Casa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton

I will start with the good... The Casa Marina creates beautiful and excellent events. I was there for a wedding; the ceremony, reception, and guest brunch the following day were absolutely wonderfully done and definitely created lasting memories for those involved. However, everything else was wildly disappointing! There were significant issues with the hotel itself as well as the service. The hotel is over 100 years old which of course means it will have its charm and quirks, but rusted, extremely slow elevators should not be one of those quirks. The room was ok, but the shower was tiny and was not big and tall or elderly friendly. There was no seat or even a ledge in the shower to shave my legs. There also was no shelf for personal toiletries. They had shampoo, conditioner, and body wash attached to the wall and I precariously balanced some of my products on them. One of the lamps in the room did not work but that was the least of my problems. The bed was so incredibly hot it was unreal! I put the AC to 65 degrees and I was still sweating buckets in my bed. I thought it maybe it was me, but when I talked to other guests in the hotel they complained of their beds being hot to sleep in too. It made for extremely uncomfortable nights with little rest and left me utterly exhausted. And I think the housekeeping staff must have accidentally turned on the alarm when they cleaned my room because it went off at 6am a couple days into my stay when it did not go off the previous days. I also found the service incredibly lacking. I got to the hotel a few minutes before 4pm (check-in time). I was told that my king room had not been cleaned yet - not that it was in the process of being cleaned but that it was not cleaned at all. I was told I could wait for 20+ minutes for the king room or take a clean double room. I opted for the double beds as I was exhausted and started my travel day around 5am. I was given a piece of paper with some hotel history and various QR codes for different services. Once I got settled, I attempted to use the QR code for room service, but the link did not work. It would not take my room number or even a credit card. I called what I thought was room service from the nightstand phone. Someone in guest services answered and transferred me to someone who was supposed to help me. It was someone's specific extension, but no one picked up and I left a message. 10-ish minutes go by - no one called me back. I called guest services again and I was transferred to the front desk for help. I left another message... no one called me back. I called GS AGAIN and was transferred once again with no response. This took at least 30 minutes, and I was starving after a long day of travel. I then remembered that I received a text message from the property saying that I could text with needs and questions. So, I asked for help and eventually someone from Room Service called me and took my order for dinner. Just getting someone on the phone to order dinner took about an hour! When the food arrived, they forgot the drink and the server had to go back and get it. The QR code did not work again the second time I wanted to order room service. So, I used the text message service again. The worker (manager?) from RS said the link was not working for them either and apologized for having to call me from his personal cell phone! Also, there was an additional $7.00 cost to deliver the food to your room and there was already an 18% gratuity included on the RS bill which I was fine with but felt like I still needed to tip the person who dropped it off. I really had no way of knowing who exactly was getting the tips and gratuity. I also do not understand not having a phone that rings to room service, the front desk, or the bellhop stand. I do not understand not having a RS menu in the room. And if you’re going to use QR codes for these things - why aren't they posted in the room or broadcasted on the TVs? If you lose that piece of paper, you would have to walk all the way back to the front desk or try in vain to get someone to bring a new sheet to you. I would imagine that the QR codes do not work well for everyone; I could see senior citizens and disabled people finding the QR codes difficult. The first time I went into the coffee/gift shop. I was there for a few minutes before the woman came out from behind the counter and asked if I need help finding something. I said no to which she said, "Oh well you were just looking around." It was a gift shop! What was I supposed to do? It definitely felt like a racial profiling kind of thing as others were also "looking around." This was the only place to buy water or pop or a quick snack since there were no vending machines on the floors which is not terrible but it was a good hike for many guests to get to the lobby building with the coffee/gift shop. It would have been nice to have a vending machine next to the ice machine on the floor. I returned the next day and while getting a few drinks I heard an employee (he was wearing a uniform and badge) loudly making fun of someone with another man that may have also worked there (he was in a smart casual type outfit but clearly knew the other employee well). I could not quite figure out exactly who they were mocking, but I definitely worried it was me. Regardless, it was unprofessional and unkind. I was also disappointed in the staff outside of the wedding- meaning that there did not seem to be sufficient knowledge of the event. When I checked in, the woman at the front desk badly mispronounced the groom's first name. Which seemed odd after discovering that there was another wedding on the property with another groom with the same first name! The couple hosted a "goodbye" brunch on the lawn- which was beautiful and very enjoyable. However, there were probably 3-4 weddings on the property that weekend and I didn't know exactly where the brunch would be held (originally, I thought indoors). I asked the 2 employees at the host stand for the patio restaurant where the “friend’s name” wedding brunch was. They said they did not know and then pointed towards the lawn and said, "maybe that's it." From where I was standing, I couldn't tell if it was the correct party and I didn't want to crash someone else's brunch. Luckily, it was the right one. Finally, the night before I left. I texted the customer service number to see if I could schedule a bellhop to meet me at my room in the morning. They told me there was no need to schedule it and that I should just text in the morning when I was ready to leave. So that is what I did. I was told someone would "be right up!" I waited over 20 minutes - no one ever came, and I needed to get to the airport. So, I walked awkwardly to the front desk myself with my large luggage to check out and then I went out to the curb to get in my Lyft. Honestly, I did not intend to make this review this long, but that was everything that happened and didn't happen as it should have. Final thoughts - 1. The resort fee is silly. I was told it covered use of the pool and beach. It should just be put into the cost per night. If you opt out of the fee I doubt, they would know if you still used those amenities and I got the feeling the resort fees where mandatory. 2. The stay and service were not worth the cost. 3. They throw a great event! 4. Be warned if you’ve never been to Key West- there are chickens, pigeons, and seagulls EVERYWHERE! Guard your plates! Read less

This location is always a great choice. This is my second time staying there I had a great experience. They have live music by the beach during sunset. Clean rooms and excellent customer service. Patrick at the front desk was amazing, great customer service. The only thing that I think they should improve is the food at the restaurant bar by the beach(don’t remember the name). Other than that I highly recommend this location for any family or any kind of trips to Key West. Read less

Patrick, the manager at the front desk, was beyond amazing. He took the time to make sure we had an amazing experience and provided us with a newly renovated room that was gorgeous overlooking ocean. From the moment we walked in we felt at home at the Casa Marina, and Patrick and his staff truly made us feel like we were their only guests. To say we would highly recommend the Casa to our friends is an understatement. I can't wait to come back again and enjoy the scenic grounds, amazing food, and friendly staff. 10/10 experience. Read less