T Casey

Review of Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach R...

I found this resort to be quite pricey, and not at...

I found this resort to be quite pricey, and not at all friendly. The meals in the hotel (none of which were included in the price of our room) were very expensive, the most reasonable option being $17/person for a breakfast buffet. As a family of 4, we're looking at $80 for one meal, plus the price of the hotel. Parking is an extra $40/day, which is an amazingly high rate. WiFi is not, in fact, free unless you are a HHonors member (which we are, but there's the heads up). The extra costs are well beyond what I think they should be for an "all inclusive resort."

Guest services were never overtly rude, but certainly lack the friendliness expected in a resort. Our bell hop on day 1, Mark, was very friendly and informative of what to do in the Ft. Lauderdale area, but every other staff member I encountered woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Housekeeping let themselves into my room at 9:15 at night for turn down service, waking my children up. She knocked once and did not give me the chance to get to the door to respond before she let herself in. When I asked why she was there (I didn't realize there was a turn down service in the evening), she explained it was to drop off fresh towels, etc. I asked her to come only in the mornings. She was very sharp in refusing my request to have it noted for me, insisting that I had to talk to the front desk. I do understand that I can also call the front desk, but she was very unpleasant, and I was already irritated that she woke my young children. When I called to find out what was going on, the front desk did not apologize for any inconvenience on my part. Again, they certainly do not have to apologize, but for me it is the little extra touches of hospitality and friendliness that can make the difference of a great vacation.

PROS: The location of the hotel is prime, being on a quiet stretch in Ft. Lauderdale, and right on the beach. The room was clean and had a wonderful ocean view. The section of the beach that the hotel is situated on is directly across from turtle hatching areas, so the streetlights are out during turtle season (March-October, I believe), and there is opportunity to get lucky and see sea turtles during this period. There are shops, food, and entertainment within walking distance.

OVERALL: If you're looking for a decent room right on the beach, this is a nice hotel. If hospitality, a nice vibe, and an all inclusive resort price is important to you, it may be worthwhile to go elsewhere.

***UPDATE: I wrote this review as I was at the resort. I called for a water issue today at 3:00 p.m. It wasn't a big issue, but something I figured the hotel would want to be made aware of. They said they'd send an engineer. The engineer finally showed up at 9:45 p.m. Again, kids were sleeping. I'm not thrilled about the management's capabilities.