Hollywood Beach Flamingo

The area is beautiful and the hotel is very close to the beach, with friendly, helpful staff and a comfortable bed. The obvious parts of the room looked clean, though not especially clean, and the price was great. We were only there for 2 nights before a 7 day cruise, and I'm glad it wasn't longer. Check-in and checkout were inconvenient. You can't check in at the hotel itself because the company owns several nearby hotels and uses one location a few streets away. We only knew from a sign on the building. There were just 4 or 5 check-in spaces, all occupied when we arrived, and only one person at the desk each time. After a long travel day, we had to drive around for a spot and then wait about 30 minutes in a packed area. Checkout took about 40 minutes. I arrived 30 minutes before checkout time, parked in a no-parking space hoping I wouldn't get ticketed, then waited about 45ish minutes to reach the agent for a 30-second checkout. After we woke up, we found the less obvious areas weren't clean, including a black mold spot about 6" across on the bathroom ceiling. The walls around the light switches were gross and several things were broken. My wife and I both use CPAPS, and thankfully we'd brought extension cords because there weren't many outlets, none near the beds. When my wife plugged into one, she heard electrical crackling. The doors were in horrible shape, with loose locks that moved as the doors opened and closed. I feel sure someone could have gotten into the room with a tug. We were tired when we arrived, so after checking for bed bugs, we went straight to sleep.

The location is right on the beach, but it was one of the worst hotel experiences I've had. The rooms were falling apart, smelled bad, and had broken things and mildew. This is not a 3.5 star hotel as listed on Priceline as a 3.5 star casino. At most, it's a 1 star motel, so save your money. The older woman at the front desk was always rude, no matter what. The manager was nice, though that was about it. Parking costs extra on top of the already high hotel fees.

The location is GREAT if you're there for the ocean, literally steps from the water, and I'd likely return for a staycation. Parking is 20 a night, less than a parking ticket, though it's something to factor in for a week or longer. The room where my mother and I stayed for 9 days was incredibly small. Even in separate beds, we could hold hands without stretching our arms out. Matthew and his boss, a tall, outgoing, very enthusiastic hotelier, made check-in great. I'd give them 5 stars. My rating was 3 because of the other front desk staff. When I needed a key remade, an older woman didn't smile once, seemed annoyed by people, and didn't ask for ID before handing me a key. Since she wasn't the one who checked my mother and me in, she had no actual proof I belonged there, which concerned me. After my mother left, I wanted to extend my stay for 2 nights, but was told I couldn't do that with priceline, so I paid more than the lowest advertised online rate. I know the opaque market and understand they still make a profit if they honor a priceline rate booked directly, since online apps only pass on part of what was paid. They said I'd need to check out and return after check-in time to get that rate. That seemed inconvenient for me and meant they'd clean the room for a new guest rather than keep me in it without housekeeping. I don't understand why they couldn't link my reservation and use the new priceline credit card to secure an extension. Maybe they're a smaller hotel chain. The younger woman with a braid who handled it was late to the office, and my mom was late getting to the airport after I said I'd extended but she still had to return. The washer and dryer didn't work, and the light in the laundry closet was broken, so we went to a laundry mat.

The service was terrible, and the woman I spoke with on the phone was rude. After booking, I got a confirmation saying there would be extra nightly fees due at check-in. I called to cancel once I saw that message, but she was rude about it and said I should have known about the added charges. She also said I couldn't cancel and get a refund. I'd give the place 0/5 if I could, and I don't recommend staying at any of there hotels.