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Some gripes about the Mandarin Oriental Miami

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    I recently returned from a trip to the Mandarin Oriental in Miami and overall I had a great stay. But, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I think the hotel is a bit overhyped and overrated. I don't mean to say that I wouldn't stay there again. I probably will. But, I saw a few minor flaws to share with anyone else who might be thinking of staying there.

    In general, most things are as they should be: beautiful rooms, very simple with modern and elegant decor, friendly and mostly helpful staff, excellent food, etc.

    mandarin-oriental-bed.jpg

    (BTW, this was a "Superior" room). The bathroom was particularly nice and was even larger than some hotel rooms that I've stayed in:

    mandarin-oriental-bathroom.jpg

    But, the hotel feels as though it can barely manage the number of people that stay there. Though our room was overall very beautiful, it's worth mentioning that the furniture had definitely seen better days. Here's a photo I snapped of the damaged coffee table that I found in our room upon arrival:

    mandarinoriental_table.jpg

    The room looked as though someone threw a party as there were some obvious signs of residual damage here and there. Housekeeping was a bit lax as I noticed was that every surface that was over 5-feet from the ground was covered with a fair amount of dust. But, I admit that those are minor things to complain about.

    The only other issue is that the pool is way too small for the size of the hotel. You can see by this photo I snapped that everyone's a little too close for comfort:

    mandarinoriental_pool.jpg

    And while the faux beach out back was a nice little oasis to spread out and relax, a security guard in a suit came around to everyone at 1PM on a Saturday afternoon and tells everyone to "vacate the beach" in the next 15 minutes so that they could set up for a wedding later that evening. Then he suggests, "if you hurry, you might be able to get a spot by the pool."

    So, about 100 guests start migrating over to the pool area, which is already filled to capacity.

    I think it's probably ok to ask guests to leave a public area of the hotel when they can easily accommodate all of the guests in another part of the hotel. But, when they tell people to hurry if they want to find a chaise lounge by the pool that's already too crowded, it's really more than an inconvenience considering that all of the guests there are basically forking over $400+ a night for the privilege of wrangling lounge chairs.

    Sorry to rant here, but I thought this was worth mentioning for anyone who plans on staying here over a weekend when weddings tend to happen. For a hotel that probably throws a lot of beach-themed weddings, it makes you wonder if that happens more often than not.

    On the other hand, the wedding looked like it would have been fun:

    mandarinoriental_wedding.jpg

    Still, I can definitely see why it's rated as one of the top places to stay in Miami. But let's just say that it's not without its flaws.

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    Our room was definitely in much better condition than yours. I'll agree that they could use a bigger pool though. Closing the beach for every wedding ceremony they host wouldn't be a problem if they did.

    By the way, the best service in the hotel is actually in their restaurant, Azul. It's really worth the splurge. I was there over this summer -- extraordinarily friendly service and the food is excellent.

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    — jensen But, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I think the hotel is a bit overhyped an overrated.

    I think it's hard to say. I've heard that the service has started to get a bit lax in recent years. But, when it first opened, it really was that good.

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    I get the sense that most hotels in Miami have their fair share of fatal flaws. It's often a little more about the scene than the substance. I'd mention that the location of the Mandarin Oriental isn't ideal for those who want to be able to walk to places from their hotel. Though, I imagine some see that as a plus.

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    I think Mandarin Oriental's light is starting to fade. I've been noticing a gradual decrease in quality consistency throughout some of their locations. Recently, I've stayed at the MO Tokyo and had such an awful experience that I had to complain to the General Manager of the hotel. (Actually, I'm still awaiting his response. Perhaps I should not hold my breath.)

    Your complaints aren't minor. You would expect more from the MO. They pride themselves on superb service and quality standards. They should behave responsibly when their own standards are lacking.

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    — mediaslRecently, I've stayed at the MO Tokyo and had such an awful experience that I had to complain to the General Manager of the hotel.

    That's interesting... Isn't that one of their newest hotels? You'd think they'd have their best staff on it.

    It's funny. MO is able to do wonders with the perception of their brand. Their stunning interior designs and their B-list celebrity ad campaigns seem to make everyone weak in the knees. But, sometimes their staff can be a bit lax.

    Not to nit-pick, or generalize, but I remember one time recently at the Miami MO I had a small bill adjustment that needed to be made after I had already completed my check out. The guy at Reception said I needed to call customer service to get the adjustment made. But, I knew that couldn't be true. And 15 minutes later, someone else showed up at Reception and helped me out without blinking an eye. Sure, it's a minor issue, but I just got the feeling that they didn't care enough to jump through hoops for me after paying as much as I did. A top hotel really shouldn't ever say "no" to something that's easily possible.

    I think if they just worked more on going the extra mile for guests the rates at the MO would really be worth it. A bigger pool would be nice, too ;)

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    I stayed at the MO Miami last year and had an absolutely wonderful time. The beach was open and we spent most of the day lounging around on one of the beds. It was great. The spa is really top notch as well. The food at Azul was beyond expectations. I highly recommend it! The only thing I could possibly complain about was the location, but it didn't bother us since we had a car. We preferred not being in the middle of South Beach.

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    I stayed at MO San Francisco this year. It's in serious need of some TLC. It felt really, really tired and kind of lethargic to be there. For a hotel with such mind-blowing, knee-wobbling views it's really sad that the rooms feel so, I don't know, flat..? The service was great, though – as you'd hope and expect from an MO. But it's got to be about more than that if you're paying some of the highest prices in town.
    The in-house restaurant, however, was astonishingly good. Wow. Silk's hot-shot Chef de Cuisine, Joel Huff, had the whole room in the palm of his hand. From high-spending Japanese tourists to some SFO socialites (and us!), we were all in awe of his cooking that night. Truly memorable stuff.

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    I haven't considered staying at the MO Miami because of it's location... really not a happening area. For business travelers, it seems like a good choice.

    I just came back from a stay at The Setai last weekend and would recommend it. It is a large hotel, but somehow has a "boutique" atmosphere.

    I am not into feng-shui design, but The Setai may have converted me... the design of the rooms was so relaxing. and I loved the bathtub in the middle of the room!!!

    The set-up of the pools also made it seem more intimate. 3 separate pool side by side.

    I typically go to South Beach and have a raucous weekend... I was planning the same last week, but the setai completely changed it. It was such a relaxing experience.

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    I have stayed twice at the MO Tokyo and found it not only of the most beautifully designed Hotels but also could not find fault in any way. The food is exceptional.

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    I once stayed at the Madarin Oriental Miami awile ago. I didn't notice the room being in bad condition, but I remembered the elevators stopped on every floor for some weird reason. I guess 4 little elevators for the whole hotel will do that.

    We were lucky that we did not have a wedding reception. The weekdays is the best time to be there.

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    We stayed at the MO Miami for a three night stay in February of 2007. I can say that we had more than several problems with the hotel. I actually had direct access to a manager because so many things were handled poorly in the beginning. We had to change rooms not because of the quality, but because they put us in a room which was very dark. The next room was better but, the amenities in the shower were half used. I complained to housekeeping and they brought up a years worth of amenities. That was excessive and my point had to do with housekeeping not being through when doing their final check. The pool service is non existent. We had to ask for someone to get us towels and find us seats. They do not anticipate the guests needs very well or go out of their way to make you feel special. No attempts at trying to get us a menu, drinks, water, facial spritz, etc.. Also, what hotel of that caliber does not have sunscreen in case it's guest forgets theirs. Well, I had to go into the spa and buy some. It was a great sunscreen though. I could go on but, we leave for Miami in a few days and the Setai is getting our business this year. Let's see how they do.

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    I am sorry that you had such a bad time. I stayed there in Feb. 2007 and had an amazing time.
    Couple of gripes - they only had a room with 2 double beds, but it was fine. They put us in a room with a balcony.
    The valet parking is annoying, but that's to be expected in Miami.
    The staff was magnificent during our stay - really wonderful in all aspects. From the pool, to the fitness center, front desk, housekeeping, dining they were all professional and really anticipated our every need.
    I loved it there and would go back in a heart beat.

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