Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Lauderdale 17th Street

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

“Will Try Somewhere Else Next Time” Date of review: May 6, 2011 I should have gotten the idea that there may be problems staying at this hotel when I read some of the reviews on Trip Advisor. Our stay at the Embassy Suites Fort Lauderdale hotel was a rotten way to start our vacation. My friends and I booked two rooms for a single night prior to our cruise the next morning. Now granted, we asked for two rooms together -- on the far side of the hotel, away from the noisy street -- and we arrived at 10:30am in the morning. I can accept the fact that at 10:30am those rooms would not be ready despite the fact we were met with a crowd of cruise travelers who had just checked out and were sitting in the lobby waiting to board the bus. We arrived, let the front desk know who we are and were immediately advised that our rooms would not be ready until (the latest) 3pm in the afternoon. This seemed awfully strange. I travel many times during the year, always arrive early at the hotel, and have never waited past noon to get a room. Then again -- I stay at Marriotts. So, optimistic our rooms would be ready early, we went to the shopping center behind the hotel to have lunch and pick up items for our trip. Upon returning to the hotel at 1pm we were advised that our rooms still werent ready and that the 3pm timeframe was still a "go." So, we sat in the lobby, on our luggage, for 2 additional hours. Everyone at the front desk saw us, nobody made any kind of effort to rush the checkin process or get someone in housecleaning to have two rooms readied. Finally at 3pm, I had to go to the front desk and ask about our rooms. Still not ready. By 3:45pm I walked up to the girl at the front desk and asked to speak with a Supervisor. It was at that moment that she told us "If you want to speak to a Supervisor about your rooms, they are now ready." Wow. How coincidental. Not until we asked to speak with a manager did our rooms suddenly become available. An entire morning and afternoon shot waiting in the lobby for rooms. We could have been swimming in their pool --- something we were looking for but never got the opportunity to do. We never even saw the pool. By the time we checked in at 3:45pm it started raining. The hotel is nice. The rooms were clean. We enjoyed the managers reception and loved the breakfast. However, my friends and I were disgusted by the way this hotel treated us. We sat and watched countless people check in and get rooms immediately, but because we wanted two rooms together on the far side of the hotel, they just could not make it happen. And, as soon as you take the complaint to a higher authority, things start to happen. Go figure. I have never, ever, had to wait till 3:45pm to get a room at any hotel. And folks, I have stayed at many across the country. Now, possibly the manager of this hotel is going to reply with an apology, and that would be appreciated. However, judging from the complaints about the front desk staff and their lack of caring or making things happen for their guests, I doubt very much that things will improve at this hotel. Our stay was ruined. Was really looking forward to the pool. Instead, we only saw the atrium for most of our stay.

FR

Frank Del Toro

PROS: Service response was great when requested/brought to staff attention, especially housekeeping. I found a long hair on my pillow and requested the sheets be changed--they did so within minutes. The second room I had was missing toiletries and a do not disturb sign. Again, the housekeeping staff was responsive and attentive. The beds were very comfortable and the shower water pressure great. Staff in breakfast area was great as well, especially since it seemed like a rough crowd the days we were there. You cant beat the location, as it is around a few restaurants and near a Publix grocery store, minutes from downtown, the beach and the airport. CONS: I felt ripped off almost every minute while on property. Everything was "extra". It was like living at a bank that charged you a fee for everything, including breathing. Purchasing internet was a chore that will cost you 20 minutes of your life that you will never get back--and it was spotty. None of the remotes worked, even with new batteries. The "green" thermostat in room is difficult to navigate as there are no instructions. My smoke-free room smelled like smoke covered up by Febreze spray and couldnt be moved because "were full". Disabled room was clear on other end of building away from elevator banks, so just take a normal room if closer. Speaking of the accessible room, the room number wasnt on the phones. Not critical, but scary if the person cant remember the room. A LOT of deferred maintenance--fans needed some TLC; subtle difference in regular room and accessible suite: the suite had a Keurig versus a coffee maker. Thats it. And it cost 25% more. While housekeeping shined, the restaurant staff seemed to dread being there. Rude, obnoxious, lurking and on Snapchat a lot--these folks would be fired in a nanosecond if this was Las Vegas. As for parking and access...we had to pay 19 dollars for a guest to come for an hour AND in cash, couldnt put on room. The last (and fortunately final) straw was our return trip. I was ordering an uber when the hotels shuttle driver came up to us and offered to take us to the airport in the hotel shuttle. We said, great, lets go. It wasnt until we were unloading at the terminal that he asked for eighteen bucks in cash--that it was nine dollars a piece. An Uber is $11.37 for both of us. When I asked why this Embassy Suites charged for the shuttle, he told me they told me at check in (they did not). What an awful experience. What shouldve been a great trip was nothing but a consistent test of my zen and picking of my pocket. Caveat emptor.

JO

Joy Carter

Embassy Suites by Hilton is absolutely beautiful. It is in a prime spot with plenty of restaurants, grocery stores and shopping all around. From the moment you walk in and see the beautiful decorations of the common area you know you are staying somewhere classy. There is an area for dining and a bar with TVs. The outside patio has a pool and the vibe is very exotic and relaxing. There are strategically placed strings of lights that connect to umbrellas that are covering the tables. The rooms are very nice. They come with a refridgerator and microwave. Theres a dining table with chairs, a pull-out bed/loveseat and an arm chair. The beds are so plush. As you lay down it is as if you fell onto a cloud with a hint of firmness. The bathroom is a great size for the room but the toilet tissue holder is placed in an akward position on the side of the toilet. The shower handle in our bathroom was very hard to turn. If you have a fear of heights I would suggest being placed on no higher than the third floor. The building is like a rectangle and there are balconies on the inside and outside. There are also twelve (12) floors and the corridor between the balcony and room doors is a little narrow. The balconies on the outside of the building have enough room for one, maybe two, to stand up and hold on. They look as if they have been there for a long time. Downstairs in the common area is an open kitchen that serves a great continental buffet in the morning. Unfortunately, thats the only time theyre open. Overall, I rate my stay as a 4 out of 5. They seemed to be short-staffed when we were there and didnt end up checking into our room until after 3 PM. The staff is friendly but they could use more organization and communication when shuttling guests to the ports for cruises, the airport or the train station.

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