Without a doubt, the BEST hotel in South Beach. I stayed at the Gansevoort in August and from the time we checked in til the time we checked out the service was absolutely incredible. The staff here make this hotel the place to stay. Upon arrival we were pleasantly greeted by Juan at the front desk who immediately congratulated us on our 15 year wedding anniversary and gave us an upgrade to an oceanview room with a balcony. To our surprise he then sent us a complimentary bottle of champagne to our room. The rooms here are gorgeous! Beds are extremely comfortable and their pool is to die for. A definite MUST see. Chris in the pool dining area was very knowledgeable and pleasant to speak with and Ron the bellman made our day with his witty and charming personality. After working in the hotel business for 14 years I have never experienced such consistency with service. The staff here are A+++++++best in the business. They bend over backwards for their guests. In my opinion, this is what makes a hotel 5 diamond status. I would recommend this hotel to anyone traveling to SoBe. One tip I have to mention is that the hotel is VERY expensive, we paid $48.00 for 2 drinks in the upstairs pool area (Plunge). South Beach is expensive, no matter where you go you will pay ridiculous prices. However, if you travel into town (downtown Miami) you will find great restaurants and MUCH cheaper prices. The average alcoholic drink ranges from $15 to as much as $20 for something like a Margarita. Be ready to go for broke. Other than that, SoBe is the place to be with its vibrant nightlife and diverse people.

Recently stayed at the Gansevoort South for a weekend taking advantage of the $99/night special the hotel was offering while under construction. We had two rooms which were nearly identical. One room had a partial ocean view.

Check-in was easy and the desk staff was friendly. The concierges at the hotel were very helpful in providing information about local restaurants and nightlife. The lobby was very nice. I didn't see sharks in the fish tank, but plenty of tropical fish. Free internet access on several computers in the business center, which was great.

The rooms were new, large, very clean and modern. The beds were extremely comfortable. Large, flat-screen TVs, clock/radio with ipod dock, and a cd player with the Gansevoort's own cd for listening. The bathrooms were large and clean with giant shower stalls.

The rooftop pool was beautiful and not very crowded in the morning and early afternoons. Staff was attentive and provided lounge chair covers and towels. At night the rooftop transforms into a bar/lounge.

The David Barton gym is not yet open, so several adjoining rooms have been set up as a temporary gym with treadmills and cardio equipment, dumbbells and several machines.

The "beach club" was deserted and under construction, but the beach in front of the hotel was uncrowded and peaceful. For guests of the hotel, lounge chairs, umbrellas and towels are free. In addition, each room has a beach bag with 2 large beach towels for guest use.

All in all, we were very pleased with the Gansevoort South. We clearly understood that the hotel was not yet finished which was the reason for our bargain rate. But for large, clean and comfortable rooms, an eager (if slightly inexperienced) staff, and a good location on the northern end of South Beach, it was a real winner.

Easily the worst hotel experience I have ever had -- barring the one night in a 5 euro hostel in the shadiest area of Athens, Greece.

Our room was not available at check-in time and had to wait over an hour.

The service was horrible:
*there are no ice-makers on each floor (like most hotels) so you have to call for room service. It literally took 2 calls and AN HOUR to get ice delivered to our room.

*our room was not cleaned (beds made, towels replaced, etc.) until 4p.m.

*LOUD! There was music coming from next door and above/below us both nights until early hours of the morning. It took security about 45 minutes to show up by which time it was no longer necessary because I had already gone to knock on the neighbors' door/asked them to turn music down.

The beach is not easy to get to from the hotel so if you are traveling with older people or young kids it is terribly inconvenient. . .be prepared for long walk and climbing lots of stairs (from 3rd floor pool).

For the price -- including constant tipping and cost of valet parking (not optional) -- definitely not worth it.

The room was very nice with some nice "upgrades" like super water pressure in the shower and an alarm clock in which you can use an iPod. However, these extras in no way over-compensated for all of the inconveniences.

I cannot help but think that some of the positive reviews are being written by insiders.

My husband and I (we're both in our 30s) stayed here for a weekend trip in July. The hotel takes up a whole block, and you can find the Cutler salon, Philippe restaurant, and other shops on the street level. The lobby is beautiful - open, airy, modern space. They have chess, checkers, and backgammon tables on the outer edges. The front desk staff was extremely nice and helpful.

We stayed in a beautiful deluxe oceanview king with a balcony. Oceanview meaning the ocean was 90 degrees to your left. But it was still relaxing to be out on the balcony. As soon as you enter the room, you hear cool music coming from your stereo. There was a desk with two chairs and a sofabed. Our bathroom had a separate shower and tub, and the hotel provides you with Cutler amenties. In the bathroom closet, they have a beach bag with 2 towels (available for purchase) , a yoga mat, and 2 plush bathrobes. We were too scared to accidentally lose our bag+towels at the beach so we didn't use it! There's top-shelf alcohol (Grey Goose, Patron) in your room - in the minibar and also on the shelf above the minibar. When we got back to our room at night, the turndown service had put slippers on either side of the bed, and had turned on our TV and stereo to the music with some ambiant visual effects.

We were at the beach most of the time. The beach staff was extremely friendly and provide you with chairs, towels, and an umbrella (gratis). The Beach Club wasn't open when we were there. There were lots of cabanas and teepees, but they were all within the fence of the hotel (no direct access to beach). We didn't go to the 3rd level pool (lots of kids) but went to the rooftop pool (Plunge) which was adults-only. Anyone can get on the chairs, but to use the cabanas you'll have to cough up $150 - and $400 for the ones that are beachfront. The service was okay - the waitress remembered all our drinks, but because there were just 2 of them, it would take 20 mins to get drinks. And they don't come cheap either. For 4 drinks plus gratuity, it cost us $75! After sunset they turn Plunge into an outdoor lounge filled with beautiful people.

I look forward to returning!!