The Catalina Hotel & Beach Club — Hotel in Miami Beach

Its hard to know where to start. I cannot fathom the 5 star reviews. Those people must have either booked the only penthouse suite, or got really lucky and got a room big enough to open a suitcase in. This is by far and wide the worst hotel I've ever stayed at. From amenities (or lack there of) to cleanliness (also lack of) and horrid customer service. Came here for a conference and will never ever return.

We'll start with false advertising: the rooms that are pictured...I'm assuming there's like maybe 2 of those (or however many pictures they have) because not one person I talked to in our large number of guests got a room anything like what was pictured. The hallway carpets in their three buildings was absolutely disgusting. They haven't hit that with a vacuum cleaner for months...much less actually cleaned it (see pictures) probably since installation. The website makes this "boutique" hotel look clean, refreshed, well kept...not even a little. It is falling apart, dingey, crowded, and broken. One of our few power outlets sparked like crazy so it couldn't be used.

We reserved a 2 queen beds room...they were 100% not queens. Doubles at best. We had a 4 occupancy room, and they provided 2 towels. We requested more...multiple times...never got them. We finally managed to convince someone to give us beach towels and she acted like it was a state secret. There was ZERO TOILET PAPER in the room. None. We had to snatch some from the maid closet which was almost empty. There's also nowhere to actually put the toilet paper. No dispenser. Weird. Also no hooks or towel rods. So good luck finding somewhere to put your lack of towels because you aren't getting a new one if you drop it. There's no room service. And when they show 4 days in, they take the towels... then don't replace them!! The thick dust and cobwebs on the hanging light inside the door is a testament to their lack of cleaning if the carpets weren't.

As for things that are expected per advertising but is still frankly horrible for a hotel in that area: Pool and rooftop deck closes at 7pm. Seven!! That's crazy early, especially for that area. No enjoying the rooftop when it isn't 113 degrees outside I guess. The 3rd party valet service is not good. Its stupid expensive, its not prompt, its not properly staffed so cars were literally parallel parking on the sidewalk. One of them tried to con is out of 7 days worth of valet service up front when we were using only 1 day due to other plans with the car. He was ready to swipe that card for 7 days when he absolutely knew we were not coming back after 1 day. The associated restaurants are overpriced for what you get. Hello $38 16oz margaritas! And the waiter failed to tell us gratuity was included on the bill which he's legally obligated to do.

Customer service issues: There was maybe one lady at the front desk who was kind, respectful, and appreciated being employed, the rest were rude, blatantly did not want to do their jobs and some apparently walked out mid helping customers. When I tried to call down ahead for valet (which they told me to do if retrieving my car prior to 8), and she picked up and hung up 3 times in a row. When I finally walked down, she claimed the phone was broken...however I watched her do it to someone else. She was perusing the internet at the time. Later in the week I called down to ask if they could address a neighbor who decided the entire hallway needed to listen to vulgar music. It took numerous attempts to get an answer, even though there were 5 people behind the counter when I'd come up the stairs just before. We'd tried to address it with the neighbor ourselves but it didn't last long. The very rickety elevator inspection is expired.

Pros: the AC worked (although insanely loud) for us when other in the building didn't have any, we didn't get bugs like others in our group, no one got double booked to our room so we didn't have complete strangers walk into our room like others down...

We recently booked a stay at this hotel and checked out no more than 10 hours later! Upon arrival we noticed a foul smell in the hotel lobby and the carpet was filthy.

The front desk receptionist at the time was very helpful and had a wonderful attitude. He checked us in but once we got to our room we noticed that it was not what was shown on Expedia. We then went back to the front desk and asked for a room change because it was not one of their modern rooms shown on the booking website.

He then informed us that it would be in another building and we had to take the stairs due to their elevators not working. Once we switched our rooms, I still wasn’t pleased with the way our room looked but I booked a stay for 3 days and it was too late to cancel. Plus we flew into town for my birthday.

After settling in we noticed the bathroom had roaches & mice droppings. We immediately took footage & alerted the hotel supervisor that was on duty at the time. We used our personal phone because their room phones were also NOT working.

He immediately came to our room, saw the roaches & droppings & went to check for any other available rooms that he might have. No more than 10 minutes later he showed us 2 more rooms. One ACROSS the room we were switched too & one on another wing.

I didn’t feel comfortable moving to a room Across from a room that has mice droppings and roaches because they can easily travel. We then asked to see the other room on the other wing. We still noticed mice droppings but the supervisor said he would not be able to refund us, but he did offer a bottle of champagne. He said it wasn’t much but it was the least he could do for us.

We then left our hotel for a few hours & came back & found bugs in our beds! On the pillow cases & around the bed frames. Alive and crawling. We immediately went down to the front desk to inform the two guys that were on duty at the time. We asked them for a refund & an early checkout because we didn’t feel comfortable staying in these bug infested rooms. He offered to change our sheets, look for another room & that he could not process a refund because we booked through a third party website. Informed him that I did not want another room change because we switched rooms 3 times in less than 10 hours & that I did not feel comfortable there. He told me that’s the only thing he could accommodate us with & that there would be no hotels available for us to book at 3am.

We then continued to check out early but it was strange because the other guy at the desk told us we just needed to leave our hotel keys with him at the front desk. He did input it in the system or inform anyone of us checking out of the room early.

I DO NOT recommend staying at this hotel. Not only did I have proof of what I went though, but they then informed Expedia that their supervisor did not see any roaches or mice droppings when inspecting our room when he...

I recently stayed at this hotel for my birthday and first time Miami visitor, and overall had an enjoyable experience. The staff was incredibly accommodating, offering complimentary champagne and mimosas, and the daily happy hour from 5–6 PM was a nice touch. The location is excellent—within walking distance of beaches, restaurants, shopping, and nightlife.

However, there were some concerns regarding room security. I booked a junior suite, and while check-in was seamless, I quickly noticed the room lacked a chain lock, though there were visible marks suggesting one had been removed. Additionally, the in-room telephone was not functional. Given these issues, I requested a new room, but the alternative junior suite I was offered was noticeably smaller and also lacked a chain lock. As someone who frequently travels alone, this missing security feature was disappointing. The receptionist was very helpful and even contacted maintenance to check if any junior suites had chain locks—unfortunately, none did—so I ultimately returned to my original room.

Pros:

Prime location for exploring beaches, restaurants, shopping, and nightlife. Complimentary happy hour drinks from 5–6 PM. Friendly, accommodating staff who went above and beyond, including booking an early morning cab to the airport and negotiating a fair price. Multiple pools, food, and drink options on-site.

Cons:

As mentioned in other reviews, the rooms do not fully match the photos on the website. The windows had visible mold, and the balconies were Juliette-style—too small to step out onto. Occasional issues with the room key not working, though the front desk staff promptly resolved this each time. Thin walls—noise from neighboring rooms, including late-night activities, was quite audible.

Things to Consider:

The property consists of three separate buildings, and the building you stay in depends on the type of room you book. The hotel has an older Art Deco style, in line with the surrounding district, but this also means older furniture and signs of wear. Housekeeping did not sweep the room during my stay—I had to borrow a broom to tidy up myself.

Overall, the experience reflects what one might expect from a 3-star hotel on Collins Avenue in the Art Deco district—stylish but with some compromises on cleanliness and maintenance. While there’s room for improvement, the staff’s hospitality and the prime location were definite highlights. I would recommend this hotel to those looking for a classic Art Deco experience, but with the understanding that the amenities and room conditions may not align perfectly with the...