Grand Beach Hotel Bay Harbor — Hotel in Bay Harbor Islands

The absolute worst experience from check in to after check out one could possibly imagine from a $300/night hotel. I planned a relaxing post-birthday staycation for my boyfriend and I and I chose this hotel for the relaxing location (compared to Miami Beach) and SPECIFICALLY for 24 hour room service and the cocktail lounge advertised on both their website and Expedia. Both of which they do not have and both of which I had to ask about on separate occasions because nothing was mentioned. The better deal was with Expedia so At 4:47 Monday afternoon, I made the reservation and Expedia said everything was confirmed but it may take UP TO 20 MINUTES for the hotel to receive the reservation and to get us checked in. No worries. We arrived almost an hour later and the gentlemen at the front desk couldn't find the reservation and said it can take up to an hour and a half. He didn't have any other option for us and didn't seem to know much about anything so we walked to Makoto and had a long late lunch. By the time we got back to the hotel it is around 7:10pm and I know this because that is the time stated on my Expedia confirmation email that I was asked to forward because THEY STILL COULD NOT FIND THE RESERVATION. So, they asked for my debit card so they could charge it a SECOND TIME so we could get into our room. Mind you, I was already charged once through Expedia and now again because of their "technical difficulties" and "they just opened on Friday" (that is inexcusable considering this is a multi-million dollar project that has other sister hotels all over South Florida. You may have opened on Friday but this certainly isn't your first time). I was given my card back but they needed it again to charge a refundable $100 per night security deposit which NATURALLY, my bank detected as fraud and declined the charge. My lovely boyfriend took care of the deposit while I tried to figure out for myself what this hotel was doing as they were horrible at explaining anything. Fortunately, per the inconvenience, we were upgraded to a suite! Unfortunately, that suite had 2 queen beds rather than the king we had planned for in the cheaper, measly sunset view room we were supposed to have. So room #3 brings us to a beautiful water view suite with a lovely king size bed. Some time later, we call down asking for silverware and hear nothing back. Some more time later, we go down to use the jacuzzi. It's lukewarm and there aren't any towels. The grab-and-go breakfast is a decent selection of cold food, well presented, and clean. The staff is nice. Bringing us to check out, the first bill they slide under your room door said a balance of $0.00. At the front desk, I was handed a balance of $287. I guess they still hadn't gotten around to clearing it up with Expedia considering they were so busy with the 2 other people staying in the hotel. After many minutes of waiting, a lady comes out and apologizes and said "we had some mix ups, but don't worry, I'm not going to charge you that, you're all set." Oh really? You aren't going to commit fraud and illegal charge me for something I didn't buy? A true queen. Fast forward to today, my boyfriend checks his bank statement and sees a nearly $400 charge on his credit card for the deposit. Fast forward to many unhelpful calls later, the hotel says the money will be refunded within 5 business days. All in all, this hotel is beautiful in a minimalist, contemporary way that is still warm. The views are lovely. The loud construction didn't bother me but I heard a family complaining during check out, so keep in mind that this hotel is operating while unfinished and the street can be easily heard on the balconies. The hotel has potential once they begin operating in a professional and experienced manner but these inconveniences were not what I was hoping for when I though of "romantic surprise staycation". My boyfriend's card being charged quadruple what it was supposed to be is not the romance or happy birthday I wanted for him. I once stayed at the Ramada in Sunny Isles Beach...supreme...

I wrote a formal lodge a complaint regarding the unacceptable service, aggressive behavior, and treatment I encountered during my recent stay at your hotel from 7/17/24 to 7/24/24. Firstly, I was extremely disappointed with the overall service provided and mold. The room was not cleaned properly due to mold around the vents, a serious health concern and a violation of the Florida Department of Health which is extremely dangerous to breathe or to sleep in an environment in dangerous circumstances and conditions. The amenities were insufficient, and basic requests for delivery assistance were either ignored or met with undue aggression. This level of service falls significantly short of the standards expected from a reputed establishment like yourself and shows the reputation of the employment and staff. More disturbingly, I experienced aggressive and biased behavior from the guest services member of your Front Desk staff. On multiple occasions, I have received several Amazon deliveries, I observed the staff members being dismissive to the Dr. staff to effectively support myself as a guest and patient. The most recent engagement led to hostility towards me while inquiring about the latest delivery. This aggressive demeanor was unprofessional and made me feel targeted and unwelcome. Additionally, there was a notable lack of effective communication, emotional intelligence, and empathy towards someone with recent surgeries. When I tried to address my concerns with the staff, they were either unresponsive or gave vague and unhelpful responses. The guest services representative, in particular, was extremely aggressive towards me, hung up the phone in my face, and failed to provide the assistance I needed as a patient of Dr. Instead, highlighted additional charges for delivery services, which added to my frustration. The founding website guidelines doesn't include additional charges for deliveries as a guest and from my understanding patient's has the ability to have deliveries. This behavior is completely unacceptable and goes against the principles of hospitality and equality. I felt discriminated against, and this ruined what was supposed to be a pleasant stay during my healing from a recent surgery. I trust that your establishment does not condone such actions and will take appropriate measures to address these serious issues. I request a full investigation into these incidents and expect a written response detailing the steps that will be taken to ensure such behavior does not occur in the future. I wasn’t trying to complain but with the expenses of the room isn’t equivalent to the expectation. The room appeared to have been built poorly or missing the maintenance because there was missing material parts or chips throughout the room and the iron didn’t work or the television would randomly stop working. They didn’t try to make accommodations and I didn’t speak with anyone until the day I was checking out. The lackluster service and response was a concern, especially since there were no immediate follow through to mediate or resolve the disputes. Rooms1.0Service1.0Location1.0 SafetyThe room has mold around the vents, a serious health concern and a violation of the Florida Department of Health which is extremely dangerous to breathe or to sleep in an environment in dangerous circumstances...

I have stayed at the Grand Beach Bay Harbor countless times over the past four years with my wife while visiting her parents, who live in the area. Additionally, other members of the family have stayed here and at other Grand Beach hotels in the area during their visits. Unfortunately, our most recent stay over Christmas and New Year’s revealed a noticeable decline in the quality of both the accommodations and service.

Initially, we had to pay for an upgrade to switch rooms after being placed in a second-floor room facing the street. The room was plagued by a loud thump from the AC unit every 20–30 minutes, in addition to street noise and gardeners waking us up early in the morning. We moved to a fifth-floor room facing the bay, which was much better. One of the front desk employees who assisted us with this was very helpful. However, the TV in our first room didn’t work properly, and the same issue occurred in the second room.

We also noticed a lack of attention from the housekeeping staff during our stay. While it wasn’t a major issue at first, things took a turn for the worse when we returned late one night to find that the bed had no sheet on the mattress. When we called to report the issue, we were told the hotel had no sheets left and that we would need to wait for a delivery. About an hour later, we were given a single flat sheet—which was stained.

However, it took several days for a manager to even be on-site and willing to speak with us. Voicing our frustration to the front desk staff did not create any urgency for the managerial staff to contact us or try to make things right. After three days, a manager finally showed up on the premises, and when my wife went down to speak with him, she was not treated with the respect she deserved as a loyal, paying customer.

In the end, the hotel waived our resort fees, which felt like an inadequate response given the issues we faced. To make matters worse, they later threatened to charge us $150 for a stain they claimed we caused on a sheet. Apparently, it is hotel policy to charge $150 per sheet they deem ruined, despite the fact that, based on the quality of the sheets they use, there is no way they pay anywhere near that amount for them. This policy is especially insulting given that they provided us with stained sheets during our stay.

This entire experience was deeply frustrating and insulting. We spent a significant amount of money to stay here for Christmas and New Year’s, and the hotel failed at every turn to meet even basic standards of cleanliness and service. Despite having ample opportunities to rectify the situation, they blatantly failed to satisfy a loyal customer.

As long as I can avoid it, I will never stay at a Grand Beach...