Marriott Beach Place Towers offers renovated rooms and great views.
The Marriott Beach Place Towers has been a fixture on Ft. Lauderdale Beach for years. It used to be the premier property on the strip...but with the opening of the Hilton, the Ritz-Carlton, the Atlantic and the soon to be opened Trump and W Hotels...they needed a change. They just completed a full renovation of the villa rooms and I got the chance to see what the property was all about.
(Marriott Beach Place Towers and Beach Place Entertainment Complex)
First of all, this property is not your 'typical' Marriott Hotel. It's actually part of the Marriott Vacation Club family. In other words...'Time-Share'. The location is key. It's right across from the beach and is connected to the Beach Place Entertainment Complex. Beach Place offers some retail shops that are a step up from the old t-shirt traps that still dot the Lauderdale Beach Strip. You can also find some night-life like Howl at the Moon Saloon, Sloppy Joe's and Hooters along with a few other restaurants. The new addition to Beach Place is a CVS store. The store offers anything you need and also will transfer any international prescriptions for you foreign visitors. The CVS is a smart move...it beats any hotel gift shop and you have a huge selection of items.
(Another view of Marriott Beach Place Towers...it's on the right in the pic.)
The Marriott is a 'Time-Share' which means that you buy ownership by the week. All the rooms are built at two bedroom 'villas' with a main sitting area and full kitchen. Each of the bedrooms are actually like a mini studio suite. They offer a king bed and a queen pull-out sofa bed. A mini refrigerator and a microwave is also in each bedroom. There is even dishes and glasses for four place sittings. The concept of making each bedroom a studio suite allows Marriott to use a set number of rooms as hotel rooms. That means you don't have to have ownership in the time-share to stay here.
If you are staying as a hotel guest and not a time-share guest...there are a few things you may want to know. The hotel may not have all the amenities that most Marriott full-service hotels offer. There is no restaurant in the hotel (H2O Cafe is next door to Beach Place..see review in previous post dated 12/27/08). There is a small gift shop that offers beer, wine, liquor and some grocery items. There is also a snack shop that offers Pizza Hut Express items along with some Starbucks selections. There is no valet for your car. Parking is $17 a day and located in the parking garage of the Beach Place Complex. Guests do have exclusive use of levels 4 & 5 though. There is no real concierge service available either. There are staff to assist...but not in the same manor as you'd find in a full service hotel. The ice machine is located on the lobby level. I'm assuming this is not an issue for those renting the full 2 bedroom villa...since I'm sure the full refrigerator has an ice machine in it. There is a laundry room though...and they give you free Tide to use.
(Marriott Beach Place Lobby.)
The property does have activities for the kids which is great for families. The pool overlooks the water...but is not that big. I imagine it gets quite busy at peak season. Basically....the Vacation Club properties are geared to the travelers that like to be left alone on their trip. I'm not saying th ere is no service here...rather just trying to explain the differences from a full-service hotel.
Now onto my review.
The parking is a bit weird. You get the ticket when you enter...then drive up to the P4 or P5 level. You feed your ticket into the automated gate and park. The reason for this is because regular overnight parking in the structure is $25. Marriott only charges $17 and needs some kind of system to manage the parking. You get a card for your visor that you show the guy when you leave the garage.
To get to the lobby...you have to go up the elevator. There is an intercom to get into the elevator area (or use your room key) and they will buzz you in. It's a great security measure. Speaking of the elevators, I've read many complaints about wait times for these elevators. If you go on a busy weekend or during a holiday or Spring Break...you will agree with the complaints. They only have four elevators for the hotel. They don't have separate service elevators...so you might be riding an elevator with housekeeping and a mop bucket. One time we had to wait 15 minutes for an elevator. Unfortunately, I don't think this is a problem they can fix...since they would have to rebuild the whole tower.
(Marriott Beach Place hallway...only 4 elevators for EVERYONE to use)
The tower only offers 2 views. One is Ocean view...which obviously faces the Ocean. The other is 'Water View'. The water view faces the Intercostal Waterway and can offer some nice views of the city (if you are up high). Jeff tried to check in a bit early and asked for the Ocean View and wanted a high floor. The only open room they had was on the 8th floor. The front desk clerk assured him it was a great view and to take a look at it then decide if it would work. She was trying to discourage him from wanting another room since they were very busy for the weekend and room choices were tight.
The 8th floor is actually the 13th or 14th floor since the parking garage is under the hotel. The room was nice...but the view was a little obstructed. On the balcony you had the Ritz-Carlton blocking your view to the north...and the Marriott itself is built in a way that it obstructs it's own views for those on the extreme ends of the halls. Since this was a gift for his parents...only the best would do. That meant he went back to the desk and asked for a higher room more in the center of the hall. They said it could be done...however, the room wouldn't be ready until closer to 4 PM (it was 12:30). He agreed and hit the beach.
(Marriott Beach Place Towers 8th Floor Ocean View..end of building is kind of obstructed. You only get a view head on.)
So...3:45 PM rolls around and we checked with a front desk clerk. She informed us that the room was still not ready...and that the rooms are not guaranteed to be ready until 4 PM. Given that 4 PM was only 15 minutes away...I asked if there was someone still in the room...or if we were just waiting on housekeeping. She responded by saying "the room is vacant, but it's not clean yet. I don't even know if housekeeping has been to the room yet". Good answer huh? I guess this is part of the full-service you DON'T get at the Vacation Club. At a full service Marriott the clerk would have called Housekeeping for status right then. Oh well. Another hour and the room was finally ready.
The view was awesome. Complaining to move and the extra waiting paid off. Here is a view from the balcony. (Note...request a high floor, ocean view middle of the building when you book and check in.)
(Almost felt like you were on a cruise ship...it's up so high you can almost see the curve of the horizon.)
The rooms have been updated this year. Finally. LCD TV's and HD cable are now offered.
(Marriott Beach Place Studio Suite)
The sofa bed is comfortable as a sofa...and a bed. Surprising actually.
(Studio Suite queen sized sofa bed. Actually quite comfy.)
The bathroom was large enough..but lacked the separate vanity area. This again wouldn't be an issue if you rented the full 2 bedroom villa.
(Studio Suite bathroom)
The microwave and mini refrigerator makes it easy to save some money on food and stuff.
(Studio Suite Kitchenette - left ; Kitchenette mini-refrigerator - right)
(Kitchenette dishes and glasses - left ; small safe in closet - right)
Overall this is a nice property. The location is perfect and the recent renovation brings it up a notch to compete with some of the higher end properties. I know I went on about the front desk experience, but that was the main complaint here....oh and the slow elevators.
I would say if you are traveling with a family or a group of people...this is definitely the property for you. You can even have 2 small families rent a 2 bedroom villa and save a ton of money by splitting the cost. Also remember it is a time-share...and you will be approached by the sales person when you check in. Stop and get the free welcome gift (a beach bag)...but all you have to say is "No" when they ask if you want to see a 90 minute presentation. They were not pushy at all...not like the ones in Vegas last year.
(Marriott Beach Place Towers and Beach Place Entertainment Complex)
First of all, this property is not your 'typical' Marriott Hotel. It's actually part of the Marriott Vacation Club family. In other words...'Time-Share'. The location is key. It's right across from the beach and is connected to the Beach Place Entertainment Complex. Beach Place offers some retail shops that are a step up from the old t-shirt traps that still dot the Lauderdale Beach Strip. You can also find some night-life like Howl at the Moon Saloon, Sloppy Joe's and Hooters along with a few other restaurants. The new addition to Beach Place is a CVS store. The store offers anything you need and also will transfer any international prescriptions for you foreign visitors. The CVS is a smart move...it beats any hotel gift shop and you have a huge selection of items.
(Another view of Marriott Beach Place Towers...it's on the right in the pic.)
The Marriott is a 'Time-Share' which means that you buy ownership by the week. All the rooms are built at two bedroom 'villas' with a main sitting area and full kitchen. Each of the bedrooms are actually like a mini studio suite. They offer a king bed and a queen pull-out sofa bed. A mini refrigerator and a microwave is also in each bedroom. There is even dishes and glasses for four place sittings. The concept of making each bedroom a studio suite allows Marriott to use a set number of rooms as hotel rooms. That means you don't have to have ownership in the time-share to stay here.
If you are staying as a hotel guest and not a time-share guest...there are a few things you may want to know. The hotel may not have all the amenities that most Marriott full-service hotels offer. There is no restaurant in the hotel (H2O Cafe is next door to Beach Place..see review in previous post dated 12/27/08). There is a small gift shop that offers beer, wine, liquor and some grocery items. There is also a snack shop that offers Pizza Hut Express items along with some Starbucks selections. There is no valet for your car. Parking is $17 a day and located in the parking garage of the Beach Place Complex. Guests do have exclusive use of levels 4 & 5 though. There is no real concierge service available either. There are staff to assist...but not in the same manor as you'd find in a full service hotel. The ice machine is located on the lobby level. I'm assuming this is not an issue for those renting the full 2 bedroom villa...since I'm sure the full refrigerator has an ice machine in it. There is a laundry room though...and they give you free Tide to use.
(Marriott Beach Place Lobby.)
The property does have activities for the kids which is great for families. The pool overlooks the water...but is not that big. I imagine it gets quite busy at peak season. Basically....the Vacation Club properties are geared to the travelers that like to be left alone on their trip. I'm not saying th ere is no service here...rather just trying to explain the differences from a full-service hotel.
Now onto my review.
The parking is a bit weird. You get the ticket when you enter...then drive up to the P4 or P5 level. You feed your ticket into the automated gate and park. The reason for this is because regular overnight parking in the structure is $25. Marriott only charges $17 and needs some kind of system to manage the parking. You get a card for your visor that you show the guy when you leave the garage.
To get to the lobby...you have to go up the elevator. There is an intercom to get into the elevator area (or use your room key) and they will buzz you in. It's a great security measure. Speaking of the elevators, I've read many complaints about wait times for these elevators. If you go on a busy weekend or during a holiday or Spring Break...you will agree with the complaints. They only have four elevators for the hotel. They don't have separate service elevators...so you might be riding an elevator with housekeeping and a mop bucket. One time we had to wait 15 minutes for an elevator. Unfortunately, I don't think this is a problem they can fix...since they would have to rebuild the whole tower.
(Marriott Beach Place hallway...only 4 elevators for EVERYONE to use)
The tower only offers 2 views. One is Ocean view...which obviously faces the Ocean. The other is 'Water View'. The water view faces the Intercostal Waterway and can offer some nice views of the city (if you are up high). Jeff tried to check in a bit early and asked for the Ocean View and wanted a high floor. The only open room they had was on the 8th floor. The front desk clerk assured him it was a great view and to take a look at it then decide if it would work. She was trying to discourage him from wanting another room since they were very busy for the weekend and room choices were tight.
The 8th floor is actually the 13th or 14th floor since the parking garage is under the hotel. The room was nice...but the view was a little obstructed. On the balcony you had the Ritz-Carlton blocking your view to the north...and the Marriott itself is built in a way that it obstructs it's own views for those on the extreme ends of the halls. Since this was a gift for his parents...only the best would do. That meant he went back to the desk and asked for a higher room more in the center of the hall. They said it could be done...however, the room wouldn't be ready until closer to 4 PM (it was 12:30). He agreed and hit the beach.
(Marriott Beach Place Towers 8th Floor Ocean View..end of building is kind of obstructed. You only get a view head on.)
So...3:45 PM rolls around and we checked with a front desk clerk. She informed us that the room was still not ready...and that the rooms are not guaranteed to be ready until 4 PM. Given that 4 PM was only 15 minutes away...I asked if there was someone still in the room...or if we were just waiting on housekeeping. She responded by saying "the room is vacant, but it's not clean yet. I don't even know if housekeeping has been to the room yet". Good answer huh? I guess this is part of the full-service you DON'T get at the Vacation Club. At a full service Marriott the clerk would have called Housekeeping for status right then. Oh well. Another hour and the room was finally ready.
The view was awesome. Complaining to move and the extra waiting paid off. Here is a view from the balcony. (Note...request a high floor, ocean view middle of the building when you book and check in.)
(Almost felt like you were on a cruise ship...it's up so high you can almost see the curve of the horizon.)
The rooms have been updated this year. Finally. LCD TV's and HD cable are now offered.
(Marriott Beach Place Studio Suite)
The sofa bed is comfortable as a sofa...and a bed. Surprising actually.
(Studio Suite queen sized sofa bed. Actually quite comfy.)The bathroom was large enough..but lacked the separate vanity area. This again wouldn't be an issue if you rented the full 2 bedroom villa.
(Studio Suite bathroom)The microwave and mini refrigerator makes it easy to save some money on food and stuff.
(Studio Suite Kitchenette - left ; Kitchenette mini-refrigerator - right)
(Kitchenette dishes and glasses - left ; small safe in closet - right)
Overall this is a nice property. The location is perfect and the recent renovation brings it up a notch to compete with some of the higher end properties. I know I went on about the front desk experience, but that was the main complaint here....oh and the slow elevators.
I would say if you are traveling with a family or a group of people...this is definitely the property for you. You can even have 2 small families rent a 2 bedroom villa and save a ton of money by splitting the cost. Also remember it is a time-share...and you will be approached by the sales person when you check in. Stop and get the free welcome gift (a beach bag)...but all you have to say is "No" when they ask if you want to see a 90 minute presentation. They were not pushy at all...not like the ones in Vegas last year.
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