Unfortunately, I’ll just cut to the chase and say that the hotel connected to the Miami International Airport did not live up to my expectations. Sure, it’s convenient, but I didn’t expect it to be so simple.
A full review of my 1 night stay at the Miami International Airport Hotel
Of course I knew that it wasn’t going be as good as newer airport terminal hotels (such as the Calgary Airport Marriott), but I was hoping g that it would be decent. I mean, it’s connected to one of the greatest airports on earth. It just had to be, right? Not exactly…
Location
There are a lot of hotels near the Miami Airport. This one is the only one connected to the terminal. The entrance is located on the departures level at the very center of the airport.
I was actually looking for a large doorway and a big sign, but the check in desk is literally located in the middle of the terminal with very little to separate it from the throngs of passengers checking in for flights. I actually walked past it three times before I realized it was the hotel.
The lobby (and checking in)
It was after 11 PM when I checked in, and the desk was staffed by two people. One of them was assisting a customer that needed a lot of help, and the other just stood there working on something without acknowledging me at all. Not a great start.
Getting to my room
Room overview
It’s important to note that the rooms have been updated since I posted this review (you can see what they look like here). That said, the overall size (and vibe) is the same.
Walking into the room for the first time was highly disappointing. So disappointing that I actually felt more let down than I ever have when checking into a hotel. Seriously – I wasn’t expecting anything like the Barclay InterContinental in NYC or anything, but the quality of this room appeared to be extremely low-budget and not matching of the price I paid ($192.93).
I actually stood there for a minute looking around mumbling to myself “seriously?” over and over. It was not what I was expecting, and I would’ve turned around and left if it weren’t for the fact that it was after 11 PM and this hotel was very conveniently attached to the airport.
Being attached to the airport seemed to be the only redeeming value of this place, and it’s hard to justify staying here if I didn’t need to be so close to the airport.
The view
The bathroom
Final thoughts
As you can see, this is pretty “low end” on the scale of airport hotel quality (at least in my experience). It was dark, stinky, and kind of ugly from some angles. However, let me say this: by the end of my stay here, the place had grown on me quite a bit.
For an airport hotel, it was extremely quiet, and the view of the terminal from my window was amazing. Most importantly, being attached to the airport was highly convenient – especially for an airport as busy and large as MIA.
