Quick Facts:

Address: 5101 Blue Lagoon Drive, Miami, Florida, 33126

Phone: 1-305-262-1000

Rating: AAA Four Diamonds

Smoking Rooms: Yes

Internet: Yes, not free

Airport Shuttle: Yes, free, every 15 minutes between 5am and 1am

Parking: Yes, $10 per day for self-park

Check-in/Check-out: 3:00PM/12:00 noon

My Opinion:

Since I largely gave up on Holiday Inns, at least at airports, I decided to try the Hilton family of hotels. Hiltons have a good reputation, and I am a member of the HHonors program (Hilton's reward program), so this was a no-brainer. I was staying at the airport between the flights, and while I only needed a place to stay, I didn't want a bad place to stay.

Miami Airport Hilton is a rather large hotel, with 500 rooms and suites, right across the street from the Miami International Airport. The lobby is open, airy, welcoming and clean, with the hotel's AAA Four Diamond accolades prominently displayed. Check-in process was a breeze. I requested a smoking room, and the only smoking the hotel had upon check-in was a double room for partially handicapped, which I, of course, did not mind.

The room itself was rather disappointing. The room was very large, but I do not really care how big the room is. The room looked old and in need of renovations. When I was plugging in my laptop into the outlet I noticed enormous water stains on the curtains that have turned dark gray. I turned the TV on for background noise, and the reception was rather bad. I wanted to check out the newest movies on TV, and got a screen saying "Wait while we prepare your entertainment for you." Forty five minutes later the same screen was still on the TV.

I was somewhat surprised that the Miami Airport Hilton charged $9.95 per day for the internet. Generally, internet is included at the price of a hotel, especially an airport hotel, as generally business travelers stay at these hotels. Since I have to have internet, I promptly paid for the service, and ordered room service. I rarely go to a hotel's restaurants, and prefer to eat in the room. Miami Airport Hilton's room service prices were gargantuan - the room service is never cheap, but these prices were surprising. For example, I ordered a soup, a plate of bruschetta, a main dish of chicken, and ice cream for desert, and it cost $56. The food was average at best.

Soon after the food arrived I noticed I still didn't have my background noise. I called the front desk to inquire, and the front desk agent decided to send an engineer to the room. The engineer entered to advise that the hotel's satellite system was down, and to give it around 20 minutes, which in reality ended up being the total of almost three hours.

The bathroom was basic and it reminded me of old communist era bathrooms in Eastern Europe. While the bathroom was bigger than the aforementioned communist bathrooms, it was old, with exceptionally poor water pressure and very basic amenities. The bathroom sink was so badly clogged that I couldn't wash my face with the water running. I could forget about washing my face AND brushing my teeth back to back.

The bed itself was rather comfortable, with clean linens and a great mattress. However, this was the first time that the jet noise woke me up in an airport hotel. Generally, airport hotels are soundproofed, but Miami Airport Hilton carried the noise well. In the morning I ordered room service breakfast, and received greasy, overcooked eggs and acidic, sour tasting coffee, along with egg-tasting buttermilk pancakes for the bargain price of $30. I called to ask for a late check-out and was informed that if I wanted to check-out an hour after the check-out time of 12:00 PM, the cost would be $25. This really surprised me, as it was maybe a second time that I was told this at an American airport hotel.

All in all, Miami Airport Hilton was below par for a Hilton, and certainly below par for a AAA Four Diamond property. While the hotel staff was curteous and helpful throughout the stay, the room itself was rather basic and dirty, badly in need of updates. The room service food was appalling, especially at the price. I don't mind paying a lot of money for a good meal, and the two meals I had at the Miami Airport Hilton were nowhere near good. I would recommend this hotel only as a last resort.