Stay with Beach Access at Holiday Inn Miami Beach-Oceanfront, FL

Nice hotel on the beach. Great location. Close to my conference without staying in the much higher priced hotels. This hotel was perfect for us. Walking/riding path right outside. Chairs, umbrella and beach towels included for beach. Rooms were clean and spacious. The buffet breakfast downstairs was $30 for what looked like just a normal hotel breakfast. We wanted better, fresher quality so we ate elsewhere. Staff was pleasant. We had a great stay.

Maybe the worst customer service in my 30+ years of travel I made a reservation for my niece and filed the appropriate documents for all charges to go onto my credit card. When she checked in the front desk person insisted on using her card for incidentals. Even though the instructions were for ALL charges to go to my card. It is now a week later and the funds have still not been refunded. I called the hotel and spoke with the front desk, explained the issue, she said I needed to speak to a supervisor, after waiting 2-3 minutes on hold, that person said I needed to speak to a supervisor….(see where this is going)…2-3 minutes later…explaining again…that person said I needed to talk to someone else. At this point they transfer me to IHG Guest Relations and out of the hotel. IHG’s process is to create a ticket/inquiry and someone should follow up within 24 hours. When I asked the lady a guest relations who at the hotel is in charge of billing I’ll be following up…. She said we do not have names of anybody have become, but if somebody doesn’t follow up, they call us back and we’ll create another ticket. Does anyone see a flaw in the IHG process? After pointing this out of the lady, she recommended that I speak with the general manager at the hotel, but again she has no idea who that person is as they have no names file of anyone that can make a decision or be accountable. At this point, I called back and asked the lady at the front desk if I could speak to the general manager. she asked me why I needed to speak to him… which I thought was an interesting response. I told her that guest relations recommended that they call back and speak to him on an issue. Can you give me the name of the I am supposed to be talking to. She responded “well, why do you need to talk to him?” at this point more than a little agitated at this entire process, I told her that I did not realize that the name of the general manager of the Holiday Inn was a top secret and national security, and not to be released… but I’m pretty sure I can find it online. She’s not respond and I said hello…. She said I will transfer you and started laughing at me. After 8 minutes on hold, the call was disconnected. I called back… after hitting 0, to reach the front desk… no one answered and my call was put on hold because I’m sure they saw my number from callerID. Five minutes later, my call was disconnected. I called back again, in the same lady answered, and I told her I needed to speak with Mr. Luis Arellano. A simple Google search told me who the general manager was. She said she would transfer me… after two minutes I called disconnected. I called back again…. told her what happened… she said she would transfer me again… and this time miraculously went into his voicemail. There are so many things wrong at this hotel and this process. I imagine it’s a nice hotel if you don’t have any issues. Let this be your warning… if you have issues… good luck in getting help to get them corrected. The next step will be to have the credit card company dispute the charge and I assume that will get their attention where they don’t have their money.

A "Fawlty Towers" experience The rooms were well-appointed and the location was convenient… and that’s where the good news ends. I was part of an organised tour, and after a lovely dinner elsewhere, a few of us returned to the hotel for farewell drinks — a decision we all came to regret. To call what followed a farce would be far too generous. The bartender (and I use that term loosely) was utterly incompetent. It took fifteen minutes to serve three people — and we’re talking beer and wine, not elaborate cocktails. When I ordered a bottle of wine, he looked genuinely baffled, rummaging aimlessly before announcing my choice wasn’t available but they had Sauvignon Blanc instead. Fine, I said. The unopened bottle was then plonked on the bar… with no glasses. When I asked for three glasses, he produced, after some confused searching, one port glass, one wine glass, and one tumbler. By now, twenty minutes had passed, and we still had no drink. I requested the bottle be opened, only to witness the most awkward and unprofessional display imaginable — the cork seemed to present an insurmountable challenge. Then came payment — another tragicomic episode. My credit card was swiped, punched, and swiped again in a series of clumsy attempts before being declared declined. My backup travel card met the same fate. I asked for the bottle to be charged to my room so I could settle later in cash, but was refused because I was “part of a tour.” By now, thirty minutes had elapsed, our table was dry, and the situation was absurd. Thankfully, another guest stepped in to pay, sparing me further humiliation. A ten dollar tip was included and he was told that I had authorised that. I most certainly hadnt. To add insult to injury, the wine was not Sauvingnon Blanc, but Chardonnay. As if that weren’t enough, the next morning the incompetence continued. I left my suitcase with the concierge before heading off on the Everglades tour, making it very clear that my bag was to be loaded on the bus. I was assured it would be handled. Of course, it wasn’t. When I double checked before getting on the bus, my luggage was still sitting in the hotel’s back room. Hopeless. Farcical. And management couldn’t care less.

Fabulous breakfast buffet at the Holiday Inn Highly recommend one of the best breakfast buffets in town! The food is excellent and plentiful. The staff is skilled in customer service and they work hard to accommodate you early in the morning in the buffet area. Had to stay elsewhere because they had difficulty making reservations at the reception area. The restaurant and staff is among the best in town too.