Dunns Josephine Hotel

The rooms are nicely remodeled and clean, and we had no problems with the room or service. Everyone was friendly and gave useful advice. It's a decent place for the price and very close to downtown Miami, though the location feels a step below. There were some homeless people, as in every big city, and plenty of police around. People were jogging and walking dogs alone. As a woman, I felt fine during the day and with my husband, but wouldn't walk alone at night. It's a 20-30 minute walk to the water and 15 minutes to food and the metro station. This is an old building with no elevator, so if stairs are an issue, ask for a main floor room. Is it a four-star hotel? No.

I really liked the character of Dunns Josephine, with rooms that don't feel stamped out like a chain hotel. The staff were very friendly and accommodating, and the location worked well for me. I could walk to the places I needed downtown, and there's free self-parking. Highly recommend it.

We arrived after traveling from NYC to discover the hotel had overbooked our reservation and canceled it without telling us. My girlfriend and I waited in the lobby for three hours while they tried to sort out a place for us. The front desk staff did their best, but the owner wouldn't provide services or walk us to a nearby hotel. At midnight, the owner offered a room that had supposedly just become available. We accepted because we had no other options after the hotel's negligence. It was absolutely disgusting. Someone had clearly just checked out, and they put us in without even inspecting or cleaning it. The bed was unmade with dirty, slept-in sheets, a wet towel was on the floor, and the toilet had pee and toilet paper in it, with pee all over the floor. At 4 in the morning, I left and booked a more expensive hotel to get away from this dump. The owner has refused to refund us, so I've had to pursue a chargeback. One of the worst hotel stays of my life. Do not stay here.

The bed was comfortable, and having a fridge and microwave in the room was useful. Publix, Ross, and Aldi were all within walking distance. Staff were friendly, but the room problems made it hard to relax or feel safe. The lock was completely dead when we arrived, and we couldn't lock the door from outside. A staff member said our belongings would be safe because they “don't have thieves at the hotel,” but the gate beside our room was wide open, and we had expensive things like laptops and iPads. They suggested leaving our bags at reception while we were out. We did, but the backpacks were left sitting in the open, which felt less secure than the room. Maintenance came the next day, but after the repair we couldn't lock the door from inside either. It wouldn't latch properly, and we spent the second night unable to secure the room. It was unsettling trying to sleep with a door that wouldn't close. The shower curtain didn't reach the bottom, so water flooded the bathroom, and the floors stayed damp and felt dirty.