Eric K.
Yelp
We were in town to see Madonna at the Kaseya Center. We ended up taking the new Brightline train from Orlando to Miami. It dropped us off about 15 minutes from the hotel, so it was an easy walk to the hotel. The Kaseya Center was literally about a 3 minute walk from the hotel. We couldn't have asked for a better location to get back to our room after one of Madonna's late concerts.
Check-in was a different experience for me. They have screens so you do the entire check-in process by yourself, but staff right there if you need help or have questions. It was pretty easy, as it walked you through everything. I did have a couple of questions and they were answered quickly, professionally, and with a smile. One cool thing was that you could almost pick your own room. It described what was available based on your reservation and what the view was. I picked a high floor with a view of Miami WorldCenter. I then activated our own room keys and then it discreetly spit out our room number on a little piece of paper.
As described in everyone's reviews and on the hotel website, the rooms are very compact, but have all of the necessary amenities...and then some! It was perfect for the 3 days/2 nights we were in Miami. Every inch of space was well planned and used intentionally to maximize the number of rooms in the hotel. To maximize space in the room, the queen-sized bed is horizontal along the window. So the only challenge we had was that I sometimes get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, so I had to crawl over my partner because of the way the bed is situated. However, when you're laying in bed, the TV faces you, so it's the perfect set-up for watching TV in bed.
It was also the most high-tech room/hotel I've ever stayed in. Everything was controlled via iPad, although there were also some manual light switches available, too. The iPad was pretty intuitive, so we could modify the lights (including the mood lights in the bathroom/shower), turn on the TV, and open and close the blinds. Everything worked perfectly; there were no technical hiccups. And I was amazed at how well the "night blinds" kept out the sun in the morning! I had no idea what time it was, even though the sunlight was reflected off the neighboring building and shining directly at our window.
After a day of walking around Miami our first day, we came back to the hotel to change and go out to eat. We realized we were exhausted, though, so we decided to just eat in the hotel for dinner since it was getting late and we were tired of walking all day. The food selection for dinner was super limited, though, so that was disappointing. Breakfast looked like it was a good-sized buffet, but dinner doesn't get the same treatment. We scanned the QR code at a table and finally realized we had to order at the bar. There was only one bartender, and the bar was decently crowded (about 15-20 people), so I had to wait about 10 minutes to even place an order. And the bartender was incredibly slow. He was making mixed drinks for people. One at a time. And it took forever. When it was finally my turn, I ordered a beer. He casually said they didn't have that one (that was listed on the menu). After waiting so long to order, I didn't want to draw out the ordering process, so I just ordered a water. Which I was told is self-serve at the end of the bar. But it did help me learn where the water was so we could refill our water bottles every day. I ordered chicken and beef empanadas and rosemary fries for my partner and I. I then had to pick up my own food and clean up after myself (but expected to leave gratuity when I ordered). All that said, the empanadas were really good, but I do wish there were more choices on the menu. And the creamy sauce that came with the fries was good. It was our first night in Miami, and it was obviously my least favorite dining experience.
The concert was the second night of our stay and we just had to cross the street to get to the Kaseya Center. It couldn't have been more convenient. And if you've ever been to a Madonna concert, you know she comes out on stage about two hours past the posted start time. So when the concert let out at 12:45 AM, we just had to walk across the street to our hotel while everyone was jockeying to get their car and out onto the crowded streets to drive wherever they had to go.
On our day of checkout, it was easy to leave our bag with the staff while we went out to breakfast and explored Miami a bit more before we had to catch our train. After walking around, we came back to the hotel and relaxed in the shared living room off the lobby before it was time to go. The chairs were super comfortable. I probably could have napped. It was then only about a 15 minute walk back to the Brightline station.
It looks like there's a lot being built around the hotel, so there will be a lot more shopping and dining super close by one day.