Bahia Mar Ft. Lauderdale Beach- a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel

The staff's kindness was the bright spot. The front desk attendant thoughtfully covered milk and snacks for our children for the next two days after our refrigerator stopped working overnight and ruined the babies' milk and snacks we had stored. The pool bartenders were wonderful and friendly too. The entryway, bar, and cafe were nice, but they couldn't make up for the rooms. Our room was filthy, dated, and nothing like the online photos. I was traveling with two babies and didn't feel safe letting them crawl on the carpet. Walking on it left the bottoms of my feet black. Housekeeping came the next day after I raised it with the desk, but a wet mop over carpet didn't fix the deep cleanliness problem. There was no bathroom ventilation, the bath water was yellow, though I'm not sure if that's a Florida issue, and the pocket doors were so hard to open and close I repeatedly broke my nails trying. I paid far too much for a hotel advertised as four stars. To me it was no more than two, and should cost closer to $100 a night. The property needs serious renovation and shouldn't be rated or advertised as four-star. I wouldn't return without major improvements. This wasn't what I expect from a Hilton hotel.

We found it easy to get back and forth between the pool and beach on the walkway that leads straight to the beach. Breakfast is served in the lobby. It costs extra, but made the trip simpler for us. There are also people with golf carts about half a mile up the street who'll drive you around for a fee. I stayed with my wife and our four-year-old and six-year-old sons. We were glad we chose this hotel and would definitely come back.

Ruth looked after us so thoughtfully from check-in through our departure. She was warm, professional, and attentive, and made sure we had what we needed throughout the visit. Her care and attention to detail made a good trip even better. It's rare to have someone consistently go above and beyond like that. Thank you, Ruth!

I used to think this was a top-notch hotel, with friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable staff. After checking out after just one day, I wouldn't stay again even if they paid me $700 a night. Our stay was worth $100 at most, and I'll let Hilton / Double Tress know what happened. For anyone who remembers Travis McGee, he'd move too. A clean, new Motel 6 would give the same experience for $600 less. The lobby and restaurants were clean and in good physical shape, but that's where the compliments end. Service was awful and staff seemed to know very little. We couldn't find the advertised rooftop cafe, and the front desk never answered the phone. Most floors had broken drink and ice machines. One staffer said those belonged to an outside company they couldn't control. There was no room service or concierge, and much of the staff struggled with English. At 8 a.m., someone kicked on our door and wanted to clean. She didn't seem to understand either "No, please come back later" in English or Spanish. Amenities seemed nonexistent, and staff treated us as if we might steal the pool towels. This place is very poorly managed.