FL Miami Royal Palm South Beach

[thereuare]

Stayed here for a quick one nite stay in November '02 @ $85/nite.

Not sure if i was in the tower or not (newer section), but at check-in we requested a king bed, no smoking, and as high as possible. We were given a king bed, n/s, on the 5th floor which the clerk said, "i think you'll be happy with as it even has a balcony." Well, i'd describe the balcony more as a ledge with a railing, but the room itself was fine, the furniture seemed new, and it was clean.

Although we arrived late in the day and left early in the morning i was certain to check out the pool area which i would describe as "nothing special". I also tried to check out the fitness center but was told that they didn't have one <yet> and they'd give me a pass to go to one at a hotel up the road. I'd certainly be content to stay here again, but i do think they have a LOT of nerve calling this place a resort (and charging an add'l $10/nite fee for it), as there is nothing in my view that classifies it as such... it's just another means of revenue.

[D-Rock]

FYI - I just returned from a 3 night stay in Miami. The Royal Palm Crowne Plaza while very nice is now charging a Resort Fee of $20/day. When I questioned them about this they explained that the hotel used to charge for Wireless Internet and now that is included in the $20.

edit by thereuare: a few years ago i successfully challanged this hotel's resort fee ($12/nite at the time) by talking directly to Crowne Plaza Headquarters after my stay. My stance was that i arrived late and left early, didn't get a chance to use any of the facilities, and that this was not a 'resort' at all as far as i could tell (they have a pool but no fitness room for which you had to leave the hotel to use a neighboring property's facility) and that the fee should be included in the room rate if it is going to be mandatory. I then explained my stance how any rate should include any mandatory fees as this tactic is deceiving and only in place in order to lure guests into the hotel at a low rate and then boost revenue by having additional mandatory fees). Not sure if the lady was tired of listening to me or understood my point of view, but eventually they seemed to see it my way :)

[gruntlumber]

I just returned from my stay (May 5-8, 2005). After comparing my price ($112/night) with other websites ($250+) I was pleased. I searched for a couple weeks in many different areas of Florida coastline and this was one of the the best deal for a 4 star beachfront property.

The actual hotel lobby was immaculate, and the staff was also very helpful. Hotwire automatically books you in a standard room with two beds, but we were able to get a king room with partial ocean view. A non-smoking room would've put us on the 5th floor, but we took a smoking room and got the 15th floor; a trick I've learned if you want a high floor (but must handle smoke oders of course).

The room was decent if not a little small, especially for a 4 star. They have many different kinds of rooms, and the suites look like they would be awesome. As mentioned elsewhere, the balcony was joke; standing room for two only. The TV is set up a satellite network where you choose from on-screen menu: In-room movies, TV, Your Account, WebTV, etc. It was very quirky and didn't work properly some of the time. When we first checked in nothing would work and when we called to the front desk she said the system was having problems. Not a big issue though. Each day we received two complimentary bottles of Fiji water with our room service.

The beach was great. I've experienced better in Cancun, but I wasn't complaining. A short walk out the back door through the pool area and across the boardwalk and you're on the beach. Chairs and umbrellas are set up and periodically orders would be taken on the beach for drinks, but not consistantly. I was surprised at the number of small children, and by the number of topless sunbathers.

We didn't spend much time in the actual pool area since we opted for the beach. Lots of kids in the pool. There is a hottub too but we didn't use it. The actual swimming pool was already too warm for my liking. There is actually another pool on the second deck by the restaurant that some probably did not realize, and it didn't seem to get used much. The pool setting as a whole was pretty sweet, though nothing like many resorts with the winding pools and tiki bars and such.

At the conclusion of our stay I was pretty happy with everything, until I got our bill! I knew it was coming, but I was still pissed. Valet parking is $24/ day (plus tips) and the resort fee was $20/day, so for three days we owed $140 (taxes too!). I believe the valet parking just went up from $20-24. You wouldn't really need a car since there is so much stuff close to the hotel, but we did some things away from SoBe that required transportation (booked an economy for an extra $13.95/day with the room). Overall it was a great stay, but I could just as well stay at any of the nearby resorts (Lowe's next door certainly looked awesome) since they all looked equally as good.

[JNR]

We stayed at this hotel after a successful $85 Priceline bid. By the time you add in the resort fee and the parking fee it's not so cheap for a considerably less than 4* hotel. There is a old wing and a new wing. The registration clerk told us that the top floors were being cleaned and they were not using above the fifth floor (although we spoke to a man who was staying on the 12th floor??). We were in the old wing and the room was tiny, the beds were double beds (not queens) and the mattresses actually creaked they were so old. We did have a decent ocean view but it did not make up for the dismal room. I did appreciate the wireless internet. If you stay here, be aware that the public areas are 4* but the rooms are a 2 or 3 star -- at least in the old wing.

Note: This hotel is known as the Royal Palm and is no longer in the Crowne Plaza hotel chain. I believe the name of this string should be changed so that members can find the correct review.

[JulesBo]

Stayed for one night, Saturday, Sept. 29 after getting it on Priceline for $100.

Overall my experience was positive. I'd say the hotel common areas are 4* and the renovated room is maybe 3-3.5*

Additional fees were $19 "resort fee," which I didn't mind because we usually pay like $20 to rent deluxe shaded chairs on the beach, and Royal Palm had such chairs and more available. And, $39 for overnight parking...which is high, but SoBe parking is expensive, so we sucked it up instead of inconveniencing ourselves by parking in the municipal garage a block away (and probably not saving all that much money anyway).

After reading the TripAdvisor reviews, I asked the very cute and friendly desk clerk for a renovated room. She said none were available. I asked if one might be in a couple of hours, and she said yes, housekeeping was cleaning them. This was about noon, and check-in time isn't supposed to be until 4 p.m. anyway, so I had already planned to chill (or melt, as the case may be) by the pool for a couple hours. She gave me a dummy room key so we'd have access to the pool area, we left our bags with the bellman, changed clothes in the lobby restroom and headed out to the pool.

The pool area was very nice, I was pleasantly surprised. There were no small children there, coincidentally I suppose, just several couples. The furnishings were very modern, with super-thick padded lounges and beds. Towels were plentiful, and there was a full bar with free cold water. I didn't enter the pool, just lounged and read.

Within 45 minutes the desk called my cell phone, and the room was ready. It was nice, but clearly they cut a few corners on the remodel. The carpet had a couple black stains on it--either it wasn't stain-resistant or housekeeping couldn't figure out how to get gum out of it. Pretty bad for a supposedly 4-star hotel. Speaking of housekeeping, the room was otherwise clean except for the half-used mayo bottle in the fridge, and several other unopened beverages including a $40 bottle of French champagne. Front desk confirmed that the fridges are supposed to be empty...so we didn't complain about the mayo :)

Back to the room...the pseudo-balcony (a ledge with a railing) had a double curtain rod, with a vinyl black-out curtain on one rod and nothing on the other. So that was a bit ugly and obviously unfinished. The bathroom had a sliding door which is the most ridiculous design I've ever seen. The door slid along the outside of the door frame, so you couldn't see into the bathroom, but you could *hear* everything. Nothing so romantic as hearing your husband pee at 3 a.m.

But, it had a nice big LCD with HBO, a granite wet bar, a little couch, and a SUPER comfortable bed with ultra-soft linens. The bathroom was also perfectly servicable and all tiled in travertine, the "stone of the moment."

And the location of this place is superb. It's quieter up around 15th street. We usually stay closer to the action off Ocean Dr., and it is so LOUD at 4 a.m., even earplugs don't help. Our 10th-floor room was blissfully silent. We were right next to the Lowes, which has a lovely lounge, and a few blocks from the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall with all its boutiques and restaurants.

So, I would absolutely recommend this hotel in the low-$100 price range even with the expensive parking and resort fee. I don't think you'd get much better for less--not right in the heart of South Beach.

[edehl]

Just got back from SoBe and had stayed @ the Royal Palm from 9/28-10-1. Got it for $120/day from priceline. Hotel itself is old and tired but it's close to everything (shopping: Lincoln Rd Mall, Beach:hotel is beachfront, Bar: happy hour from 5p-7p & its close to ocean drive too). Pool is a bit small but there were only a few guests using it. It also has access to the beach. They charge $19/day/rm resort fee (+tax), for the use of beach umbrella, chairs and towels, which wasn't bad since I've split it with 2 other friends. Their valet parking is a rip off @ $39/day (cut off @ 12mn). If you turn left on the next block, the one fronting LOEWS hotel, they have public parking for $16/24hrs. They didn't charge us extra for the extra person in the room.

P.S. I asked for a renovated room but they said that all rooms there are suites. Don' know if they were telling the truth or not....

[HilltopBoy]

I stayed at this hotel with my wife, Nov. 14-18, 2007. As a previous post said, the public areas of the hotel are 4*, while the rooms are 3-3.5*. The common areas are very pretty and are well-staffed. I paid $105/night plus the usual tax and Priceline fees. Our room was a corner room on the 15th floor facing the beach and was for handicapped guests. It had lots of space and was attractive. The furniture was a bit worse for wear, but completely serviceable. The bed was very comfortable and the AC was effective and quiet by hotel standards. The hotel is at the north end of the Art Deco district, but remains an easy walk from lots of clubs and restaurants.

I worried about this hotel because of the many complaints that the rooms are not up to the 4* standard. I have to say that I think the complaints are off base. The reality is that the Royal Palm is just about the only 3.5-4* hotel that is available via Priceline. That's because the other 4* hotels are filling up at $200+ per night via normal channels and don't need to turn to Priceline to keep customers coming in. The Royal Palm is no longer part of a chain and doesn't have the luxury of ignoring Priceline. This is not a neighborhood where you can get cheap prices easily. There are too many impulsive rich folks visiting South Beach and they bid up all the services. If you want 4 stars and a lower rate, try other neighborhoods.

The hotel adds $19/night for a resort fee. I think this stinks, but it's typical of the resort hotels in this area and Priceline's rules allow it. Notice that Priceline's rules would permit a resort fee of any amount ... a super-high fee would never happen in practice, but the Priceline contract allows a mandatory resort fee of any amount. I think that Priceline should insist that any mandatory fees be part of the price that you bid on.

Valet parking is $39/night. You can park just across the street for $16/day in the "Anchor Shops" parking garage (off 16th Street). If you like to be served, by all means spend $23 more per day plus tips on the valet service. I felt cheap and used the garage.

If you haven't been to South Beach before, be forewarned that it is a very expensive place to visit. Even modest restaurants charge at least 20% more than is usual in US cities (other than NYC). Still, you can eat fancy food and drink creative martinis and see 20-something babes in party dresses all over the place. The beaches are lovely, too.

The Royal Palm has an interesting story that is described in some detail on some displays in the lobby hallway. I hope I remember it correctly. The hotel is built around the shells of two of the original Miami Beach resort hotels from the 30s, the Royal Palm and the Shorecrest. They were in disrepair in the 90s. Then Miami and Florida suffered a 3-year boycott by the African-American community after Nelson Mandela was not allowed to appear somewhere in the state. To stop the boycott, the Miami tourism community and city agreed to do various things, one of which was to ensure that there would be an African-American-owned resort hotel in Miami Beach. The Royal Palm is this hotel. The main building with the lobby is actually a faithful reproduction of the original Royal Palm building, because the original was not sound and was demolished. The Shorecrest building is at least partly original, but both buildings date effectively from the mid to late 90s. The two towers are modern additions that were allowed to make the hotel large enough to be viable.