Century Hotel

Recommends

clee130

Joined 9 years ago

A good hotel that's maybe past it's prime. First, the good things about the hotel: It's at the very end of Ocean Dr on South Beach but still close enough to the the action of the night life of South Beach. It took only a couple of minutes walk to where all the bars, nightclubs and resturants were located. The beds are soft as are the pillows. There is a small computer room with 3 computers with high speed internet access and but spotty wireless across the hotel. For the days we used room service, the room was thoroughly cleaned. It's also literally across the street from the beach. Simply walk across the park and the beach is right there.

The mediocre: I was traveling with 2 other friends and their room with two full sized beds were a little cramped. There was barely enough room for all our luggage and a lot of times, we were stumbling over ourselves when walking around in the room. The room that I got (ground level - room 107), the window faced out into the back of Devito's resturant. Needless to say, we had our window and blinds closed the entire time we stayed there. We were far away enough from the resturant and the construction that we didn't hear any of the noise. Breakfast is some simple bagels with some cereal and coffee or orange juice with some danishes.

The bad: The back of the refridgerator looked like an electrician's nightmare. There were wires for the two lamps, the radio, and the fridge all tangled up plugged into an powerstrip. There was a piece of the wooden floor loose and broken off right under the fridge.

The shower only had a half-glass covering meaning that a lot of the water spilled out onto the rest of the bathroom - a couple of times flooding the bathroom if we weren't careful. This was a big problem because one day, we came home after a day out and we say that the ceiling was leaking a little bit into our bathroom. It turns out that the room above ours had the same problem with the floor being flooded and it leaked into our bathroom.

For the entire 6 days we were there, the neon "Century" sign in front of the hotel was not lit in it's entirety. In fact, after the second day we were there, the sign wasn't lit at all.

Parking is also a big issue. It's only street parking. We never really had a huge problem finding parking. Every spot we found was within a block or so of the hotel. Several nights, we parked at the parking lot at Nikki Beach, paying them a fee to park overnight. But he had to get up every day early to feed the meter.

One last point: the hotel has a dog on it's premises. It's a medium-sized dog that is extremely docile and friendly. I never heard it bark or cause any problems. I just wanted to point this out in case one is allergic to dogs.

The Century might be a staple of South Beach but it simply is just an older hotel. If it took some steps to modernize, it might be a really chic and trendy hotel. But as it stands, it might be a little past it's prime. We didn't have any major problems and the staff was friendly enough but we'll probably stay someplace else next time.

Doesn't Recommend

flipnet

Joined 6 years ago

Dont Stay at the Century Hotel -Heavy equipment type, Jack hammers, cement trucks. I was recently at the Century Hotel.

Construction on the right, Construction on the left and in front.

Heavy equipment type, Jack hammers, cement trucks, Drillers etc. They start at 4 am and end at 5pm. M-F

My vacation was ruined! This construction is a huge project. It will go on for AT LEAST A YEAR OUT FROM WHEN I POST IT. May 2007

Do you self a big favor don?t go. I spoke to management but they did nothing to make the trip just a bit more enjoyable.

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Doesn't Recommend

traveler605

Joined 6 years ago

Worst Experience in a Hotel Ever!. I had the worst experience in this hotel. When my friend and I arrived to the hotel, the reservation was mixed up with the another guest. So they placed us in another room, which was uncleaned and the closet did not have hangers and an iron. The iron board was dirty and broken. We asked for another room. The third room had a broken glass in the refrigerator and there were BEDBUGS all over the bed! We immediately left the hotel. I highly do not recommend this hotel. Our vacation was ruined because of Century.

Recommends

denver_expert

Joined 6 years ago

Good service. There was good service. We got there early and left our bags up front. It was a bit disappointing trying to haul our heavy luggage up the stairs since there's no elevator. This hotel is nicely located OUT of the busy nightlife, however the hustle and bustle of this Island was still too loud for a good sleep. The room we had was nice, small but good enough for one night. The 'breakfast' wasn't anything of interest to me when I went to look. The retro style of it is posh.

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

A period-style lobby makes this a Deco classic.. The Scene
The spacious lobby of this Albert Anis-designed Art-Deco hotel hasn't changed much since it was built in 1939--just check out the vintage photo on one wall for proof. The upholstery has gotten a makeover from loud florals to a more subdued monochromatic look of rattan and leather. A small martini bar is situated in the corner of the entrance. Picture windows lead out onto a front terrace. The lobby continues up to a mezzanine level where small gatherings are held.

The Details
The lobby and the rooftop sundeck are the highlights of this hotel. There are 70 standard rooms, which are fairly small and display classic photos of Deco architecture on the walls. Although there is no spa on-site, in-room massages and grooming services can be scheduled with 90 minutes advanced notice. Children under 16 stay free if they room with their parents.