The Mercury Hotel

My family was here to get away from Hurricane Ian, so we weren’t on a fun vacation. The hot pool was cleaner than the main one and relaxing, the rooms were clean, the beds comfortable, and none of my family saw bugs. The Wi-Fi worked great, and there’s laundry service if you have quarters. There’s also a cool Tea House and a fancy Italian restaurant. But we didn’t see room service, the balcony flooded in the rain, the free soaps were small, and the towels were old. The main pool was definitely dirty, the showers were funky, and the elevator smelled weird. It’s no 5-star hotel like many others in Miami Beach, but you get what you paid for. If you’re evacuating like I was, you could do significantly worse.

The location near the beach is good, and the people were nice, but the place needs a lot of work. The restaurant attached to it has good food. Past the first floor, the building smells bad, and our room smelled like mildew. The tub was dirty and mildewed, the faucets had grime and stains, the curtains were dirty, and the shower had no door or curtain. The bathroom itself only had curtains, no doors. Everything felt old and dirty, with a random old broom and other items in the room. There wasn’t an outside doorknob on our room, and the supposed pullout bed was just an extendable couch. There were no extra towels for the whole stay. The TV had all the streaming options, at least. There’s nobody in the lobby late at night, so anyone can walk into the hotel at any hour. I’d avoid this place unless it’s your only option.

I’ve stayed here twice, and it’s a great deal if you don’t want to spend big. The lower-floor units around the pool are lovely to wake up in. The location is close to the prime spots but not right in the noise, and the staff are kind and helpful. The units aren’t flawless, but the issues are minor and mostly cosmetic, like a patched wall, so I barely noticed them. The bed was comfortable, the appliances were new, and the furniture and interior felt modern.

I arrived to find a room that looked nothing like the pictures. The AC didn’t work properly, there was mold and peeling paint on the ceiling, mold on the bathroom curtain, problems with the lighting, and a stove that didn’t work. The room smelled horribly of mold, mildew, and chemicals that seemed to be trying to cover the mildew smell. The windows were blocked, so I couldn’t get fresh air. When I complained, they showed me another room that wasn’t better and also smelled of smoke. I had to spend the first night at a different hotel. The front desk man said I could move out, but on the weekend I couldn’t find another hotel because everywhere was booked or over $400 a night. My trip and flight had been booked in advance, so staying here was my only option. They also charged me a $150 deposit fee that wasn’t listed in the hotel rules on Expedia. When I asked the front desk/owner about it a couple days later, he got personal and accused me of not being happy. I only asked him to remove the charge, not for psychological conclusions. He spoke to me very unprofessionally. This place is far from 4 stars, and I’d give it 1 star just for existing. It feels more like a motel, with no maintenance at all.