Room Mate Hotel Waldorf, Miami Beach

This Hotel claims to be the Jewel of South Beach. It’s anything but! The hotel is dirty and the staff is downright unfriendly. There is toxic black mold in the air handling system that made me and my traveling companion sick. In addition there were hundreds of bugs in the shower. And I asked them for something as simple as two wine glasses and they refused to give them to me. Don't go there, you'll regret it.

We reserved the Waldorf for location. Without our consent, guest relations from the Waldorf moved us 4 blocks away to a gloomy, no restaurant, far away from the beach, 1- star 'sister hotel'. Since the sister hotel was located so far away from South Beach activities, we spent the first day of our vacation searching for a new hotel. I asked the front desk to speak to the hotel manager about the situation, and I was told that the manager would be unavailable for 3 hours and then leaving for the rest of the weekend. In addition, the 'sister hotel' informed us that they had no relationship with the Waldorf. BUYER BEWARE!

Stayed in the Waldorf Towers, because I thought it would be similar to NYC Waldorf Astoria. HA HA no where near, I will list the good and the bad. The Good 1. Across from the Beach 2. The Restuaunt had good food(which is not associated with the hotel) so you can't put it on the bill. The BAD 2. Very Very small rooms 3. No Bellman you take your own luggage to your room 4. A 900yr old elevator that can barely and I mean barely fit 2 people. (I took the stairs after that experience my whole time there) 5. I had a reg room but I got so fed up with its crampness that I upgraded to a suite. The suite was cold, dry and the sofa had dirt spots and water spots on it ...aarrgh. The shower needed a really good cleaning "grout everywhere". both rooms.

My first trip to Miami's South Beach was an all out blast -- thanks in large part to the Waldorf. Lets face it -- if you are staying on the strip on South Beach, your hotel will be from the post-war art deco era. Duh. So yes, the Waldorf is old, but it has been maintained nicely, and received a recent minimalist makeover. Its not the Doubletree, but its not supposed to be either. It is, however, a crash pad at the epicenter of everything cool in SOBE. If you are looking for quiet, this is not your place -- but its better than most others on the strip. If you are looking to roll in at the crack of dawn and have a clean, comfortable room to go to, and do it all over again the next day -- you cant do better than the Waldorf. The service staff did a good job of keeping the room clean, and stocked with towels. Checking in was a breeze at 3:00pm. Leave you rental car at the airpoirt and take a shuttle because parking is a major hassle anywhere in SOBE. The restaurant, like most on the strip, was first rate. There is a little nick-nack shop in the basement that is perfect for a quick cup of coffee, a bagel and Advil in the morning if a big to-do breakfast is not your thing. My wife and I will definitely come back.

i called the hotel directly to reserve a room for the four of us. the gentleman i spoke to (forget his name...something with an 'a') was sooo nice and quite talkative, so i saw it as a good sign. when we got to the hotel we were in for a pleasant surprise...they upgraded us to a junior suite. this room was GORGEOUS. overlooking ocean drive, so light and airy, plenty of florida sunshine coming in thru the windows. it was like a little apartment: living room with two chairs and sleeper-sofa, coffe table, tv, cd player, nice artwork, etc. the bedroom was nicely sized; larget than my own i think. it also had a little tv with built in dvd, a large dresser, plus its own closet which was HUGE. the bathroom was spacious with marble floor and a biig shower with sliding glass door. the minibar was packed with goodies that we didnt touch, but they were nice to look at :) some of our friends were staying in a standard room next to ours, which by comparison was tiny and bleak. we loved this hotel: the location can't be beat, and the room was just fabulous. i would definitely stay here again, but only if we get a junior suite.

The reception staff were most unhelpful, not a very clean hotel. The location is wonderful and the photographer has done a wonderful job for the website.