I was not planning to stay at the Moxy in South beach, but after spending a night in a different Marriott brand located in South beach, the Goodtime hotel, and not having a good time, I booked a room at the Moxy, checked out and hopped in an Uber for a quick ride to this hotel. I am VERY glad that I did. It’s obvious to me that the associates and the managers here are very well trained, and that the owners want them to ensure that the guests are happy.
I arrived very early in the morning, with zero expectation that a room to be ready. I was correct, nothing was ready at the early hour, because they had been sold out the night before. But the lovely Stacy at the front desk correctly checked to see if there were any rooms available, told me that there weren't but that she would alert housekeeping and contact me when one was ready. That is what you were supposed to do in a hotel. ( I used to work for Marriott! I know what you are expected to tell a guest, and what you are not supposed to say in this situation. You NEVER say “NO, check in is at 4, come back.” You do EXACTLY what Stacy did here. )
Since she did her job correctly and had a great attitude, I didn't mind waiting. And when someone called the front desk, she asked them if they could be placed on hold instead of just saying “front desk hold please.” You don't know if the person on the other end of the phone has an emergency and you just automatically put them on hold – you ASK if they mind holding for a moment.
The rooms are not big, and they are not designed for a long-term stay because they're very minimalistic, with a little bit of modern and maybe mid-century retro thrown in for good measure. But the bed was very comfortable, I even had a little bit of a view of the ocean. The bathroom is decently equipped; the shower does have a combination shampoo and body wash, and conditioner. I will say there was a little bit of noise from the music at the restaurant although it ended at about 10:30.
The food up in Serena, the rooftop restaurant, was very good, the drinks were fabulous and the bar staff, led by Brian, are awesome and friendly! I will say that they do charge you a service charge (which is the gratuity) when you order drinks or food in the restaurant, and they do charge a 3% credit card swipe fee. That is posted on signs, but a lot of people got upset because they didn't see it, and evidently, it's a big thing in South Florida. Since I was room charging my food and drinks it didn't matter. I got a coupon for a free margarita with $30 food and beverage purchase, as well as a free appetizer (chips and salsa, and the red salsa is HOT!!!!!) and a $10 food and beverage credit as an elite guest amenity.
I grabbed a bacon and egg wrap and coffee from the little café/shop called La Tiendita and it was excellent. They serve brunch but I was headed to a cruise and didn’t want to wait until the service began so this was perfect. The wrap was large and delicious.
I generally don't stay in South Beach, I prefer to stay closer to downtown in the Biscayne Bay/Brickell/Port area, I would consider coming back here but not for more than one or two nights. It was a job well done, mostly due to the fantastic staff. Thanks!
