Riverside Hotel Fort Lauderdale — Hotel in Fort Lauderdale

Disappointed with Unprofessionalism and Lack of Communication (Wedding Celebration Brunch)

Our experience with Loma, the Director of Sales and Catering at the Riverside Hotel, was deeply disappointing due to her poor communication and lack of professionalism.

We were trying to book a brunch celebration for our wedding, without a ceremony, DJ, or dance floor—just a simple brunch gathering. We chose this option because we were under the impression it would be a more affordable choice, which is why we set a budget of $15,000.

From the beginning, scheduling a consultation was unnecessarily difficult. Loma was unresponsive when we tried to adjust the initial meeting time, and only after several follow-ups—including a call from my mother-in-law the day before the meeting—did we finally confirm a time. On the day of the meeting, Loma arrived 15 minutes late. While she was pleasant and informative during the tour and took the time to get to know us, she was unable to provide basic information, such as the minimum cost required to book the space. Despite claiming significant experience, she could not offer even a ballpark figure, instead promising to send a proposal later.

During the meeting, Loma suggested adding hors d’oeuvres to help meet the room’s minimum (which claimed to not know) and promised to send us a menu of options because she did not have it available that day. We were fine with waiting, but she never sent the menu, leaving us unable to evaluate our choices or make informed decisions.

The following week, after we made multiple attempts to contact her, we finally received an email on Friday. Our initial consultation with Loma was the previous Saturday, so we received the estimate almost 1 week later. She claimed to be out of office Monday-Wednesday, and apparently, she was the only one who could give us the proposal. The email she finally sent was accompanied by a passive-aggressive comment about giving “every couple the time they deserve” (implying the delay was cause by her busy schedule) and included only a PDF attachment with no explanation or details. The initial proposal totaled approximately $17,000, which included a $15,000 food and beverage minimum, plus taxes and service fees. However, the proposal made no mention of whether the service fees and taxes were included in the minimum, leaving us confused. We had to email her back for clarification.

Her eventual response later that day confirmed that we had not met the $15,000 minimum before taxes and service fees. She stated we would need to spend an additional $2,250, bringing the new total to nearly $20,000—$5,000 over our clearly communicated $15,000 budget. This was incredibly frustrating because we absolutely loved the venue and would have been willing to spend upwards of $20,000 if the communication had been clear from the start. However, Loma’s poor communication, unprofessionalism, and dismissive tone ultimately made us decide against booking at the Riverside Hotel. We attempted to contact Loma after the chain of emails both Friday and Saturday (today) to see what our option and were willing to make it work, but she never replied.

While the venue itself was beautiful and something we were seriously considering, Loma singlehandedly caused us to walk away. Her delays, lack of clarity, and failure to follow through—such as not sending the hors d’oeuvres menu she promised—left us feeling undervalued and strung along. It was a clear indication of how the entire planning process would have unfolded, and we refused to risk wasting more time and money.

For anyone considering this venue for their special occasion, I strongly recommend ensuring you receive clear, timely communication before committing to work...

If your gut is leaning towards booking Riverside Hotel for your wedding, do it! After looking at other venues, something kept pulling me back to Riverside. Loma is there for you for every single question you may have (my parents and I had a lot!) and has the most welcome, open and funny personality! We had post wedding blues partly because spending time talking with Loma and the rest of the staff at Riverside about wedding details had come to a close. My in-laws hosted the rehearsal at Wild Sea on Las Olas (part of Riverside collection) and we hosted our Bon Voyage Breakfast on the Skyline Terrace. The service, quality and atmosphere at each event was incredible- you experience the family owned essence of Riverside at each event. Most of our guests were out of town and made a vacation out of our wedding and loved being right on Las Olas. They loved staying at Riverside with the convenience of the water taxi stop, pool and bars and restaurants that are part of the hotel and the kindness of the staff throughout their stay. This is not a hotel where your guests are stuck in four walls during their stay and during your reception. The day of the wedding was truly everything I had envisioned. We had our cocktail hour on the Skyline Terrace and reception in the Himmarshee Ballroom. I asked Loma if we could keep a bar outside and doors open for access to the Terrace and I am so glad we did. Guests who wanted to take in the city and River views, take pictures or smoke a cigar from cocktail hour did just that and it was nice to have an indoor/outdoor setup in Florida! We even led one of our Greek dance lines outside throughout the whole terrace! I am still getting compliments on the food! We chose the duet of roasted chicken breast and pan seared diver scallops with the grits and tasso cream sauce and the grilled 12 oz New York strip steak with Yukon gold hash with slab bacon and house made steak sauce. First of all, the portions were outrageous, you have never seen this much as a wedding entree I promise you. Guests continue to rave about the portion, presentation, perfect temperature and impeccable flavors. Chef Brian even made sure to add the colorful vegetables we loved that were plated at our tasting. The salad was not your usual and the cucumber slices wrapped around the rest of the salad was such an elegant visual touch. The amuse bouche was also out of this world- where else can you choose Cap n' Crunch chicken and waffles as one of your five choices? Guests continued to be thrilled with the food during dessert. We chose red velvet cake/cream cheese filling with fresh raspberries and lemon cake with key lime buttercream. Guests were so impressed with how moist, fresh and flavorful it was. We can't wait to eat our top tier for our anniversary! Chef Sabrina's design was perfect! Special thank you to the whole Riverside team and especially Loma, Aldo and Finn. You will all be a part of our day when we look back on it. Everyone involved in planning and all the guests had nothing but positive words. Loma makes you feel like family and made our day outstanding! The setup was incredible (see pic of me during the reveal), all the food and cake were unlike any other wedding and the atmosphere created by the whole staff is such a huge bonus and makes a big difference in the planning process and outcome of your day; Loma even left us a card and some treats in our suite which was so special. So much thanks to everyone at Riverside Hotel! Be sure to check out their Instagram for Wedding Wednesday posts to...

Walking into the Riverside Hotel it's immediate surroundings are it's a very plush accommodation. Receptionists are friendly and very helpful. Donna was amazing at making us feel very welcomed. Entering the room, we noticed it gave us enough space to change and sleep in. The queen sized beds are very high and firm. Highly suitable for people who have problems getting up off furniture. The bathroom has a nice mixture of a bath and shower facility. The smell walking into the room was of a clean and orderly place. Whilst unpacking it became clear there wasn't enough space. I naturally assume the side of the bed closest to the door wherever we stay, this meant I had a bedside chest of drawers with 4 drawers, all the sockets, the phone, a lamp and clock on my side, my partner only had a bedside table which was predominantly taken up with a lamp. She had to make do with two large doors drawers under the safe cupboard. Although there is a chair in the room it fast become a clothes storage place for my partner. I would suggest that both sides would benefit from the same storage. The closet is functional, however there were only 6 hangers, so we had to double up clothes on the hangers to store them. The bathroom towel supply was so good, fresh, clean, white towels everyday and a floor towel for when you get out of the shower/bath, however the toilet tissue was a one ply affair, which you had use a fair amount of. At home it takes me just over three weeks to get through one roll. In the 10 days we were there we went through 5 rolls. Not sure if that's economically viable, but it certainly wasn't environmentally viable, If I may make a suggestion for more storage for guests to store their bathroom items would be ideal. There is a small glass shelf and whilst it makes the bathroom look nice it's not really functional. We had to store items on the sink as well as the shelf and we aren't over-the-top people. One person would be comfortable in this room, 2 people it's a battle for space. Daily room service is brought in by 10am. So you can be sure of service daily. The hotel is a big complex and has some fantastic food options, 2 dine in restaurants,a snack/coffee shop and a bar. Oh a pool and a gym. The pool really isn't anything to write home about, but the gym is fully furnished with everything you'd need for a complete workout, except a PT! I do have one major criticism, you can't get the room dark enough to sleep. The room does have a blind AND blackout Curtains, however they both don't completely darken the room. The curtains didn't close completely and let in light on the sides and in the middle there was a gap of about a foot, if you pulled the curtains too much it left gaps at the side of the window where the blind didn't fully the window also the blind wouldn't fully drop, which let light in at the bottom. If you appreciate you sleep in a dark environment bring an eye mask. I did enjoy staying here, but it wasn't home from home. Deffo good for a cheeky weekend...