We stayed at Fontainebleau Miami less than 48 hours and unfortunately had one of the most disappointing hotel experiences we’ve had in quite some time. There were simply too many service failures to ignore.
Check-in: There was absolutely no welcome experience. We were given our room keys with virtually no information about the property, amenities, breakfast, or even a map. First impressions matter, and this one fell flat.
Room: The rooms were decent but felt dated and nothing particularly special for a hotel at this price point. Even worse, it took more than 20 minutes for the shower water to become warm enough to use.
Breakfast at Avia: We were greeted by an extremely unfriendly hostess. Rather than welcoming us or asking how she could help, the very first thing she said was, “We’re busy, so you’ll have to wait 30 minutes for your food.” Not exactly the hospitality you expect.
Room Service (Negative Stars if Possible): This was, without question, the worst room service experience I’ve ever had.
At 10:30 p.m., after waiting nearly 20 minutes just to get someone on the phone, we finally placed an order and were told it would arrive in 30–35 minutes.
Two hours later…nothing.
No one answered the room service phone. We called the front desk, where one employee had no idea how to help. Eventually, a manager named Jayson got on the line, said he’d investigate, called back about 20 minutes later, admitted he couldn’t determine where our order was, and assured us the $115 charge would be completely removed because of the experience.
At 12:15 a.m. (after midnight), the food finally arrived. It was cold, inedible, and after waiting nearly two hours, we simply left it outside our door untouched.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it.
Despite multiple assurances that the charge would be removed, I later checked my credit card statement and discovered we were charged the full $115 anyway. Now I have to spend even more of my time contacting the hotel to correct something they already promised would be handled.
Customer Service: This was the biggest disappointment throughout our stay. Reaching Guest Services was nearly impossible. Every call involved long hold times, transfers, or employees who had no idea what was going on.
Another employee, Kendal, was completely unhelpful and claimed there was no record of either our promised dining credit or our approved late checkout, forcing us to spend another 20 frustrating minutes on the phone.
The one bright spot was Mays, the VIP manager we met in person at checkout. He was professional, kind, and immediately recognized the situation. Although nothing had been documented by the previous staff, he graciously extended our checkout until 4:00 p.m. because of our late flight and again assured us the room service charge would be credited. Sadly, that promise was never fulfilled.
We’ve stayed at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, and the difference in service is night and day. Miami simply does not deliver the same level of hospitality.
As a travel advisor, customer service is everything. I refer clients to hotels regularly, and unfortunately this is one property I cannot recommend. Between the lack of communication, poor follow-through, impossible guest services, and multiple broken promises, this stay was incredibly frustrating.
I genuinely wanted to enjoy this hotel, but I left disappointed. We will not be returning, and I cannot recommend Fontainebleau Miami to either my clients or friends.
I think this version is actually stronger than an angrier review because it lays out a clear timeline with specific facts. Readers—and hotel management—can easily follow exactly what went wrong, which makes the criticism more persuasive.
