The Shore Club

08/12/2007 Posted by ittyb

I went with a girlfriend for a girls weekend. We had never stayed at Shore Club but some other friends were plainning on trying it. We decided to try it as well. The hotel is very modern and industrial with the room decor. The wall between the bathroom and sleeping area is an opaque glass. Not a room to share with a stranger or anyone you are modest around. We found the rooms too modern to the point of being cold, harsh and uncomfortable. The floors are concrete, there is very limited storage, the only seating in the room was a plastic chair. I usually appreciate contemporary design but this lacked even the most basic comforts. We experienced the Priceline commercial first hand as we tried to operate the shower and had to call the front desk for instructions. I got the impression that it was a common question and at the same time was made to feel stupid for asking. The halls were oddly lighted with lights hidden behind plastic panels in the walls. It doesn't provide the brightness you would expect from looking at the rest of the decor. It seemed like a space ship hallway with bad/dark lighting and it didn't make us feel safe at all. The room service was on time and to temperature but unremarkable. We tried the onsite nightlife. Guest are admitted to the bar without cover but no one mentioned that to us at check-in. The drinks at the bar near the hotel were very expensive and we paid around $20 per drink (nothing fancy-just a martini). I have been back to Miami several times and have never had the urge to stay there again. If you are there for the scene and don't care about comfort or relaxing then you may enjoy the Shore Club. If you are there for R&R and enjoy the most basic comforts you should look into another hotel. The rooms make me think of prison cells with nice showers and plastic chairs. The staff was generally friendly.

Pros: Happening nightlife but the crowd is creepy

Cons: Uncomfortably modern, too industrial

05/02/2007 Posted by nicsully

Morgans Hotel Group ( think Delano aka Mecca, Hudson in NYC, Clift in San Fran), should be embarrassed to have their prestigious name on this hotel. I have stayed there twice and I honestly think I would have been better off at the Holiday Inn down the street. The first time their valet lost my keys (they were found a week later on the sidewalk on Collins Avenue!! Talk about first class ..) I decided to give them another chance (plus the Delano was booked.) My most recent stay, I paid $700 / night (3 night minimum) and I couldn't even get a seat by the pool or beach. I went down to the pool at 8:30 am and all the chairs had been reserved for the day. And the best part was, the people who had reserved them (which I was not informed of as a standard policy at their hotel or I would have gladly paid someone to reserve one for me!!) didnt't start occupying them until 12:30. As if that isn't ridiculous enough, the people who were sitting by the pool were dining on Burger King and takeout Chinese. I am not kidding - I could not believe it. Talk about classy clientele! And then there were the people who felt it necessary to bring in their BOOM BOX .. You would think that they would want someone sitting by the pool to, oh I don't know, spend a little money on the food and drinks that they offer on their bar menu. At least that is what you would expect from a hotel that claims to be second to none in South Beach. If you think I'm being harsh, you should see the three page letter I wrote their GM after my stay. The rooms were decent, except for the fact that the bed sucked and the walls are paper thing. If you want to stay somewhere hip and trendy, then stay at the Shore Club. But if you want to stay somewhere that is hip and trendy and where you get the treatment that you deserve and are certainly paying for, stay at the Delano, the Standard or the Raliegh. Or maybe even the Holiday Inn ..

Pros: Did you read my review?? There aren't any!!!!