The Gates Hotel South Beach

The hotel has amazing artwork, and the people made the stay especially good. Pari was so kind and welcoming. The pool attendants were friendly and attentive, keeping things clean and comfortable. Valet was quick, professional, and courteous, so arriving and leaving felt stress-free.

The location on Collins Ave is handy, right along South Beach’s main tourist stretch, and the rooms were comfortable enough. But the hotel felt a bit underwhelming, like it started with bigger ambitions and landed at just okay. There wasn’t much that felt special. The restaurant never opened, the small pool sits right by the road, and posters in the elevators advertising activities made the place feel more like a college dorm than an upscale hotel. We left a day early after the water pressure completely failed for more than three hours. I called the front desk and was told to give it a few minutes so the pressure could build back up, which isn’t how water pressure works. When we checked out, the staff at the desk seemed understandably frantic. We weren’t the only guests leaving because of the water problem. Honestly, I was kind of glad to go.

We had no checkout problems, left the room clean as usual, and didn’t damage anything, yet the hotel said by email that we were charged a smoking fee. We don’t smoke at all. It sounds like this has happened to other guests recently, so beware. The booking was already paid when we arrived, but we were told there was a mandatory $52 daily resort fee and a $555 incidental hold. We felt pressured into paying. After about seven business days, the $555 still hadn’t come back, so I started calling. It took over a week to reach someone who could check the reservation. She said everything looked fine and, since our stay overlapped the holidays, the refund might just be delayed. She said it showed as issued on her end and suggested contacting my bank if it didn’t arrive in another 1-2 business days. A few more days later, I emailed the hotel and got the response about the smoking fee. Customer service has been terrible.

The people here are the best part. I left my wallet in the safe, and when I came back they had kept it for me with my cash and cards untouched. That means a lot. It was my first stay, and I thought I got a lot for the price. The location, rooms, and service were all great. A quick note about breakfast: it’s made fresh, so a large group may wait a while, but it’s very good.