The trouble with renovating a classic building is that you can't do much about soundproofing - corridor noises are constant, and make sure your room is nowhere near the noisy elevator or air con units. Rather ruined my stay to be honest, and is the reason I wouldn't come back. Should be the number one consideration - nothing worse than the feeling of not knowing whether you'll get a good night's sleep.

On the plus side the pool is fantastic - nice a deep throughout - and we spent 3 days just sitting by it. Forget the hype about the famous Sunday Soiree though (a DJ event round the pool on Sunday afternoon/evening); whilst they build it up and are strict about guests and VIPs only for the event, it's pretty lame. I'm guessing it's "over" as a cool spot - maybe it used to be hip. Having said that the DJ was fine. Miami is no Ibiza though, no matter what it thinks.

No gym, mediocre bar scene (compared to the Delano for example, or the Shore Club).

We stayed at the Raleigh for one night on May 23rd before heading to the Keys and I have to say that it was the nicest hotel with the friendliest staff ever!!!
We hated leaving and wished we had booked another night! The location cannot be beat - right on the beach and walking distance to everything. The front desk staff was very friendly and upgraded us to a lovely room with an oversized balcony, the houskeeping staff was so attentive that we didn't know what to think and the gentleman at the room service/breakfast bar was terrific!!!
We loved the pool and the hotel beachy area.
I just cannot say enough good things about this hotel! I honestly want to keep it all to myself and keep the crowds down but after reading some of the negative reports I had to comment. Some people are super picky I guess and expect to be treated like royalty (our service came pretty close), I cannot think of any reason that someone would feel that this hotel was anything less than amazing!!! Our walls were not thin, our shower was fine and we had plenty of towels - they have large towels at the pool area for the pool and beach...We plan to go back to Florida next year just to have a few more days at this wonderful hotel!!!
Stay at the Raleigh and you won't be disappointed!!!!

We just returned from Memorial Weekend at the Raleigh. The hotel has an authentic art deco look that fits well into the South Beach scene. We enjoyed hanging out at the pool. It really is the highlight of the hotel. Great friendly service and hip music can be enjoyed all day poolside. There is also a beach area for hotel guests although we didn't find the beverage service there to be as capable as the pool area. There are food and beverage trailers along the beach that are available. We were "upgraded" to a partial ocean view room.(#509) The room didn't have much of a view nor was it very large. It was a good value compared with other hotels in the area. We also slept fine and did not experience the paper thin walls that some others have reported. The air conditioning is noticable, but not enough to keep you awake all night. Overall this hotel is well maintained and has a very friendly and capable staff especially in the pool area. It also has a very good locatioin to sample what South Beach has to offer.

Thought this hotel would have been a fabulous choice due to location and the company that runs this hotel. I was very disappointed in this choice! The walls are very thin, the showers are horrible - the glass "door" to the showers were nothing but a partition that didn't even keep the water in the shower! As a result, water gets everywhere. Chic thought, but poor design. The service was ok at best....I was erroneously charged not once but twice! One charge was immediately reversed upon checkout, but the other charge has yet to be credited, and it's been over 2 weeks. Their accounting dept. obviously does not care about customer service! Will not be staying here again.