W South Beach — Hotel in Miami Beach

Leaving this review because I’m physically here now and was here 3 weeks ago as well and am having the same experience. I’ve always loved the W. It’s my 5th time staying here within the last 3 years. The staff is friendly, front desk is nice, valet and luggage carriers are probably the nicest. As far as the rooms: they are very weathered and I don’t feel like any real hotel staff or management has see the state of the rooms or how they are left by housekeeping upon check-in. For starters, we arrived at 9:30am. And after giving the front desk a nice tip to be on a higher floor, we were put in the parking lot with no line of sight to the beach view we paid $1800 a night for. The one bedroom corner suite ocean view w/ balcony had a bathtub and bathroom that were in the bedroom with no door. I could have rolled off the bed and landed in the tub.. if my husband or child went to the bathroom, they would have woken me up because the toilet was in the bedroom with no closed door. The whole room was not as pictured at all and was a catfish situation by the hotel. With that said I asked to change rooms. We were moved into another room. Different set up, but missing some things. None of the room amenities were included ie, no tissues in the tissue box, the box with the shower cap etc, was all empty and not replenished form the last guest. The TV in the bedroom did not work and had a wire hanging down the middle to the floor. This wire should have been noticed by housekeeping because at midnight when we went to bed we had to front desk to send someone to fix it.. when the the guy was, done, he had left so much dust on the floor and bed I had to get a cloth and clean it. Upon showering the shower head flew off and smacked me in the face. I almost slipped and fell because I did not know what was happening. We called for someone to Fix it and they never did. When I went to hang my clothes, the bar in the closet came crashing down and all my stuff fell. There were no dressers or draws, for 3 people so we couldn’t unpack our suitcases cause there was no where to put our stuff. The other room we were in first had a dresser under the TV but in the new room, the amount of space between the TV and the bed is about 5 inches so you can’t really walk past the bed to get to bathroom without hitting the TV. There is no space in the one bedroom for the suitcases to be small our shit is stacked up on top of each others causing quite the mess and task of having to move our luggage every time we need to get clothes. Pool Service, pool service is terrible. If your in the first row at pool they may help you, but the second row not a chance. I’m 7 months pregnant and have had to walk across the pool 5x for water, drinks and food. It’s crazy! They would make so much more money if they just had better service. Yesterday it was so bad I door dashed Pura Vida for lunch and in the time it took me to order and get my food delivered no one had offered me a thing! If I saw someone in my condition, I’d be over there offered water and food all day! Also, the pool is playing one kind of music at the bar and the pool itself is playing another. I’ve heard multiple ppl complaining myself included. Beach Service is much better. The guy on the beach came by so often I had 3 beverages and 2 meals in 2 hrs. The only issue are the beach chairs location. It’s too far from the water. Unless you spend $500 on a cabana that does not use that money towards food and beverages you have no direct access to the water. Like I said. I’ve been here 2x within the past 5 weeks and this review is for both times but the room stuff is regarding this trip. Don’t spend $1800 a night on a one bedroom suite here it’s not worth it. I feel like I’m in a closet with no draws. The weird kitchenette is stupid. Why do I need a stove top of a fridge with no table or chairs to sit and eat? Stay are the One. Much cleaner, nicer rooms and mush better service. Also, as a mom of 2, there are a lot of kids here. Don’t stay here if you don’t want to be around...

I've come here for several years, and I'm always itching to come back. It's hard to describe the sophistication and "it" factor this hotel has, but I think it's a combination of the guest interactions, aesthetics of the hotel, smart design, and overall ambiance. The level of service here is unmatched compared to other hotels in Miami beach (and likely a hair better than majority of mid-beach). They are pretty generous with their upgrades (if there are rooms available).

The overall vibe is chic, and I like that people keep to themselves. There's an overall understanding that we're here to enjoy the atmosphere and experience. The furniture is understated. It's definitely influenced by japandi mixed with some mid century modern pieces. While expensive, the pool and beach bar and food services are quite good. I had several drinks and lunch at both sides (they share the same menu). The staff is quite attentive to details (e.g. to the point of knowing when I left for dinner and came back with turndown service completed). The beds are very comfortable. I like the quality of the bedsheets. Normally, I run hot in bed but felt very comfortable with the comforters on. Surprisingly, I also loved the bathrobes as I usually never try them on. Towels also feel fluffy and new. While I'm not a huge fan of their shampoo and conditioner (momo), it's still damn good for hair and body. They don't dry out your skin, which is great if you're eczema-prone. That being said, I do very much like their lotion and cleanser (skinregimen); they do the job well. I actually bought some on their website because it just smelled so good.

The pool is definitely my favorite part of the hotel. Whoever created the pool is quite ingenious, there is usually sun always shining in one part of the pool, so you can pretty much determine where you want to sit during the time of the day if you want a tan. For our sunburn-prone brothers, shade is always available, too.

The way that they designed the hotel so that all hotel rooms have an ocean view is also brilliant. In general, you have to pay twice or thrice more to get an ocean view in other hotels, but the W feels more egalitarian this way. So, no matter how far you are from the beach (with the exception of the bungalows but that's likely the least of your worries since you're in a damn bungalow with your own private sundeck and pool), you can enjoy the Atlantic Ocean from your balcony. There have been several times where I would sit on the balcony while eating delivery.

One drawback is the gym, and I'm probably nit-picking at this point (sorry, w). I might be biased since I'm used to more functional training equipment. I do wish it was another 500-1000 sq ft and had more benches and HIIT workout equipment (e.g. ropes, bands, pull-up bars). If you're not like me, there is plenty to do, and you will have everything you need for a basic workout.

Overall, I'm quite fond of this hotel, and I think everyone should experience it once before knocking it off.

Please note that these are a mix of pictures from 2021 - onwards, so the pool cushions will not reflect the...

The Shocking Racist Hotel

If you're Asian, never stay at this hotel. It is a shocking hotel that ruthlessly discriminates against Asians.

We stayed at this hotel for a total of six nights, including two nights in an over $20,000 Amplified Penthouse. Normally, when you stay in such a high-end penthouse, being escorted to your room is standard, and welcome kits or champagne are set up for you. However, we were just thrown the keys and told to find our way, with not even a welcome letter or champagne prepared. Having visited hotels of this caliber around the world multiple times, we were shocked to receive such treatment for the first time. At the front desk, a white couple in front of us was treated very kindly and hospitably, whereas we were continuously given unpleasant expressions and tone. It seemed to be because we are Asian. Upon entering the room, despite being a $20,000 room, the sofa was yellow and dirty, feeling as if it hadn’t been properly maintained for over ten years. Furthermore, during our 6-night stay, we forgot an expensive jacket in the room we stayed in the night before and informed the concierge, only to be told the next day that it had just disappeared and couldn't be found. We also requested an extra bed over the phone and in person more than five times, but all were ignored until it was finally brought after the sixth request. Our requests were never listened to the first time. Even though the room was fully prepaid, $17,061 and $11,841 were frozen in our account for "authorization purposes," effectively freezing nearly $30,000 of our funds without explanation. When asked for an explanation, the front desk staff, with a coercive expression and tone, said that a senior staff member named Rachel would call us. However, despite three requests, we never received any contact. It seemed we were being treated very rudely because we are Asian. Even in the process of moving rooms, a staff member named Rebecca only told us to wait in the room without informing us of when we could move, wasting our precious vacation time. We became convinced that all these incidents were not coincidences but acts of racism. Even when going to the hotel's restaurant, the staff who were kind to other guests only gave us unpleasant expressions and oppressive tone upon our requests. During the final billing process, when we asked for the bill, several staff members gathered, snickering loudly and making eye-slanting gestures at us when we looked their way. We were so shocked that we were speechless and angry all day. We seem to have spent over $50,000 at this hotel without feeling any joy, only accumulating a negative image of Miami and the United States. However, seeing the kindness of the staff at the neighboring five-star hotel starting with S and the airport staff made us suspect that this hotel might be systematically engaging in racism.

Let me emphasize once again: If you're Asian, never stay at this hotel. It is a shocking hotel that discriminates...