Fontainebleau Miami Beach

If you've ever wanted to visit a conference centre on holiday then you would properly be okay staying here. Other than that don't waste your money. The staff are generally disinterested (it took three days to get us a working safe that just needed a battery). There are of course some exceptions who do understand what customer service means (most notably Alfonso Pombo who was amazing) but they are in short supply. It's a big soulless place that is clearly only really bothered about guests coming for conferences. There are never enough people on the front desk and the concierge seems to be permanently MIA. Not enough sun loungers, you feel like you're on top of each other at the pools. We nearly had our towels removed to make way for a couple who were playing hunt the sun lounger, despite us only having gone in the pool five minutes before. Sadly it seems to be living on past glories and really needs to rethink how it treats its guests. The rooms are okay but nothing special and nothing is complimentary. In fact the only five star thing about the hotel are the prices for everything. Basically, save your money unless you are visiting for a conference and even then I would look elsewhere.

As a business owner I thread lightly leaving reviews and try to mediate problems before posting on media. Saying that, This review is well deserved. This has to be by far the most unprofessional and absurd experience I’ve had with an establishment. Let’s start with the obvious. This hotel is expensive. It is supposed to be a luxurious and care free experience. Myself and business partners indulged in the stay. We spent thousands of dollars each between the hotel and the nightclub and tipped very handsomely. So far so good. But when you leave………. Check your credit card statement and folio. They double charge for valet, they charge various fees that are undisclosed. But the most absurd and the reason im here is the PRIVATE BAR. They will leave a private bar in the room that works through sensors, if you so much as even touch the bottle it’ll charge a ridiculous fee to your card. In my case it was roughly $300 dollars. None consumed. No drop of alcohol or food from the private bar was consumed by me, I was the only one in and checked before I left. We spent thousands in liquor at the club and the last thing we did was drink more, they were closed and brand new. The issue comes when you try to get your money back. They will not give your money back, they do not check if the bottles were consumed they simply just charge you and don’t care that you had to pay for something you didn’t consume. I spoke to Christina, and the private bar director, both are a nightmare. If you do stay here, do not leave the building without resolving this, when you leave they will simply brush you off and refuse to acknowledge the inconvenience they’ve caused. Stay away, opportunistic management. No customer service or care, just plain out robbery.

We stayed at your hotel for five days, from Wednesday night to Sunday, and unfortunately, the experience fell far below our expectations—especially for what is advertised as a 5-star property. From the moment we arrived, there was no assistance with our luggage or any guidance to our room. There was no welcome drink or even a warm greeting. We had to figure everything out on our own, and it was quite confusing. The walk to the room was long, the fire alarm lights were blinking in the hallway, and the wait for the elevator was frustrating. We heard other guests complaining about waiting over 20 minutes just to go up. Thankfully, our wait wasn’t that long, but it was still far from smooth. When we finally reached our room, the view from the 15th floor was beautiful, but the problems continued. The air conditioning was stuck around 70°F, turning on and off, and no matter what we did, it wouldn’t go lower. We like to sleep in a cooler room, but it wasn’t cold enough to get a good night’s sleep. We called the front desk, and they said they would send someone, but nothing was resolved. I had to follow up three or four times, and only then did someone finally tell me that the hotel was fully booked and they were trying their best to handle things. That kind of information should have been communicated upfront instead of making us chase for updates. To make things worse, my boyfriend got stuck in the elevator for about 20 minutes. Can you imagine how scary that was, especially when that’s the only way to access the upper floors? It was a very stressful and unsafe experience, and totally unacceptable. During the night, the elevator made loud noises that kept us awake. Sometimes the in-room speaker would randomly make strange sounds, adding even more discomfort. We also had a disappointing experience at the pool. We ordered drinks and were served in basic plastic cups that looked like they came from a convenience store—but we were charged over $55, including a 20%+ service charge. That is extremely overpriced, and no one informed us of the price beforehand. On top of that, if you don’t get to the pool early in the morning, it’s nearly impossible to find a decent chair unless you pay extra. The pool area was overcrowded and not enjoyable at all. Not to mention, the beach itself was a disappointment. The seaweed this season (July) was overwhelming. Overall, this was not the level of service, hospitality, or quality we expected from a 5-star hotel. We were very disappointed with our stay and hope you take this feedback seriously to improve future guest experiences.