitely a great value. I'll continue to stay here whenever I am in Miami.

First of all, the Jr suite is HUGE! Considering it is a property on Ocean Drive it is an amazing feature. There is no luxury there, but everything is new, the bedroom is packed with appliances and along with the longe it is a perfect meeting place for drinks w friends. The rooftop pool is also a great feature of this hotel. It offers great views and is perfect for sunsets. If I return to ocean drive I would easily book the Congress again as it delivered everything it promised.

We stayed Congress Hotel for 2 nights with a good price as per area hotels. Overall it was a good stay for us but with a bad service.

Checkin/Front Desk (Terrible): Checkin process was long; not that quick when I compare with my previous experiences. You're signing up a sheet with a lot of initials (kind of car rental), read carefully because front desk doesn't explain/ mention about written items, and it contains valet parking as well. They didn't explain any benefit (even hotel pool location). There is no (easy-pick) area map in front desk, I requested one and they searched about 5 minutes to find it.

Parking (Bad): They have $30/day valet parking. I asked near by park garages and front desk didn't reply instead offer me valet parking. I found four garages with a better price and pretty close to hotel, just google it before heading to the hotel.

Room (Very Good): I was expecting a small room, but our room was a large one with a kitchenette. It was facing to back, not ocean street, so we had no problem with noise level. Everything was clean including bathroom, towels and our bed. Sleep quality was good, but our mattress had no protector, it only had a thin sheet on top (so in the future they can come across bed-bug problems here).

Location (Great): Great location, just in front of beautiful South Beach. We didn't like many restaurants in the area. If you are a party person, it can be heaven for you. Also if you like deco art, you will live in it; it didn't make sense for us.

Pool (Poor): They charged a resort fee per person (like many hotels in the area). But we couldn't get service for it. There was no clean towel in the pool. It is hard to understand what they're charging resort fee for, I think it is kind of a tradition. Another customer requested a towel, and pool-bar personnel gave him used one in front of my eyes. Pool view is pretty good, you have south beach vista. Pool size is small (it is a roof-pool). They have a small pool bar and the personnel working there really needs a training.

Checkout (OK): Checkout process was quicker and easier than checkin. We didn't see any problem.