Leslie Hotel Ocean Drive — Hotel in Miami Beach

Would never go back: very bad customer service experience.

I stayed in the Leslie Hotel together with my child for one night from August 16 to August 17, 2025. When we arrived, our room wasn’t ready, so we stored our bags and checked in later around 6:00PM. The next Sunday morning, we were getting all packed up and ready for checkout, when the phone rang around 10:50 am. We tried to answer, but the phone didn’t seem to work. So 5 minutes later, at 10:55, the bellman knocked on the door. He saw that we were packing up and getting ready to check out. He told us that check out is at 11:00 am. I told him that we were getting ready and would check out ASAP but in no case later than 12:00PM. He left, and two minutes later, the telephone rang again. As it didn’t work, we couldn’t answer. Then 2 minutes later, another knocking on our door. I opened, and the lady from front desk, Patricia, was at our door together with the bellman. She forcefully told us that check out was at 11:00 am and that we needed to leave, otherwise, she would charge us a late checkout fee. She did not show the customer orientation I would expect from a professional hotel and let the situation escalate. I felt very uneasy and stressed with the situation, especially in front of my child. I again told her that we were getting ready as she could see and would check out ASAP but no later than 12:00. I also told her that it would only take longer if she wouldn’t let us continue getting ready and leave us alone. She finally did and left our room at 11:05 am. I really couldn’t understand all the escalation and pressure. When it all started we were even BEFORE the check-out time and eventually checked out only minutes after the time. If we had stayed in our room for much over the check-out time I could understand, but why completely annoy and antagonise a paying customer if the customer is basically within the time? After Patricia and the bellman left our room we got ready ASAP and were ready to check out around 11:15. I spoke with my son and then decided to go back to the front desk to solve the situation with Patricia without my child and give her the chance to settle the situation for an apology. She refused to apologise and let the situation escalate further. When I realised that she didn’t want to apologise or de-escalate the situation, I left, picked up my son, and checked out. Patricia wouldn’t speak one word with me, handed over the bill, and just left in the middle of the process, leaving me alone with the bellman. As she had threatened me with a late check out fee I asked for a confirmation of the return of my US$200 deposit but didn’t get it as she had left. The very friendly bell man tried to help, made a few phone calls but in the end couldn’t help. This was one of the most horrific customer service experiences I have ever made. I stay in hotels many, many nights every year and while not all experiences are always great, I have never experienced customer service as bad as with Patricia today. I felt not treated like a guest but as a problem, in my view there was a clear lack of customer service, focus and dedication to make a customer happy. I will certainly never return to...

We stayed here in early December. Understandably a busy time in Miami and we were grateful for the Leslie for having an affordable option to stay in South Beach. No mind the outdated decor, the old musk, the bizarre tinted window to the shower from the bedroom, the noise throughout the night from the restaurants and bars downstairs. We had two Queen sized beds in a fairly spacious room (201).

However, there were the things that were not fully lining up with what was promised. It states on the website that “we’re happy to provide beach chairs, umbrellas and towels to help you relax, available at the front desk” We go to the front desk to be told they do no in fact have umbrellas. Enjoy our excessive sun exposure, I guess.

Then came the day of check out. With an evening flight, I was hoping to do a later checkout (an extra hour would be nice). I knew that this was not guaranteed but I had verified with the front desk prior to staying that they could offer late check out if they were not booked and this was validated by the website: “Book an early flight? Want to sleep in? Our staff will do our very best to accommodate you — just let us know in advance.”

Before heading to the front desk to request, I checked the website that there were still two Queen sized rooms available to reserve that evening (which made sense given we were leaving on a Monday). I ask the front desk and she tells me immediately that would not be possible. When pressed on why given the availability of rooms, she says because an old couple is coming in at noon on the dot and has requested our room 201 in particular given it was quiet. Odd--given the noise we heard from the bar downstairs throughout our whole stay. Slowly but surely her lies built on a house of cards begins to collapse. How are they able to check in early when we were not given that same option? She pauses and eventually says because they had paid for an early stay. She follows that up to say if I stay in this room past 11 am, we will charge you. How can I stay in that room if the couple needed to be in here and had begged to stay in this room? She continued to frantically come up with an answer. As I continued to poke holes in her story, she spun in illogical circles and eventually I became exhausted talking with her and hung up. Later that day I was able to confirm with another front desk receptionist that my room 201 was available that evening and for the next. Late checkout would have been in line with their official policy. Nonetheless, I left early and did a day stay at the Goodtime Hotel--a hotel that was the opposite of the Leslie in many ways.

I have no issues given the staffing and logistical nightmares of a late checkout that you cannot grant guests this option . What I do have an issue with is infantilizing your guests. If you have a hardline policy for no late checkouts, say so. Treat us with dignity. Do not fabricate wild myths. Do not have policies online that do not align with how you operate. Even for this fabricated old couple who stay only in room 201 when in Miami and who only seemed to live in the mind of one front desk receptionist, I do hope they think of staying elsewhere on...

I stayed in the Leslie Hotel together with my child for one night from August 16 to August 17, 2025. When we arrived, our room wasn’t ready, so we stored our bags and checked in later around 6:00PM. The next Sunday morning, we were getting all packed up and ready for checkout, when the phone rang around 10:50 am. We tried to answer, but the phone didn’t seem to work. So 5 minutes later, at 10:55, the bellman knocked on the door. He saw that we were packing up and getting ready to check out. He told us that check out is at 11:00 am. I told him that we were getting ready and would check out ASAP but in no case later than 12:00PM. He left, and two minutes later, the telephone rang again. As it didn’t work, we couldn’t answer. Then 2 minutes later, another knocking on our door. I opened, and the lady from front desk, Patricia, was at our door together with the bellman. She forcefully told us that check out was at 11:00 am and that we needed to leave, otherwise, she would charge us a late checkout fee. She did not show the customer orientation I would expect from a professional hotel and let the situation escalate. I felt very uneasy and stressed with the situation, especially in front of my child. I again told her that we were getting ready as she could see and would check out ASAP but no later than 12:00. I also told her that it would only take longer if she wouldn’t let us continue getting ready and leave us alone. She finally did and left our room at 11:05 am. I really couldn’t understand all the escalation and pressure. When it all started we were even BEFORE the check-out time and eventually checked out only minutes after the time. If we had stayed in our room for much over the check-out time I could understand, but why completely annoy and antagonise a paying customer if the customer is basically within the time? After Patricia and the bellman left our room we got ready ASAP and were ready to check out around 11:15. I spoke with my son and then decided to go back to the front desk to solve the situation with Patricia without my child and give her the chance to settle the situation for an apology. She refused to apologise and let the situation escalate further. When I realised that she didn’t want to apologise or de-escalate the situation, I left, picked up my son, and checked out. Patricia wouldn’t speak one word with me, handed over the bill, and just left in the middle of the process, leaving me alone with the bellman. As she had threatened me with a late check out fee I asked for a confirmation of the return of my US$200 deposit but didn’t get it as she had left. The very friendly bell|man tried to help, made a few phone calls but in the end couldn’t help.|This was one of the most horrific customer service experiences I have ever made. I stay in hotels many, many nights every year and while not all experiences are always great, I have never experienced customer service as bad as with Patricia today. I felt not treated like a guest but as a problem, in my view there was a clear lack of customer service, focus and dedication to make a customer happy. I will certainly never return to...