Great Experience at the Dorchester

I stayed at the Dorchester in November 03 and had a very pleasant experience. My room with 2 double beds was nicely decorated and clean. The bathroom was a bit small, but the room had a nice walk in closet and a large refrigerator. The hotel is a block from the beach and about 4 blocks to South Beach. A few blocks away is Lincoln Rd. with all its restaurants and nightlife. There is a nice pool when you don't want to deal with renting chairs at the beach. Nice lobby and a buffet breakfast (not included in price) is served inside or on their patio. The maid service was a little slow, but the hotel was full during my stay. I would definitely stay here again. Even though I checked in early, after arriving from a cruise, the staff did the best they could to get me into a room as soon as possible.

Worst night of sleep on our trip!

Our room was average. Our bed was terrible - uncomfortable mattress and pillows. And it was so loud from traffic, that I could not sleep. I would not recommend the Dorchester nor would I stay there again.

Good value for money

My wife and I stopped over here for a night on the way to Orlando and weren't unhappy.

The reception staff were not the friendliest in the world, but the room was clean and comfortable.

Good location, a few metres from the beach and a few minutes walk from Lincoln.

I'd probably stay here again if I was in the area.

HIP but not PIMP

Reviews on here can be misleading, and one's person's raves is another's rant. Dorchester is where it's at for those looking for a bargain but also looking for a nice hotel. It is not a chain and therefore definately has a unique boutique hotel feel....but quality-wise it is on par with chains like Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn, Fairfield Inn, Best Western, Ramada, and/or Radisson.

I would definately recommend it and would consider going back (although might try for sister hotel, The Marseilles, since it's on the beach).

What a dump!

After booking the hotel over the internet at short notice, my wife and I hoped for the best as we'd never been to Miami before. Everything looked ok on the photos. They must have taken the photos just after it was last painted....around 1950. The carpets had seen better days too.

I can't comment on any service provided, as we didn't have any. I've just found out that they charged me $5 for use of a safe which was out of order! I brought this to the attention of the lady at reception who said that there would be no charge, then they charged my credit card anyway! . They would never get away with rating this hotel as 3 star in the UK. I've been to many places in the U.S. including New York and L.A. but never felt as scared as I did walking round Miami Beach. The place is full of aggressive freaks. Is "deco" Spanish for "dump"?

Dorchester South Beach Thumbs up!

I just returned from a 4 day stay in South Beach. We had 2 suites reserved at the Dorchester Suites, 1815 Collins Ave. This hotel is located at the far end of South Beach so you don't get all of the noise. Yet it is perfectly situated across the street from the beach.The suites were huge and very clean and comfortable. The bathrooms looked brand new and there was actually water pressure!! All the amenities were high end and for the price, this was a great deal. We didn't see a single bug in our room either and after reading the other reviews, we felt quite fortunate indeed! There were safes, CD players, full kitchens with microwaves and refrigerators. We also had balconies overlooking the courtyard which was a great place for morning coffee. There is a cafe in the lobby that does serve breakfast however, we opted for a great little Cuban market around the corner for coffee and fresh fruit.All in all, I would highly recommend the Dorchester Suites for your South Beach vacation. You are within walking distance of all of the great SOBE clubs and restaurants, yet far enough away that you don't need ear plugs to sleep.Thumbs up!

Good deal in Miami Beach

I have stayed at teh Dorchester Hotel many times over the past 5 years.

And it keeps getting better and better. They have redone the rooms, updated the bathrooms and completely resurfaced and redesigned the pool, added a gym and a an all suite building in the back of the hotel.

The all suite building is terrific. Very spacious, reminds me of a Pottery Barn ad.

The rate is good and the location is excellant. They can be a little flakey at the front desk. But you have to remember that you are in Miami, where things are much more relaxed and slow!

Large room, poor service

Positives: The rooms were large and clean (though not spotless).

Excellent location.

Negatives: I called for a wakeup call and they *forgot* to do it. I would absolutely not recommend this hotel to anyone staying in Miami for business. I've never been in a hotel where they would forget wakeup call requests. When I called the lobby later that morning to asked what happened, the person at the desk said "it's not my fault, you must have scheduled the call before my shift started." It was pretty snotty (I requested a wakeup call at 11:30 pm for a 7:45 wakeup the following morning--nothing out of the ordinary).

Also, there was a cold-front the days we were in Miami, and our room had no heat. It was 55 degrees outside, and probably only 5 or so degrees warmer than that in the room. We asked at the front desk for them to bring up an extra blanket, and they forgot to bring that, as well. Very poor service, overall. I would expect more from a 3 star hotel.

A nice surprise!

We stayed for a long weekend at the Dorchester Hotel and found that the hotel was better than we expected. The room was new. My girlfriend liked the garden and fountain area. The restaurant was fine for breakfast but unfortunately closed at dinner time. We ate at a great restaurant across the street at the shore club hotel called Nobu, but expensive. South Beach was fun! We'll be back.

Dorchester Hotel: Two thumbs up!

The Hotel Dorchester was a wonderful surprise on my most recent visit to Miami Beach. The suite my family and I stayed in had plenty of room to spare, so we could be perfectly comfortable and still be with our children. Being from New York City, having room to breathe and plenty of good air was vacation enough for me. My wife and I both were thrilled with the rooms. And with the location, - the beach, the people watching and all the activity, - keeping the kids entertained was a breeze. I definitely recommend this hotel to anyone and everyone.