Hotel Colonnade Coral Gables, Autograph Collection — Hotel in Coral Gables

My sister chose to stay at this hotel the weekend of her wedding because it is beautiful and close to the wedding venue. There were a total of twelve rooms booked from the wedding party. She had two rooms under her name and for the most part her reservation was fine, except that the rooms were extremely hot at certain points and took a long time to cool down. However, I booked a room as did my mom and both of our rooms were wrong. I booked a room with two queen beds. I was initially given a hot and stuffy room with one king sized bed, but was able to get moved to a two double bed room. My mother booked a loft that was paid months in advance. We checked in late and even though my mother’s loft was paid in full prior to check in, there were no lofts available for her. Instead, they placed her in a two queen bed room. The purpose of the loft was to have space for the wedding party to get ready since hair and make up artists were coming in the next morning to work on about eight people. The hotel apologized and said that as soon as a loft checked out the next morning, they would move us into it. This defeated the purpose since we needed to start getting ready at 7AM and check out is at eleven. While the front desk staff was very polite, it took over an hour to get the room mix up straightened out. They told us that we requested an “oasis” room, despite having the confirmation of the loft in our hands. This was exhausting and stressful on the night before the wedding. We got there to check in around 940PM and weren’t settled in our rooms until almost 11. Instead of enjoying the last night before the wedding and getting to rest, we had to worry about straightening out the room arrangements and figuring out which room we would all get ready in instead. Then, on the day of the wedding, we informed the valet that we needed our cars - advised them of the wedding and the pressing need for our cars (only two cars were requested). We waited over forty five minutes for the cars, which made the bridesmaids late to the wedding - when the wedding was at a church about seven minutes away. This was truly unacceptable service. Finally, on Sunday, we had to spend additional time trying to straighten out the pricing because obviously the rooms we stayed in were a lesser rate than the ones initially reserved. Jasmine, the manager, was very nice and professional and did partially refund to adjust the price of the rooms. Humberto the bellman was amazing - very kind and helpful. However, I do NOT recommend staying at this hotel for a special event. While it is beautiful and makes for good pictures, all the stress wasn’t worth it. The mix up with the rooms and the delay with the valet are truly unacceptable especially when you are spending so much money (having a wedding party that rented 12 rooms). At the price you pay at this hotel, you expect everything to be smooth. But that was not the case. There are plenty of beautiful hotels in Coral Gables and in Miami generally....

My name is William Santiago I stayed at Colonnade Coral Gables from April 19, 2019 to April 23, 2019 and the experience and expectations that wereset were not met at all. Before booking I had called in to ask a representative to make sure there was handicap parking at which time I was told yes. However as soon as I arrive before I can even check in I come to find out that was not the case. I arrived with my truck and asked for assistance because I am disabled and I was told we dont park handicap cars, you were misinformed. The representative that worked there could have at least asked if there was any way that he could help me and my 4 and 5 year old sons but they didn’t even bother to ask. Against my better judgement I decide to stay at the hotel. At no surprise after the initial impression, the room was many completely filthy and unfit for family stay. No ventilation in bathroom (No window or extractor fan), pillows were flat hurting your neck when you’re sleeping, the room was not cleaned prior to our arrival as residue of dust was settled everywhere. Despite making it the hotels problem to clean the room I decide to clean up mildly by wiping down some of the furniture however what I didn’t account for was the dust on the ceiling falling down onto everything I had just cleaned making no difference even after my attempt to clean it. Under the bed was a filthy nightmare with dirt and dust maybe not cleaned for several months. (Pretty concerning as things of this nature cause other issues such as bed bugs) - Bed sheets weren’t fresh either as they were stained from previous use and garbage from a previous stay still laid next to bed. The refrigerator was dirty, filled with broken racks, hair and melting ice. I needed a working refrigerator for my heath complications as it requires me to take daily milk based liquid meals (that are very costly) and the refrigerator did not keep a consistent temperature changing from warm to slightly cold rotting my liquid meals. The bathroom sink was clogged the whole stay. Finally after absorbing all the issues with the room I decided to speak to Leo and then his supervisor Thomas and Jasmine 3 days later which is the manager. I was told my issue would be escalated to upper management and was also offered complimentary breakfast because of all the inconvenience and then was charged. I was charged parking when they told me handicap was free and not to worry they will park my truck. At check out they emailed me the receipt instead of giving me a paper copy. I felt like they made this decision so I could leave without knowing the full charges on my card. This experience was not fit for any basic stay and very unprofessional. At certain degrees their employees are negligent and do not seem to have enough customer service experience fit for family or handicap needs. I felt unheard, unwanted and unappreciated as a customer and completely lied to. Please see attachments Sincerely...

I want to address two incidents that occurred at the Colonnade during my event on September 16th, 2023 as they have greatly impacted my experience. Firstly, I was deeply troubled by the lack of transparency and honesty regarding my bill. I received a final bill with a $2,376.75 charge labeled as an "overage fee," with the assurance that it would be refunded at the end of the event. However, when the event concluded, the fee was not returned as promised. Upon questioning this, the staff removed the charge from the bill and claimed that it was never applied, despite the fact that I had paid it and had documented proof of the payment. It was evident that there were significant discrepancies in the accounting processes. After some back and forth, they presented me with a revised bill that excluded the overage fee. This raised the question of where the money had gone, especially considering that I had initially paid for it. It later came to light that they had concealed the fee within the food items, billing me for higher-priced items than those I had actually selected. This lack of honesty and integrity is entirely unexpected from a reputable company like Marriott.

The second incident pertains to the lack of proper protocol regarding the well-being and safety of a minor present at the event. As the event drew to a close, a front desk receptionist questioned my relationship to the evening's event and indicated that they intended to charge extra due to disturbances caused by minors in the party. It was later revealed that some teenagers in our group had been loud near the gym. However, what the staff failed to communicate was that one of the underage children had been assaulted by a hotel guest. I was appalled to discover that the hotel had not taken any action to address this matter until I personally confronted the front desk. Instead of prioritizing the well-being of the minors and promptly contacting an adult about the incident, the staff were more concerned with imposing additional charges due to the disturbance.

I find both of these incidents deeply concerning and distressing. The lack of transparency with the billing process and the failure to handle a safety issue involving a minor are serious grievances that must be addressed. I expected a higher standard of professionalism and integrity from a well-regarded establishment like the Colonnade, and these episodes have left me disappointed and disillusioned.

I am sharing these experiences to raise awareness and urge the establishment to reflect on their policies and practices, particularly in regard to billing transparency and the safety of guests, especially minors. It is crucial for businesses to uphold ethical standards and prioritize the well-being of their patrons. I hope that by speaking out, similar issues can be prevented in the future and that necessary changes be...