The Catalina Hotel & Beach Club

Entered in error

I have been the Catalina few times and food and service was really good. However my last visit to Asian restaruant I had the most delicious mojito I experienced. I went to the bar and bartender named Elisa told me she makes them fresh to order from scratch. Kudos to her. I tried rainbow roll and another roll I coundt call the name. It’s was very good. I will definetly coming back for that special passion fruit mojito.

When arriving at this hotel, I gave my BMW to the valet at 11pm just to receive a call at 3am to tell me it was towed. Apparently, one of the valet guys was driving my car around and ended up parking it illegally and got a ticket and ultimately got the car towed. Because of this, I had to wake up at 7am to go with the valet manager to get my car out of the tow shop. The valet manager had to pay $ 300 because of the mistakes of their employee. Who does the hiring process? Why should I ever have to wake up to my car being towed when I left it in the possession of the hotel valet?
Okay, well As if that wasn’t bad enough, during one of the evenings I was playing music and got a knock on the door by Angelo, he proceed to tell me In a rude manner, about how my music was loud and I had to turn it down. Well when i turned it down it apparently was not good enough so then he immediately told me that I needed to turn it off. Annoyed at being told I couldn’t play any music what so ever, I then closed the door and turned off my music. Apparently, Angelo did not like that I closed the door in his face so later on when I came back in from being on south beach he had me kicked out of the hotel. The police tried to reason with him since it was 5am, not too long from check out, and asked him to let me stay but he told them no. Under miami law, if the manager asks someone to Leave then the person has no choice but to leave. even if it’s no valid reason. So I had to leave my hotel and find another hotel to stay in at 5 in the morning.
I do plan on taking this hotel to court about this matter, as I was suggested to do so by the police. They felt bad having to make me leave but it was the managers Angelo decision and they had to abide by it by law. There was even other employees that told the police that no one likes Angelo and that he’s always giving someone a hard time but the police still had to follow Angelos orders.
Please STAY AWAY from this hotel. Just pay an extra couple of bucks to stay somewhere better. Not only was the customer service bad, but the rooms and pool was not so great also. Just STAY away.

I have to agree with others about the lack of service. Everyone I came into contact with was in a «rushed» state of mind. They did not seem to care about anything I had to say. If they change the way they interact with guests I would definitely give them a solid rating.

Just stayed here again a year later and this stay was just as good. I don’t know what people are complaining about! No this is not the Hilton or the Westin or whatever, but this is a great hotel with awesome amenities for the price. I mean two pools, happy hour, and free towels and beach chairs? What’s wrong with that? The room was clean as well. I stayed on the main part this year, so the room was very small, but I’m okay with that. If you aren’t, then I suggest paying the few more dollars for the «living large» room in the building next door. Either way I had a great stay. People must have insane expectations to rate this hotel so poorly. I’m not easy to please and I am the first to complain. If you want luxury get your wallet out for south beach and pay up, if u want quality for your money stay at the Catalina.

We booked through
for 77 bucks for one night because we were catching a plane in the wee morning hours. The room has a very low quality bed with plastic slats as a box spring. Neat looking, very modern but very uncomfortable. There is a free happy hour from 7 to 8 pm at the bar but it is very watered down well liquor in plastic cups. Very small rooftop pool. This place is probably great if you are 21 and want a modern looking room near the beach and bar scene if you are 40 year old couple looking for a comfy bed probably not the best choice.

0I honestly had a great experience here. The front desk staff were kind of iffy, but as far as the hotel room and my overall stay — I had a lovely time!
I scored an amazing deal booking directly with them. I paid $ 75 before taxes and fees for the room. It included a corner suite with a king sized bed, a chair, a chic desk, large mirror in the bedroom, flat screen tv, and a rain fall shower.
The shower only had the one piece of glass covering one side of the shower, but no door. I’m guessing they were doing that to be chic, however, I felt it was kind of stupid because water still got everywhere. Aesthetically though it looks modern.
They have a full minibar where you can take items, just know that you’re going to be paying a pretty up charge for them if you do take anything. I didn’t take anything from it. There is a Walgreens a couple of blocks down the street where you can get all your needs more immediately than spending four times the amount of what you pay for at the hotel by using its convenience. It is called ‘convenience’ for a reason.
Maneuvering around the hotel can be a little confusing because it takes up three buildings. In order for me to get to my room I had to enter through a restaurant and take the elevator up to the third floor. In each building they offer a different restaurant none of which I dined at. By the looks of them — I’m sure if I would have had the time — I would have.
I did not get there in time to utilize their happy hour that’s free to hotel guests from 7 to 8 nor did I use their pool.
It’s only a block from the beach! I highly recommend staying here again as I found it very conveniently located and I was very happy that they have a golf cart that will take you anywhere you want to go within a few blocks of the hotel is if you don’t want to drive.
If you do valet your car, it is $ 35 a night. A bit steep, but what are you to expect being South Beach!
I loved it nonetheless, and my complaints are solely because I’m cheap. I admit it.

This is the worst hotel I have ever been to! We showed up around noon hoping to check in early for our friends bachelorette party, we were told when we booked the hotel, that this was an option. We were then asked to wait a little while which we were happy to do. Check in is at 3pm but we requested early check in. At 1:30pm we still did not have our 2 rooms… They were being «worked on». By about 2pm we were shown to one of our rooms… We then found out that the Windows were leaking water, so we complained and the manager said that he would get us 3 new rooms and a «concierge upgrade». We had only booked 2 rooms for our group but assumed that the extra room was part of our upgrade for all the problems we had earlier in the day.
We finally got new rooms by 4:30pm but missed our restaurant reservation because of all the delays/​problems. When we got back from dinner, we settled in to one of our rooms to have drinks with friends. While a few of us were changing a stranger tried to access the room. Other customers had been issued keys for one of our rooms.
We then got a phone call from the manager accusing us of stealing an extra set of keys for an extra room. This was the most unprofessional phone call I have ever received. I’ve worked in retail and customer service and there was zero professionalism from the management at this hotel. I’m not sure how a group of 20 something year old girls would have accomplished «stealing a room». We thought we were being given 3 rooms by the hotel… How else would we have gotten keys?
Side note: Two of the girls in our group were pregnant and trying to sleep while we continued to get harassed with phone calls from management at the hotel lobby.
We went down to the lobby to figure everything out. One of the managers, a tall blonde man with greasy hair, was completely unhelpful and again accused us of taking rooms from the hotel. We finally spoke with somebody helpful. He arranged 2 larger rooms and gave us one free night so that our pregnant friends didn’t have to pack up and move their things at 1am.
Upon check out, we were given a receipt that reflected a refund for one night (because of all the problems). We were obviously relieved that we would at least get some of our money back… However, the receipt says one thing and we have not rcvd any money back yet. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel to my worst enemy. The employees don’t give a sh*t, have no sense of urgency, and are rude to customers.
However, regardless of the hotel, we actually had a pretty great weekend! I would not suggest staying at this hotel but Miami was fantastic and we had a great time at «the palace» drag show!

The Catalina is usual spot when my friends & I come down to south beach! The food is usually great and so are the drinks. The atmosphere is so Miami. This recent time however the food was not as great as usual. However we were well taken care of by the server Mario and we’re giving complimentary fruit. Additionally the manager Chris was very concerned that we weren’t as pleased as we always were & our party was given 2 mimosas each on the house. I would definitely come here again like I always have. The service & hospitality can’t be beat.

Amazing experience. The manager Chris was really generous and kept following up on us, the food and drinks were on point, and so was our server! Archer!

I thought this hotel would be a good
place for the price but it was awful… truly truly awful. We got there early after getting off a cruise early and were exhausted. We asked to check in early, that we would pay extra and were told
no rooms were available. It was 10 am, we waited until 3 til they could give us a room. Twice I asked Brenda, the front desk attendant for a blanket (it was freezing in the lobby). Both times she told me no because we didn’t have our room yet. This hotel does not feel safe, we deadbolted the door and stacked our luggage Against it to sleep. The bathroom water spurted instead of flowed and the shower was disgusting– I wore sandals in it. Everything took forever and getting a wake up call required 4 tries because every phone line was busy. We ate at the hotel restaurant ku fung which was salty, overpriced and had poor service. Never again. Do not go budget if you need to stay in Miami– spend the money and stay away from this gross hotel.

One of the most stylish, well-​appointed places to stay on South Beach for the price. Leo, the manager, was very willing to accommodate us and make sure we were happy with our stay. As an introduction to South Beach, you can’t go wrong by staying here.
Getting to the beach is a breeze — hop across the street, and you’re almost there. And The Catalina’s staff on the beach were super nice and quick to show us 2 chairs (free!) right at the edge of the surf like we wanted. Couldn’t have been easier.
You are definitely right in the heart of South Beach. Like other reviewers have mentioned, you couldn’t ask for a better location. Super close to Lincoln Road Mall, the beach, and even the super-​lux hotels like The Setai, W, 1 Hotel, Edition which are great to explore for dining and drinks. Taxis are abundant, and there are numerous CitiBike stations within a stone’s throw.
The shuttle was right on time to the airport when we landed, the shuttle driver was so friendly and a great introduction to Miami.
We checked in at 12:30am in the morning, and yet we got a crab roll and california roll in no time while we relaxed in the super swanky bar of Fung Ku and talked to Vladimir. Vladimir was always a smiling face to greet us and see us off on our adventures as we explored South Beach.
The rooftop pool is a beautiful, stylish area with lush manicured tropical plants and cabanas. The bamboo pool is relaxing and beautiful.
Fung Ku is cooler and hipper than any crowded restaurant on Ocean Drive, and plays the best non-​stop chill/​electronica/​ambient music. I can’t tell you the number of times I had record the song that was playing because it’s exactly the type of chill-​out, lounge and electronica I love. Great food at a great price. We ate at a lot of places on South Beach, including 5-​star hotels (The Setai) and Fung Ku holds its own in style, food, price, and most importantly, ambiance.
Maxine’s café is similarly beautiful, big, and open ²⁴⁄₇. Beautiful décor, a super helpful staff.
Oh, and Maxine’s Café has the coolest area, where the sidewalk connects to the pool in the back, with rows of tables next to the wall. And on the wall are all types of different little decorative mirrors. It’s like a French sidewalk café meets fun, funky design.
In short — What a cool hotel! Never short on style, beautifully decorated. Everyone we showed the hotel to, from our 20-​something friends to my grandma were impressed with the décor, amenities, and ambiance.
Lovely memories of The Catalina that will last a lifetime.

DO NOT BOOK AT THIS HOTEL!!! Upon checking in it seemed nice for the price. We booked the hotel on
. The room when we walked in also was decent for the price besides the horrible smell of what it seemed like permed or fried hair. Every time we ran the water the smell came back which we thought was odd. We looked past it and continued our stay. «Room service the next day knocked at the door at 4:00 pm. I did not know who it was, on my way to answer the door in my bra and underwear a gentleman entered the room. Wtf! It was 4 pm AND the front desk said there were no male house keepers!
The night after walking in the hallway I saw a roach on the step. I let out a little screech and went back to the room.
However, the next morning when I went in to do my make up I discovered A ROACH crawling on the wall OMG!!! I’m deathly scared of bugs. DO NOT BOOK AT THIS HOTEL UNLESS YOU LIKE LIVING WITH ROACHES!

I like the hotel and they treated us very nice. The hotel itself is nice, it’s the loud music that ruins it. We changed rooms a couple times because of noise and they took care of us no problem at all. I’m not sure if they were trying to be jerks by switching us to a room right above the 24 hour restaurant. I am paying money to stay here, and club music till 4am on a Wednesday night is not only rude to guests, it’s also rude to the surrounding hotels.

I know when that happy hour bling
That can only mean one thing
I know when that happy hour bling
That can only mean one thing
Ever since I left Miami you, you, you…

The good news about this hotel, is their food is superb and the prices are not as high as you’d expect from a hotel right on the beach. The location is awesome if you plan on spending more of your time out of your room than in; über was easily accessible and always available within 2 mins. Those were the only pleasantries during our stay. We had written an e-​mail to the GM due to the numerous walk-​ins we encountered and the apologies that were never given. Here was the letter to Ms. Laura Marrero:
I have been a guest, along with my husband, since Wednesday, December 9, 2015 and have encountered numerous interruptions from your staff. When we checked in it was early (12:00 noon) and a very sweet young lady offered us a double until a single was available, we agreed to take it and move the next day. We were in our room for only three hours engaging in intercourse when one of your housemen walked in our room by error! He quickly apologized and closed the door. Afterwards we called to the front desk and asked for certain could we move the next morning? Again, the sweet lady with the glasses assured us we could. The next day we went to a class in Coral Gables and returned at 3pm, we were then given keys to D207 by the same lady. After no more than 15 mins a couple from Denmark opened our bedroom door. My husband and I were preparing to shower and luckily had placed the additional lock on the door when we had heard them. He quickly called to speak with a front desk agent and was hung up on, shortly after he called again (while the couple still was at our door) and got on the phone with the manager Rudy, who said he’d «take care of it» and hung up. I escorted the woman back to the lobby to correct the situation in person and Rivas (sp) another front desk agent, apologized to her and gave them D209, he offered no apology to me or my husband although we were the people inconvenienced not once but TWICE.
We went to the desk this afternoon and asked for the MOD, and spoke with a supervisor Raphael (sp) who told us the only thing on file was a note from Rudy to take off our resort fees. That is not only unacceptable but insulting, we would like our entire stay compensated; especially since Rudy didn’t have the courtesy to call my husband back and inform him of that, and not even an apology was issued!
With all that said Laura M. offered an apology and tried to correct it with two $ 45 vouchers to be used for dinner and breakfast and reversal of the resort fees instead of just issuing the two nights of disturbance back to us. $ 45 doesn’t even cover an entrée due to service fees of 18% being added on for an inattentive staff. Needless to say we will never be returning and would suggest staying at the SLS or Fountain Bleu that’s on the same strip.

Visited this boutique hotel on a work trip. Can I say I’m #*^in awesome? Worked all day then hit the rooftop bar and pool followed by an evening in south beach.
Modern accommodations, fantastic proximity to the beach and nightlife, and to top it off Maxine’s 24 hour restaurant is next door.
Is there any reason I would not return? The answer is… No. In fact I WILL return. Hey Catalina, in the word of Arnold, «I’ll be booock…»

This place has too many low reviews. Which is uncalled for. They went out of their way to make sure we were taken care of. We received an upgrade to the El Grande rooms, and they were pretty nice. Only thing my girlfriend really wanted was a bathtub to soak in. Otherwise it has been good. A little more privacy for bathroom usage would have been nice.
I would definitely come back and stay here in the future for sure. I am thankful for the happy hour EVERY day! 7−8pm. Don’t forget to take care of your bartender /​waitress.
Leo went above and beyond making us feel comfortable. I wasn’t able to meet him face to face to thank him. So Leo, if you read this, thanks!

Very attentive staff, and nice pool area.
The bathrooms are clean. Very vintage looking, Spanish décor.
The bar is nice as well.

I’ve stayed here august 13^th — 17^th my birthday weekend I must mention spectacular service in and out of the deco hotel also at Catalina’s restaurants. I love the bamboo pool it’s actually goes up to 8 feet which is exciting not all pools have that in south beach and rooftop deck pool it was great and fun, cool Dj playing all types of music and a full bar with poolside service not to forget to mention you can order food also nice days beds with umbrellas I spent most of my time there. Catalina is just a few steps away from the beach with beach towels and beach chairs, I love the beach service as well .
My only CON is the room bathroom smelled like sewer moldy and old it was terrible there was a few cracks on the floor and the shower curtain rod fell off a few times. I didn’t let it bother me as much because I spent most of my time out of the room and the beds were extremely comfortable and the service kept me happy but it’s something they have to work on ! But I do recommend the Catalina to my friends fun and chic !

Las primeras personas en atendernos es el Valet Parking nos trato como animales, parece que trabajaba obligado, al día siguiente otro valet nos atendió con la misma descortesia. El hotel es tan pequeño que el ruido del restaurant y bar no te deja dormir. prefiero dormir en la calle, la proxima vez