I've lurked on here for many years, eventually registered and yet after all this time this is my first post - so hopefully I can contribute to some of the wonderful information I've read here over the years. I noticed several threads on the Hilton Miami Downtown and figured I might as well post this one in the most recent one.

I recently stayed for the first time at the Downtown Hilton pre and post cruise as a Diamond member (August 2010).

Transportation:

(Airport - Hilton) 26$ with the tip, slightly less going to the airport as there airport fee is only charged coming out.

(Cruise port) $12 The hotel offers a third party shuttle. You have to leave a 2$ deposit at the desk and pay the balance to the driver. We took a taxi on the way back, when you add in the port fee to the taxi fare its essentially the same price but with a slight amount of traffic the shuttle would be cheaper. There were no other customers in the shuttle and it didn't make any stops, if it did, the Taxi would definitely be quicker.

(Dolphin Mall) 10$ return per person. Another third party shuttle bus to the outlets, its actually a lot father than it looks on the map (granted it makes about a half dozen stops with the Hilton near the start for pickup, and near the end for drop off). They offer several different pickup and return times, the schedule is available in the lobby at bell services. The second to last return doesn't do several hotels (likely because of traffic) so if you use this one you'll get back to the Hilton quicker. You pay when you exit the bus at the mall and they give you a return ticket.

(Metro Mover) Having read the comments online here, I was a little worried but we never had any problems. Granted we weren't out to all hours of the night either. If you're going to Bayside market, rather than ride the loop around you can get off before the loop and walk a block. This tip saved a lot of time. As the cars are air conditioned, there does appear to be a fair amount of homeless people that ride them to simply get out of the heat. But at no time were we ever bothered, or otherwise made to feel uncomfortable. We ran into several armed security guards riding the trains. Conclusion: Its free, it beats walking, and no worse than riding the Metro back home in Montreal.

The Hotel:

(Lobby) If you've ever stayed at the Hilton Montreal Boneventure, its a similar setup. You have to take an elevator up several floors to check in as the lobby is above the various ballrooms/halls etc. Bell services were great, the downstairs staff were pleasant and great with meal recommendations and what ever questions we needed.

(Check in) No one in line, so we were quickly greeted. We arrived early so our preassigned room wasn't ready, they offered to give us another room but recommended we wait as our assigned room had a balcony. We left the bags with bell services and spent the day shopping. They called us later when our room was ready.

(Fitness Room) Appeared to be a converted hotel room. Clean and new equipment but definitely small. Cardio and free weights but don't expect a health club. No steam room etc.

(Pool) Great pool right off the lobby level on the roof. Nice views, ample seating. Choice of seats, loungers and double loungers with padded cushions and a parasol. Rarely more than 3-4 at the pool while we were there. There's a bathroom off the pool (the door lock didn't work), and a small bar area. We never ordered anything but they came around with free non alcoholic smoothie type beverages for us. If you sit down near the bar area it always felt like it was slightly raining -- likely the ventilation system and the wind. There is access to the fitness room from the pool area, but you're much better off going back into the hotel and taking the elevator. You might think it leads directly to the fitness room but its actually to the stairs a bunch of hallways and more stairs that drop you off on the floor where the fitness room is.

I never saw a hot tub anywhere unfortunately.

(On site Restaurant) We had lunch in the main restaurant, the food was good but you might as well go off site. There was rarely more than 4-6 people in the restaurant when we walked by it. Both the restaurant and the bar area are located just off the lobby. In the morning the bar area serves a light continental breakfast that appears to be free for anyone regardless of Gold/Diamond status. There does not appear to be any hot dishes served though.

(Executive lounge) Located on the 16th floor it appears to be similar to the fitness room and converted from 2-3 consecutive hotel rooms. It has a great view of the bay and the cruise port. Outside of the operating hours all thats available are some non alcoholic drinks in a bar fridge. We had breakfast here, they serve the typical continental breakfast items with the addition of scrambled eggs and bacon. Its very clean, nicely furnished and has room for about 25 people. There was never much more than a half dozen people there.

(Room) We purchased the advance AAA rate for 99$. We we're super glad that we waited for our assigned room: 1630. Its located in the far corner of the hotel closest to the cruise port. With floor to ceiling windows it offered some spectacular views. What the front desk referred to as a balcony would be much more adequately called a private terrace. I've stayed in Hilton rooms with less square footage than this 'balcony' had. It measures about 35x45 feet and is located on the far corner of the hotel giving you great views down both sides. You have your own loungers, chairs and tables. As its a terrace you have nothing above you but sunshine. The room had a king bed, a small sofa as well as a meeting table with chairs.





When you are out on the terrace you can see that none of the rooms appear to have balconies but a select few have these rooftop terraces. The bathroom has granite counters and a combination shower and bathtub. The room was clean and modern looking. The room itself is very large and "L" shaped with the bathroom being off in the end of the "L". Definitely a room to request the next time you are here.



The internet connection is wireless, although I couldn't get it to work with my hhonors login. I simply charged to the room expecting to clear it up at the desk at checkout but to my surprise the charges were already credited on the bill. I had no trouble with wireless access anywhere in the hotel, including down at the pool. The speed was fast enough that I was able to use it to make VOIP calls with my magic jack.

Conclusion: Great price & amazing room. I'll definitely be back.

Hope this review helps out someone considering a stay.

Chris

 

Anyone stayed here recently? I am looking for options on Jan. 1 for a single night. Going down to watch my BCS Busting NIU HUSKIES!!!

Curious what chances of Diamond upgrades to a suite are as I will have a free loading fraternity brother with me!

 

Quite odd. Thirty minutes ago, I just cancelled my reservation here for X-Mas week. I wasn't feeling it after reading the most recent reviews on TriipAdvisor. Instead, I booked in to the Conrad; treatment seems much better.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...i_Florida.html

 

Scooby Dooby Doo! NIU!

 

Conrad is great near a hip area with a few bars and restaurants. Hilton is fine but stayed in 2009, so may have changed. My mantra "if there is a Conrad stay there." I've never been disappointed.

 

Good to know, great mantra!

 

We prefer to be referred to as the "Harvard of the Midwest"! lol

 

Is the executive lounge at the Hilton Miami open during weekends?

 

A decidedly mixed stay there last night.

We arrived around 2000 having flown out from the UK and at check-in were offered a choice of 1000 points or free breakfast. Thinking that breakfast in the restaurant would be better than a lounge offering we opted for breakfast, only to discover when we checked the voucher a good while later that it was only good for a continental breakfast, so not a good start.

Things got better when we reached the room. A huge (and I mean huge) suite with full sized dining table, lounging area and separate bedroom. Really nice and very spacious.

Around 2110, we ordered some room service food and were told 30 - 40 minutes. At 2200 with no food there, I called and it seems they'd lost the order. The lady was most apologetic and offered to make it up quickly but by this time our body clocks were telling us it was 0300 so we declined and went to sleep.

The next morning there was a handwritten note of apology under the door with two full breakfast vouchers - a nice touch. Breakfast itself was excellent with a good selection plus the ability to order additional dishes off the menu with the voucher.

Well refreshed we headed out for a morning in Miami, returning for lunch to pick up bags and head to the airport for our flight to LIM. There is a Burger King opposite the hotel and it was awash with blue lights. I think we counted 6 police cars there. The bellhop informed us that there had just been a gunfight taking place with 7 shots fired. Rather glad we hadn't headed out from lunch 10 minutes earlier or we'd have been in a real life episode of Miami Vice.

 

We will be staying at the Miami Hilton next month for 3 nights (on points) with our large (60-lb) dog. It's one of the few HH properties there that will accept pets. Any experiences on how guests with pets are treated there?

Are there only specific, limited rooms that can accommodate travelers with pets, or would the whole hotel be available (as a Diamond I'm hoping for an upgrade to high floor bay view)?

Any preferred rooms to ask for to make life easier? Are there any 'relief areas' within the hotel itself, or will we have to take her all the way outside at street level?

Are there any areas in the hotel that are specifically open to, or off-limits, to pets?

We have never stayed in a large hotel like this with our dog, so don't know what to expect (other than having to shell out the $75 fee!), so any experiences or advice would be helpful. Thanks!

 

That is no way to describe Agent 99!

 

I cannot answer for this hotel specifically but I've stayed all around North America with my dog from Montreal to Vegas to Orlando at Kimptons, Hiltons, Intercons and Four Seasons hotels.

At almost every hotel at which I've stayed with my dog, I've had to take my dog all the way down to street level for relief. The only exception was Cosmo in Vegas and this was simply because there is no outside space there. At Four Seasons in Vegas, it is a very long walk to the pet relief area, at least five minutes from room to grass. In other places, it's been much easier - just a quick trip down the elevators and outside.

The only places I've ever been allowed with my dog in hotels, understandably so, are my room, the elevator and the lobby space through which I had to walk to take him out. I know other guests staying at the hotel may not like dogs or may be fearful of dogs, so I haven't even tried to take him through other areas. Kimptons tend to be a bit more lenient but being dog friendly is a huge part of their brand. I've never stayed at a hotel that welcomed dogs other than at the above areas I mentioned. I just think there's too much liability to have dogs in public spaces, even leashed.

As far as room selection goes, I would ask for a room away from the elevator and any noise if your dog is prone to anxiety. We travel with a white noise machine and leave that running when we leave the room. I would also exercise my dog far more than normal to tire him out.

I hope you have a great trip with your dog. My days of traveling with my dog are long gone but we've had some amazing trips together. For me, it's now easier to leave him at home but I do truly miss returning to the room and seeing his smiling face. There's nothing like it.

 

I so agree with everything you say there........at least once a month I take my parson Russell to Hilton London docklands...... I park up in their car park around lunchtime and go for a big walk along the thames up to tower bridge, have a coffee then walk back (its about 6 miles)......by the time I check in he is tired so he has a nap in the room whilst I sauna.
In the eve I go down to dinner and he sleeps, and yes I normally take a bit of steak back to him in a napkin.....he loves it!.
ive stayed at around 5 or 6 Hiltons in the uk with my dog.....and have been treated very well by the staff and it hasn't appeared to affected my upgrades
as long as your dog is well behaved and toilet trained you should be fine.

 

Not Canary Wharf?

 

This really depends on the property. I would call them in advance and check. I've had great experiences at other properties with my dog, particularly the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark. They treated him like royalty and the front desk even called my room a few times to ask how he enjoyed his walks. They said at check-in that I could take him anywhere guests didn't mind, except for the pool area/restaurant/bar. He came to the executive lounge twice a day and enjoyed bottled water and eggs for breakfast. One night the lounge had filet, and he had some of that as well. Needless to say he did not want to go home. I was upgraded to exec floor arch view room from standard room and it was noted in my reservation that I was bringing a pet.