The Aloft South Beach Hotel Review is part of the Quest Around The Globe Trip Report which covers the following places:
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Grand Cayman
- Cartagena, Colombia
- Medellin, Colombia
- Miami, Florida
- Houston, Texas
- Moscow, Russia
- St. Petersburg, Russia
- Ayia Napa, Cyprus
- Amman, Jordan
- Abu Dhabi, UAE
- New York, New York
Here is the Picture Preview, the Excel Spreadsheet of all the points redemptions, and my CNN International Business Traveller segment which was filmed in Vegas.
Getting There: Uber or take the affordable Miami Beach Airport Express to South Beach.
Time flies when you’re not blogging. I stayed at the Aloft South Beach in September. Moments after checking out of the hotel, the property changed from SPG to Hilton. The content of this review has now become somewhat obsolete as the perks I received were based on my SPG status. Still, I think it’s worth sharing some pretty pictures of Miami.
The Location
Situated across the street from the W South Beach, the Aloft South Beach was a great value for those looking to stay near the beach but not pay a steep price in points or cash.
Checking In
I’m going to assume they didn’t fire the entire staff when the hotel became a Hilton. I would be interested in learning about how the staff is retrained as the conversion progresses. Unless otherwise instructed to be cold and rude, the staff should be very friendly and accommodating. When I checked in, my suite was not ready so I was given two free drinks at the WXYZ Bar.
The Pool
Like the Cayman Islands, Miami is all about the beach. The pool is nice for a cocktail or two before hitting the town.
The Hotel Itself
It’s definitely an Aloft (or it used to be) in its appearance.
The Room
Alofts rarely have suites and when they do upgrades do not come easy. There must be something special about TPOL + Aloft in Florida since I got a suite setup in both Orlando and in South Beach. The room was Art Deco cool with a separate living room and bedroom.
Overall
This was a solid hotel choice because of its location and because I needed another SPG stay to requalify for Platinum. Having said that, there are so many other boutique hotels in South Beach that are similarly priced which provide a more authentic 305 experience. When I stop chasing status, I plan on returning to South Beach to check out local landmarks like the Colony Hotel, the Beacon Hotel, and my personal favorite tourist trap, the Clevelander.
Thank you for washing.
