Hilton Miami Dadeland — Hotel in Kendall

Hotel review

Pros: VERY clean Very nice staff Full Starbucks inside the hotel Located in a quiet area (or so we thought, see cons below) Unlike other sub-par hotels who chose to use COVID as an excuse to discontinue housekeeping services, this hotel still has housekeeping and while we often decline it, it’s refreshing to see this is still in place. Had issues with AC and staff came to fix it promptly.

Cons: Parking is $20 a day with no parking garage and no choice to park anywhere else without the fee.

Restaurant automatically includes 18% tip on all orders. Even to-go orders. Additional delivery fee to have it brought to your room. I ordered a single bowl of fruit to go and was charged 18% tip. Why would I tip for a fruit cup to go? To go orders should NEVER automatically include a tip. Honestly I still do tip for my to go orders but never 18%. %18 tips are for when you are dining in and being served. Who am I even tipping on my to go order? The hostess that took my order?

Restaurant is also a little slow. Came down between breakfast and lunch rush so it wasn’t very busy. Took 35 minutes for an order of waffles, bacon, and cup of fruit. Might want to make sure you go with time to spare. It was me and 3 other groups sitting in there at the time so it’s not like there was some huge rush of orders at the time.

Another issue I had with the restaurant is that the menu states that the Griddle meal comes with an option of 2 Waffles but when I got it there was only 1 Waffle. I asked them about this and they said the menu was just wrong and it only came with 1 waffle. I’m sorry but that’s not a valid excuse. You can’t just say after I ordered that the menu was just wrong after I already ordered and paid. I had already paid because this was a to go order.

Poor design choices in room. Farmhouse style sliding doors for the bathroom that do not slide all the way shut so people can see you sitting on the toilet. Maybe no issue when it’s just you and the spouse but when it’s you with your daughter and her teenage friends, it’s awkward. Bathroom is spacious in the suite we were in but another poor design choice is that there is no door separating the toilet area from the sink even though there a place to put one. Putting a separating door would solve both this issue and the issue with being able to see directly in due to the farmhouse style door.

This may be exclusive to our room but the water pressure in the bathroom sink was extremely low. The shower water pressure was fine though and that’s the one that mattered the most.

One day there was an event being held at the pool with very loud music that could easily be heard inside the room. We were in town for a funeral and already had a very busy day, we wanted to take a nap but the music was blaring and the bass was shaking things in our room. We picked this location because of how secluded it was from any loud places. This was unfortunate and it didn’t end until 8pm. There was also no notice that this event was going to be occurring. No mention of it during our booking, no signs posted around the hotel, no mention of it during check-in, and no mention of it even the day of.

Not really a con, just an observation really but their towels for the pool are way too small. You can’t even wrap it around you.

Summary: My original review was going to be positive for this hotel despite the other cons but the event at the pool pushed it over the edge for me to drop my rating. The music was certainly at an unreasonably loud level for the location. It’s not a problem that there was a party, it’s a problem that the music was far too loud and they took over the entire pool area so guests weren’t able to go down and enjoy the pool.

If loud parties are your thing then maybe this would not be an issue for you and you might even enjoy it. If I were booking on the coast, I’d be all for it. I booked here specifically because I wasn’t in the mood for that kind of thing being that I was in town...

Being that I travel often personally and professionally, I spend many nights in hotel rooms. I am loyal to the Hilton brand because I have a level of expectation when it comes to service, amenities, and cleanliness. When booking specific locations, amenities are extremely important to me, only because those vary based on location, service and cleanliness should be a constant.

After discovering this location on the app, I was excited and eager to visit. In my travels, locations with executive lounges are extremely important to me. The complimentary beverages and snacks are nice gestures of appreciation for Diamond members, but most importantly, they prevent you from purchasing the overly-priced item in the "pantry" (it is customary and standard that Hilton properties with executive lounges provide snacks and refreshments).

Out of all my hotel options, I booked this specific location for that reason, executive lounge access. Upon arrival, I met with a woman at the front desk. I was booked for a room with 2 queen beds, but I asked if space was available for me to switch to a room with a king bed instead, being that I was traveling alone. She made it seem like such a feat to check for available rooms and "upgrade" me. Being that it wasn't a big deal to me, I told her "not to worry", I'll keep the room that was initially selected for me.

After checking in and obtaining my key, I was told about breakfast, the pool, Starbucks, and the executive lounge. Being that the executive lounge was in view and it was only 4 pm (too early for dinner), I decided to visit the executive lounge for a light snack and beverage. After entering the lounge, I was surprised by empty counters (cafe machine) and coolers filled with purified water (It is customary for Hilton executive lounges to have both spring and purified water). Being that I was confused by the empty, dull, and uninviting space, I walked back to the front desk to inquire about the "condition" of the executive lounge.

I spoke with a gentleman about my disappointment in space they considered the "Executive Lounge", and that I booked this location specifically for the purpose of having access to a functional executive lounge. He essentially stated that "it is what it is", so I asked to speak with a supervisor, he stated "what exactly do you need to speak with him about", I stated that "I wanted to address my disappointment in the advertised amenities". After expressing my disappointment to George (front desk supervisor), and him stating that management axed the complimentary refreshments because of someone taking excessive amounts of item from the lounge, he had the same "what do you want me to", "it is what it is" attitude.

So, let me get this straight. Management decided to stop providing beverages and snacks in the executive lounge (that is essentially what it is there for), because someone took COMPLIMENTARY items. The amount of money one must spend in order to be granted access to the lounge is nothing compared to the cost of providing snacks and beverages to valued guests, regardless if a few may take advantage of their benefit.

I wasn't expecting anything outside of what I paid for. I did not expect George to make snacks and beverages magically appear, but I did expect him to care enough to "Make it Right", being that I paid for this reservation with the expectation of receiving what is advertised and expected. I know my executive lounge expectations sound trivial, but what other benefits does a Diamond member really get at this location? I do not usually benefit from the complimentary breakfast because I am out of the door by 630 am.

After being "brushed off" by the front desk staff, I called the Diamond desk to express my disappointment. After conversing with the Diamond desk and them calling the front desk to "make sense" of their executive lounge, by way of the Diamond desk rep, George wanted to offer me a comp appetizer at the on-site...

I reluctantly gave this place three chances, and the staff have shown themselves to be unhelpful every time. Recent reservation under 1658105615959088 had the following issues:

Booked accidentally under non-refundable rate for $1500 for the week and upon reaching out to the hotel within the minute to cancel to rebook under my usual refundable fare, they ignored every contact attempt.

Mystery stains on sheets all visits, this recent one with blood stains.

Junior SUITE unstocked. No conditioner, no slippers, no coffee.

Room was not cleaned NOT ONCE when asked. I doubt the credibility of a recent "policy change" that guests must leave to simply take out the trash. I had a medical event. Do you expect people in wheelchairs or people healing from surgery to leave, or else they don't receive service? I will need to investigate what ADA guidelines state.

Incompetent staff who will never resolve problems. For the first time I asked for a discount given I didn't receive what is expected. When I had to physically go down to the front desk, I was told I'd receive points to my Hilton account by Alejandro, and another confused staff member, rather than a refund... Never received! And so the next day when checking out.. ANOTHER woman says well I don't see any notes. Who did you talk to? Slippers only come with suites- and I correct her stating I DID book a suite (she clearly isnt paying attention!) and she has to talk to her manager.

May I never return to this place. I will certainly follow up with Hilton corporate.

Initial review I mention: The housekeeping issues include a breach of trust when our "Do Not Disturb" sign was blatantly ignored on a day we did not specify cleaning. Fortunately, our valuables were secured in the room safe as we were out, echoing a sentiment of relief in light of other guests' unfortunate experiences with stolen belongings. Housekeeping were also prompted to come every other day. They didn't, prompting me to manually call them and then in the final few days, they'd knock at 9am requesting housekeeping.. They also didn't clean the wad of hair in the bathroom upon our arrival, left offensively dirty sheets with wet marks on our bed each time they came. Their service left much to be desired.

Another hiccup in an otherwise positive front desk experience was Grace. Unlike the rest of the team, she seemed to harbor a tendency to complicate matters for guests. Her perplexing explanation regarding a reservation extension and an abrupt change in behavior after some pushback left a negative impression. It raises doubts about her adherence to Hilton standards of customer service, as she said she would only value my second reservation if booked through Hilton as opposed to Expedia. I never booked through Expedia, for one. Secondly, a reservation with the same specifications, albeit the date, should be honored regardless of where it was booked. Understanding the power complex some employees have, I politely asked for her name (she was very reluctant to give it out) and had to unnecessarily convince her to assign the same room on our second reservation since it was what we booked. The interaction was...