Dezerland Surfside Beach Resort

The only thing this place has going for it is it’s location. I paid through American Express Travel which was supposed to include «ALL FEES & TAXES» and I was hit with a $ 11 fee when I checked in. On top of that free breakfast was supposed to be included, but they never gave me the coupon, nor did they tell me I needed one, so when I went to breakfast I had to pay. We had to leave to catch a flight, and I wasn’t 100% sure free breakfast was included, and I didn’t have time to check on my phone, so I just left, after paying nearly $ 7 for 2 cups of coffee in styrofoam cups. (Coffee plus gratuity plus tax) and no breakfast.
Later I found out the «resort fee» was to cover towels, chairs, etc… to use the beach. Not only were we not offered any of that, but it certainly wasn’t made available to us.
Oh, and the hotel room itself was dirty, with a very moldy bathroom and rusty gross windows.
I called to try to get my $ 11 refunded and complain about having to pay for breakfast. They were very kind and offered me a nice apology, but no refund of any sort.
I’ll never stay at a Howard Johnson Again. Lesson learned.

0 stars! Thought it would be nice for the price and private beach, but it isn’t worth it. Sue the water is nice, but this place is dirty and eaten though the room is prepaid.
I paid ahead of time for a four night stay and have been given the run around at the front desk as they «call the housekeeping supervisor» to see if the room is ready.
This is after the first one that helped us told us to come back at 2, then they said3, then 3:15, then 4 then 3:30 then !!!
I’m going to demand my credit card company retract payment for services not provided.

Save your sanity! Stay elsewhere! I came to Miami for a friend’s wedding and had the misfortune of staying at Dezerland.
The management could care less about the success or failure of this «hotel». There were two men working the front counter, neither of whom have any interest in customer service and walked passed us standing at the counter without making eye contact or the courtesy of «it will be just another minute». When I checked in, they told me there was an additional service fee (which the operator did not quote the previous two times I spoke with her). I asked what the fee was for. The clerk responded in case customers steal towels and chairs. I asked if that happened frequently here; he said yes. Later that night in the room, I discovered the curtain was covered in mold and that the mini-​fridge was in the midst of breaking down. It clicked itself to death about every 10 minutes overnight. When I reported these issues, the front desk guy said, «Oh, sorry about that».
I know everyone is looking to save a buck when travelling. This is one case when you really want to invest somewhere else.

I just got back form Miami about a week ago. I stayed at this hotel which is now owned by Howard Johnson and houses Nirvana Day Spa and a 50s style restuarant on the permises. Though I have stayed at better hotels in the past, I really can’t complain about the Howard Johnson Dezerland Beach Hotel and Spa. It’s the best bang for your buck. Spending an average of $ 60 a night, my friend and I enjoyed the beach and pool as well as the free shuttle to Aventura Mall and South Beach. The staff was friendly and very accomodating including the crazy old man who drives the shuttle who gave us a tour of Miami (unbeknownst to us) while he was supposed to be getting gas. The only real draw back to me was the lack of carpeting, But otherwise, are you really expecting the Ritz Carlton for $ 60 a night?

This is a two-​star hotel, masquerading as a three-​star hotel, with staff that make for a one-​star review. You’d think any Howard Johnson would offer at least some semblence of civility and quality. However, this hotel is dated, the room décor seemed cheap, and the staff have the attitude of nightclub security guards (read, «abrupt and unfriendly») or people making minimum wage, depending upon who you talk to. The things that totally soured me were 1) the bait and switch on the room, where I ordered a room with a king-​sized bed but was assigned a room with two doubles; 2) paying $ 10 extra for parking, but having to park across the street when the lot filled up; 3) the useless security guard by the pool who did nothing to control the people who were obviously not guests (and instead had snuck in) who were pushing each other into the pool and otherwise making for a racaus and unpleasant scene, and 4) the manager on duty who wouldn’t help me to retrieve some shoes that I left in the room after checking out, claiming that I would need to contact housecleaning during normal business hours. By the way, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that it took no less than five phone calls to the housekeeping manager to get her to leave the shoes at the front desk for my sister to retrieve. Despite the fact that my sister lives two blocks away and I visit her often, I will NEVER stay here again. You’d have to PAY ME! Save your money (and your sanity): stay elsewhere.