National Hotel, Miami Beach

1.Overpriced.$395 per night doesn't worth it. Ritz Carlton's rates (on the right side from National Hotel) were $255 per night. There is no comparison. Rooms at Ritz are twice bigger than at National Hotel. 2.Rooms are small and no ocean view. 3.Hotel is old (1939). There was a terrible smell. 4.They have a tiny gym.I wouldn't even call it a gym 5.People at front desk are rude. And do NOT believe in any promotions they offer on a website. We paid for 3 nights and 4th night supposed to be free.We called twice at the Hotel to confirm and they were really polite on the phone. However,when we get there they told us to pay for 4th night too. They said that they had never talked to us before. 6.No free parking except vallet parking $35 per night. However,2 blocks away you can pay $20 per 24 hours 7.If the weather is bad there is nothing to do there. 8.Only Personal at their restaurant was nice and polite.

first off the National has a great pool area, a nice period decor, and caters mostly to an older, quieter crowd than many of the hipper Miami Hotels. All this is why I picked it. I was surprised upon check in to see that my room would not be ready until 4pm. I arrived at noon so I made a comment that this was a particularly late check in. The front desk clerk told me that the room was guaranteed available by 4pm, but they would have it ready before then. The short of it is that my room was not ready before 4pm, not ready at 4:30. I wasn't handed my keys until 5pm. Okay, sometimes that stuff happens. The hotel made no accommodations because of the late check-in. When I reminded them that the room was "guaranteed" by 4pm, the manager told me that "guarantee doesn't mean that to me. It's means we'll do our best." I told her that if we went by the dictionary definition of words rather than what they mean to her, then guarantee would mean I would not be paying for my room. At this she started laughing (I'm not joking). I asked for the name of the general manager, and the front desk manager would only give me the name of the director of rooms. when I said I wanted the name of the hotel's general manager she said "the hotel is run by committee" and there is no general manager. This is an obvious lie. She then said they could upgrade my room. I said, okay, I'll take a cabana room. She said they had no cabana rooms available. I then asked what other rooms they had available and she said they didn't have any other rooms to offer me. She then asked me what I wanted by way of accommodation. I said I'd take a free dinner. She literally laughed at the suggestion, and then said all she could offer was a "regular breakfast." At this point I was getting more than a little irritated and when I raised my voice maybe a single decibel, she waved over security to ask me to lower my voice. I travel usually 3 weeks a month. I always stay at 4 star hotels and I'm used to mix ups along the way. I have rarely experienced service at this low a level, even at much less expensive hotels. This hotel looks great, but I can't imagine rewarding staff like this with my money again.

The sign says "Live Music", "Happy Hour - 2 for one." "Free Chicken Wings" There was no live music, just recorded music. "Two for One" really meant "Two drink Minimum". In my case it was one bar scotch for me, one bad bar wine for my wife - $24. And there were no chicken wings, ran out. When I protested they offered to cook wings for me but refused a refund. Don't go near this place. Brian

My wife and I enjoyed our ninth annerversay here last May (2007). We didn't expect a new establishment as we wanted to stay in the Art Deco area. We were extremely impressed with the concierge, and the staff. Our room was kept clean and we were made to feel that we were their only guests. Special requests were made from everyone from the manager to the housekeepers. Every request was fulfilled and with a pleasant greating. The Concierge gaves us excellant places to go and see the sites, and for our evenings out for dinner. Arrangements were made in advance for us and discounted!! Even the roses!! We were so well received, one would have thought we were part of the consulate that was there during our stay. We were not. I would highly recommend The National as the place to stay for an oasis in the heart out the city.

The room was noisy as hotel is old and not properly built so you can hear other rooms. They check us in very late around 4:30pm. We reserved a king-bed but they gave us queen intead. Towls smelled like someone smoked in them once. Staff were not very friendly. Location was good. It was probably a great hotel when it was built during WWII but not anymore.

The location is very good, just a few blocks north of much of the happenings in South beach (although a few places north of the hotel were hotspots on certain nights). Overall, the room was very nice although just a shade below luxury, but the price was very good. We paid an average of $150/night for 6 nights. We were also bumped from a "city view" room to a poolside room after the first night for free. The service, especially the concierge, was excellent. Many of their recommendations were right on the money. There are many restaurants and clubs/bars to choose from in South Beach, and they can steer you in the right direction. By the way, Prime 112 and Satai, were our favorite restaurants....excellent!

For a luxury hotel, the staff at The National is accessible and friendly. I have stayed at quite a few of the "boutique" hotels and have had nothing but problems. This is not the case at The National. Have stayed at The National going on 5 times with absolutely no issues. I have always had a room in the Cabanas.

The National Hotel has everything going for it: location, attitude, luxury, and the oceanside. But above all else, the staff is personable and available! I've read reviews that complain about the size of the rooms in the tower. Obviously these people have not been to the "boutique" hotels along the beach further south. The rooms in those places are small, noisy, and have almost no protection from external light sources. In comparison, the National Hotel is a dream. I've been to South Beach frequently, and for the money, nothing beats The National... nothing! There is the matter of evening entertainment on the weekends which does get very loud, but usually ends by 11:00 p.m. I just make it a point to be out and about on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Beware that this hotel is undergoing major construction on the only driveway and entrance to the hotel (on Collins Ave., a major thoroughfare through South Beach). Because Collins is such a busy street, you cannot even stop in front of the hotel to unload your bags. There are no signs directing incoming guests as to where or how to summon the valet. When we called to inquire about parking, three different employees could not tell us how to valet park our car. So with no valet option readily available, we had to park two blocks down in a meter and hike all our luggage through their construction and the Miami summer heat. Furthermore, the manager flatly stated that even given the difficulties with valet availability, he could not comp the $25 parking fee for our trouble. While the accommodations have very nice decor, the lack of adequate parking in busy Miami Beach and an indifferent and unhelpful management team make the National a poor choice despite its four-diamond rating. Plus, having to move your car out of a remote parking meter is not a relaxing or fun way to start your vacation in Miami.

My husband and I stayed at this hotel in the off-season with three other couples. We were on the beginning leg of our cruise vacation, so we only stayed one night, but wished we had a week here! The check-in was good, the staff very helpful, and they upgraded a couple of our rooms to suites, complete with two bathrooms, king bed, separate living room with pull-out sofa, walk-in closet, flat-screen TV, x-box, and a great view to boot! I cannot say enough about how amazingly comfortable these beds were! We wanted to take it home with us. The rooms were very clean, stylish, art-deco great! The lobby was very pretty, inviting, with great lounging spots. We loved the martnini lounge! There were no accomodations to seat 8 people together inside for breakfast (outiside in the heat there were plenty) so the staff actually pulled a bunch of tables together for us to sit in the martini lounge for breakfast. Breakfast buffet was wonderful with lots of fresh fruit, pastries and hot food complete with never-ending mimosas. (LOVE that!) The pool area is just one of the most amazing things about this hotel. At night it is lit so beautifully and is so romantic. The paths beside the long pool lead all the way down to the hot tubs and outdoor bar which is soooo cool. The lounging area outside next to the bar is gorgeous! Lots of hammocks to snuggle in, full beds to lay on, seating for groups to hang and sip martinis. The boardwalk is right outside the lounging area and is very, very pretty. It leads to South Beach restaurants, eventually, but at night, we were told that it would be best to take the streets to walk unless you were in a large group like we were, for safety reasons. But that would be anywhere, really. We were drinking, so we took cabs! We went to Llario's which was just one of the best atmosphere experiences we have had at a restaurant. Cuban food was good (LOTS of meat, and HUGE portions) but the music was HOT, and the dancing HOTTER! We loved it and had the best time. If you want to get a tatoo while in Miami, the famous parlor is within walking distance of this hotel. The concierge service at the National was superb, she was the one that recommended the great Cuban place and we were very pleased. The only bummer was that one of the elevators were being "updated" so there was only one left, and the staff was using it as a service elevator, so getting to and from the 11th floor took a while. But, it was the off-season and so it was understandable. The staff was very apologetic and helpful, and with the amazing rooms and the terrific rate we paid, it was NO problem!! We loved this place! I would probably not take my kids to this hotel, I would prefer North Miami Beach (the Sheraton Bal Harbor Beach Resort) for kids, I think.