Greenview by Lowkl — Hotel in Miami Beach

I feel the need to contribute an honest and transparent review. I booked my stay at Greenview - WEEKS PRIOR to falling upon the Tripadvisor reviews for this hotel. I read these overwhelming reviews days before checking in and they had me scared that I was walking myself into a nightmare stay. I decided to make my own mind and stay anyway - and I am glad I did. Upon arrival on a Tuesday morning (10am), the check in staff member was VERY nice and immediately took my bags to hold. March is a busy month in South Beach, so I didn't expect to have a room that early so I planned to do work in the lobby or a coffee shop. This hotel is located right off the Lincoln road mall so I actually decided to post at one of the nearby Starbucks locations. By the time my work was finished it was 2pm and I walked back to the hotel to check on the status of an early check in - and to my surprised my room was ready. I was on second level, #204 - the check in staff ensured I was in a room away from the nearby construction. I held my breath as I walked into my room - and to my great surprise, it was great. The floors are wood, the AC unit was working (blowing cold) and looked fairly new. I don't like cold, so I turned my unit off and didn't need to turn it on the entire stay. The room was like the picture of 2 full beds, same colors on the wall (green/teal). It is a little dim at night - but there was plenty of light and light fixtures to turn on. There was a nice flat screen tv with cable channels. The window was nice and large with a black out blind and sheer curtains. The black out blinds actually caused me to sleep so well the first night I woke up late! The bed is very comfortable, I had plenty of clean linens and pillows. The room was spacious, there was a separate small walk in closet with plenty of shelving, and hanger space as well as a personal safe. The room had a desk, chair and a small fridge. Bathroom was adequate with a spacious step in shower. I had plenty of towels in the bathroom as well as back stocked in the closet. The amenities were premium. Overall the room was clean, spacious, comfortable and equipped. It did not smell - this was my greatest fear from these bad review - as I have an acute sense of smell. I did not have or see any bugs at any time during my stay. Actually, the cleaning staff were ALWAYS working. I woke very early on days to run and so I was in and out the room a lot and I witnessed the cleaning staff constantly cleaning & servicing neighboring rooms. ||Now was the room and hotel BRAND NEW AND PRISTINE?? There are scratches on the wood flooring, wall paint and furniture - but scratches isn't filth. The tiles in the bathroom aren't brand new - they look to be original to the old construction of the building...but again, cracks and not being new, doesn't mean it's filthy just older. And if you're familiar with South Beach, or actually Miami as a whole for that matter - for the price point of "brand new and pristine" will cost a person upward of $300-400 a night. Most places from $70-$150 range won't likely be newly renovated and pristine new - but that doesn't mean it's dirty and not worth the stay. There are plenty of terrible bait & switch places including airbnbs in the Miami area - I have been coming to Miami for a decade several times a year and have stayed at many different accommodations in Miami, Hollywood, and Ft Lauderdale. The culture of accommodation is the same - you have either really cheap hostel like places under $75 a night or very very expensive pristine new $300-400 a night places. The places in the middle like Greenview are a hit or miss. But I really feel like Greenview is getting a bad rap for no reason. ||I interacted with different staff on the several days I was there - and ALL OF THEM were very attentive and nice. They even have clean complimentary beach towels for check out, which I used each day. The place doesn't have a restaurant or bar but that doesn't matter because the location is EXCELLENT - as I said before, it's right off the Lincoln Road mall so there's tons of shopping options and restaurants to choose from. And it's 2 blocks from the Ocean - so there's a ton of options on Washington, on Lincoln and of course Ocean & Collins. The location is also great for getting a good rest, because you're not sharing bars as neighbors, the noise factor wasn't an issue...I slept very good each night. Overall I'm giving an Excellent rating based on Location, Space/Cleanliness, Staff and Deal for the money. ||I feel like the people leaving bad outrageous reviews are the kind of people who would move into a busy city apartment on the bottom floor and complain that they hear their neighbors above them. Or pick a room that's above a pub and complain that there's noise all the time. I live in NYC, and I frequently stay in Miami - GREENVIEW HOTEL WAS A NICE SURPRISE STAY and I would...

I stayed here for a conference in early April and have mixed feelings about the hotel. Overall, it's not a terrible place to stay. I stayed with my spouse and a friend of mine in a room with 2 full-sized beds. It was -just- enough space for the 3 of us. The facilities are quite old and dated, but I didn't mind it. My feelings are, admittedly, skewed slightly favorably since I did end up having a good time in Miami and I am not at all fussy when it comes to accommodations anyway. We arrived very late (like 3 or 4 am) since our flight was delayed. The young man at the desk was kind enough to give us an excellent breakfast recommendation around the corner from the hotel (South Beach Munchies).

Pros: The location can't be beat. It is a very central location, in the middle of a lot of shopping, food, with easy access to the beach. If you are attending a conference, this is an EXCELLENT location. I was extremely lucky to be able to get to and from the conference center so easily whenever I needed. They have 24 hr staff at the front desk for late check-ins as well. The room had plenty of mirrors: in the bathroom, next to the bed, and in the walk-in closet. If a group of young friends in their 20s were to stay here, they would all be able to get sufficient mirror access before a night out. For how old and run-down everything looked otherwise, the beds and bedsheets shockingly super clean and spotless. The linens were crisp, clean, and very white. The bed was very soft and comfortable and I had no problems sleeping.

Cons: No regular bed-making/towel change. They will provide extra soap/towels upon request only and stop by to pick up dirty towels, but that's it. Speaking of towels, several that we received were stained so we asked for more, which luckily ended up being sufficient. The shower/bathroom could use significant remodeling. Bring flip flips/slides to make the most of this place. The bathroom could've used more counter space too.

Neutral: There is a pool, but it belongs to the sister hotel to this location. It is on the opposite side of the block and is a little awkward to find. There is an outdoor restaurant overlooking the pool. There are reserved chairs on the beach as well, but they get put away at 5PM (as do all of the chairs on the beach, regardless of hotel affiliation). I asked for beach towels since I was going to the beach in the early evening and the hotel provided them. The beach is quite nice around sunset as most people are gone and the temperature is very comfortable. I had more fun at the beach after 5PM during the nicer temperatures without the beach chairs than I did when I went earlier during the day while the beach chairs were available.

Recommendations for visitors: Bring flip flops or slides for showering and lounging in the room, it'll make a world of difference for how much you enjoy it. Use the Lincoln St entrance to get to the beach if you're going--the other entrances to the beach are super RACHET. There's a decent Cuban food place on the same block as the hotel, it's two doors to the right if you are looking at the hotel from the street entrance and is open late (til 2am). Buy a couple of gallons of water from CVS around the corner and keep them in the minifridge so you can...

So my hubby & I stayed here just this weekend 3/10-3/12/2023 so I'll give the deets! We arrived early, wayyy early but the guy at the desk was nice enough to allow use to store our bags until about 1:30pm when he could check us in. Lobby was....open(not airy at all, stale) Sofas were cute but had some dust or crumbs on it....and no A/C in the lobby. Lobby bathroom was not filthy but it smelled. Pool behind the building & down a small alley was a pleasant treat but the pool is between 2 restaurants and both can see the pool very well. Also please be aware that there is construction of a new hotel going up next to Greenview. The constant noise was crazy. We take mid day naps before dinner & drinks...it was not possible & the noise starts around 10a. Dreadfully our room was directly next to the new construction. A/C was outstanding in the room. Bed was comfy but so weird, it was only about 3inchs off the floor, very low, older occupants would not be able to utilize these beds at all. Lighting in the room was bad so I couldn't do makeup at the small desk. No outlets on both sides of the bed so my husband had to charge his Apple watch in the bathroom near the sink 🙄. Also when we arrived in our room there was a dirty nylon under the desk. I literally left it there...didn't touch it. Fridge in the room was cool it worked well. Just a quick look around the room & you could tell the room hasn't been cleaned thoroughly in quite some time. Baseboards & windows not clean. Tv was very small & not smart at all. Floors were dirty. They had not been mopped that day....or even that week. Bathroom was a pleasant surprise very modern, open & sleek. Rain shower faucet in shower, modern toilet(that was not cleaned under the seat) I mean honestly just a good deep cleaning & a few changes & this hotel could be awesome. One good thing is that the hotel has a partnership with Boucher Brothers on Miami Beach at 21st Street at the beach, so hotel occupants can go over to the beach everyday between 9a-5p and get 2 beach chairs & umbrella set up free of charge...(Boucher Brothers have the blue & white chairs & umbrellas with Double B's on it) That was honestly my favorite amenity. Also before i forget the bathroom sink does not have hot water...only right above cold. The faucet doesn't turn left or right...just flips up. Room has hair dryer, ironing board & iron along with hangers & a really small corner that's used as a closet. Room safe is provided as well. Doors to rooms don't touch the floor so noise from the hallway is louder than usual. No carpet so it echos. You can see clear under the door, big space. Overall my husband & I gave this hotel 3.5 stars. The location is spot on. Near everything. Building dated. Rooms have been upgraded but with the lack of a deep clean it looks dusty & almost like you don't want to touch certain things....like the chair to the desk in our room. I put towels over it before I sat down. Again Overall just ok...I mean you're in Miami you won't spend that much time in the room. Hope this helps. Also front desk guy was...