Gale South Beach, Curio Collection by Hilton

The hotel is nice and well located, but the room setup was a big problem. The two queen rooms are tiny, with no full-length closet and almost nowhere to put things. The shower has no door, clear glass, and a window looking into it from the main bedroom. The toilet room has no lock, and its sliding door moves back open. There’s zero privacy. For what it costs, this hotel is extremely overpriced and needs better architects and designers.

The location made it easy to get around on foot, with shops and plenty of food nearby and South Beach just across the street. Even in such a lively area, I felt safe the whole time. Inside, the historic Art Deco design gave the hotel a classic Miami Beach feel, and our room was clean, comfortable, and nicely decorated. The staff were the highlight for me, friendly, professional, and always ready to help. A great mix of style, service, and location.

We liked the rooftop deck's partial ocean view, and getting around was easy since everything was within walking distance. Breakfast was a pleasant extra, with good coffee, eggs and potatoes, plus a really friendly server. The staff were kind and made an effort to help. The decor had vintage photos and dark floors, the bathroom looked lovely, and the bed was comfortable. The room had a big patio, though the daybed needed cleaning, there was no nightstand on my side of the bed, and the room could have used a deeper clean. More broadly, it didn't feel like a real four-star hotel, and I wasn't sure why it had the Curio brand, especially compared with the Hotel del Coronado. The restaurant facing Collins Street was being remodeled, the lounge on the other side was closed, and the front coffee bar wasn't open either. We had booked well ahead and hadn't been told about the work. We'd hoped to relax at the main restaurant after days out. The experience didn't feel worth the price. Thanks anyway, and good luck to the team.

We spent over $1200 for three nights, arriving Thursday and leaving Sunday in room 226. The first night's booking was under my friend's name. The second and third were meant to be under mine since I used my credit card, but they kept them under my friend. The rooms were small and overpriced. There's no fridge or microwave, just a wine fridge, and only one elevator was working. Housekeeping was awful. On the third day we turned on the green “service” light, but when we came back at 3 after being out all morning, the room still hadn't been cleaned. We were tired and wanted to nap, but had to stay out on the street for more hours. When they eventually cleaned, it was half done: the sink was still dirty, there was hair on my bed, and the sheets had only been remade. I have a feeding tube, and the same stain was still on them. At 8:30 p.m. we had to ask for towels and washcloths because none were left. We also kept having to walk past a dead bird at the front entrance on our last day. The breakfast restaurant servers were amazing, but the accommodations were horrible. I won't recommend this place or come back.