We had the BEST time EVER at the Gansevoort Hotel and Spa in Miami. After we booked it through Bookit.com, I religiously read the reviews on Tripadvisor.com. After a couple of weeks of very bad reviews, I freaked out and thought that we had made a very bad mistake. Especially after I read the review about the person that booked through bookit.com and was treated very poorly because of that. Eventually, I stopped reading the reviews and hoped that by the time August came a lot of the initial complaints would work themselves out.
Thankfully I was right. From the moment we arrived we were treated amazingly. Almost everybody (99.9%) was friendly and very helpful, always willing to please and make our stay comfortable and enjoyable. Our room was HUGE, with a large tube, king size bed and all the toiletries could want.
They have complimentary coffee every morning in the lobby till 10am and not so expensive menus for the 3rd floor and rooftop pools. The 3rd floor pool is where all the kids are at and families—this was a nice place to be early in the morning, then we would head up to the rooftop pool, which was NEVER crowded—we always got a bed and two chairs, moving from the heat, to the pool to the bed. We enjoyed the rooftop pool by day and night, snacking on fairly priced food and expensive drinks (we didn’t do this everyday, obviously). The tip was ALWAYS included (which we didn’t know the first day) so it almost made the price seem not so expensive. We ordered room service once, which was very good. Our total bill for 5 days was only $200 and we did a fair amount of drinking and eating there. Although we never ate at the one restaurant they had open, it was Spice Month so we ate at 5 star restaurants during our whole stay for half the price, we did hear it was amazing AND the space is incredible.
We loved all the staff! From the Food & Beverage Director, Laura, to the towel boys—everyone was super friendly!
I guess our only complaint was everyone wanted a tip. For example, there was no ice machines on the floors, so you had to order room service to get ‘free” ice, but ten you had to tip the room service guy.
Have fun! And if you booked on Bookit.com—you were the lucky ones—the room we stayed in is now $500/night and is $1000 a night in December!

Did I tell you they actually have 3 pools? And they are located right i front of the beach, where they will set up FREE chairs, towels and umbrellas for you!!!

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.