Amerisuites in FLL was a nightmare

I booked 4 rooms several months ago with Amerisuites for our cruise on the Star. We arrived at 2:00 and were told that our rooms would not be ready until 3:00. We put our luggage in a meeting room and we went to the Mexican place next door to eat (YUMMY). We came back at 3:30. Now they told us that we had another hour to wait.

At 4:30 we were told that one of our rooms was ready, but the other three would not be ready for another 30 minutes. We actually did not get our other rooms until 6:00 !!! They said that the previous people had not left the rooms in time.

We had booked a room with two double beds and a pull-out couch. The pull-out had no sheets or blankets. We called the front desk and were told that there should be a pillow and a blanket in our closet. There was a pillow, but no blanket, no sheets. The front desk said that we had to come down to get a blanket since no one was available to bring it to us. We were already in our PJ's so this caused a problem.

Then, after an exhausting and frustrating day of waiting for rooms, we decided to take our time checking out the next day. DH called the front desk at 11:15 to arrange a late check out. We were told that we had 15 minutes to vacate the rooms or pay a 1/2 day. We argued but got no where. We hurried out of the room and then spent 1 1/2 HOURS waiting for the shuttle.

after we got on the ship we realized the my 6 year old was missing his gameboy case along with 4 games. We assume it was "lost" while our luggage was in the meeting room (there was other luggage there and the room was not locked). Thankfully the gameboy was not in the case. We called Amerisuites today and could not even get them to check the lost and found.

Last thing: the workout room is a JOKE. It contains a broken treadmill, broken bike and a broken stairclimber.

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Gosh thanks for the warning. Something like this definately is not a good way to start a vacation.

I would write a letter to their corporate office. I am not sure what will happen but it cant hurt. And let them know you posted this on the internet as well. Perhaps this will save another family some trouble.

...... then spent 1 1/2 HOURS waiting for the shuttle.

Why didn't you just grab a cab for the 5 minute journey to the port?

Why didn't you just grab a cab for the 5 minute journey to the port?

Why didnt she just bring her own sheets and blankets? Why didnt her son have the sense to just bring an extra game boy in case one got stolen?

Come now, she shared her experience, it was bad enough. Be nice. :)

WOW - They must have had a complete staff, management and ownership change sinc October - we stayed there a week mbefore Wilma and had just the opposite experience. Courteous and friendly staff, prompt check in, good breakfast and very prompt and helpful shuttle service.

Ron

We had the same experience as Jennew. We arrived on 1/7/06 at 2:30 pm. We were told that our rooms would be ready after 3:00. We also put our bags in the room and went out to grab a bite to eat. Apparently there was a "hippie group" (that was what the front desk told us) that refused to vacate their rooms on time and some were still there after 3:00. When we came back at 3:30 our rooms were still not ready. (we had 3 rooms booked.) THey just took your name and you had to keep checking back. We finally got into our room at 5:00 and they would not do anything to compensate us. There were at least 100 people waiting for rooms. You could not move in the lobby for all the luggage. By 3:30, there was no room in the luggage room and people were just standing around with luggage in the lobby.

Once we got to our room, it was fine and the shuttle service in the morning was okay as well.

The breakfast bar the next morning was a mess. They could not keep it full or clean and made no effort to clear tables.

The location was great, but not too sure that we would stay again.

If you notice, most hotels state check in time is after 3PM or 4PM and not at 3PM or 4PM.

I really don't see an issue here.

Sounds like the hotel was sold out and housekeeping was behind the 8 ball trying to flip the room.

For what it is worth, I was in the hotel business for years so I am more tolerant than most.

However, I still don't really see a nightmare scenario.

Why didnt she just bring her own sheets and blankets? Why didnt her son have the sense to just bring an extra game boy in case one got stolen?

 

Come now, she shared her experience, it was bad enough. Be nice. :)

Be nice? Am I missing something here? My post was certainly not mean't to ridicule or belittle her experience. Just a simple question. If my stay was as horrendous an experience I certainly would be outta there in a big apple minute.

Jennews post just exemplifies what a hassle shuttles can be. Hotels use them as a selling point, but bottom line, the "free" shuttles sometimes just aren't worth it.;)

ps, jennew, thankyou for sharing your experience. If you take offense to my question please accept my sincere apology.

Be nice? Am I missing something here? My post was certainly not mean't to ridicule or belittle her experience. Just a simple question. If my stay was as horrendous an experience I certainly would be outta there in a big apple minute.

 

Jennews post just exemplifies what a hassle shuttles can be. Hotels use them as a selling point, but bottom line, the "free" shuttles sometimes just aren't worth it.;)

 

ps, jennew, thankyou for sharing your experience. If you take offense to my question please accept my sincere apology.

I am not offended and I would have gladly taken a cab....except we were a party of 15 people plus 22 bags. We picked the hotel because it would avoid the need for several cabs. It is a fair question and had I been there with only my husband I would have taken a cab....or walked to the port.

I'm sorry you had such a bad time, but these things have a tendancy to happen at cheap, budget hotels that are full every night like this one. It shouldn't happen, but it does, and when you're paying bottom of the barrel prices you have to have a lot of patience! AmeriSuites is a place that people either seem to love or hate, but there are far better "budget" hotels in the area for not much more money.

Shuttles (and "free" breakfasts for that matter) are NEVER a reason to book a hotel and are almost always more trouble than they're worth! Even if the hotel has them, I avoid them like the plague... Grab a taxi, rent a car, hire a limo - it's money well spent.

As for the Gameboy, sorry, but that kind of thing can happen ANYWHERE... You just don't let electronics or valuables of any kind out of your sight. That stuff belongs in carry-ons, and carry-ons should remain with you.

Here I thought that the reason they ask you to check in at 3 or 4 is so you can get into your room then and not hours later in the day /night. I know we had a bad one with Comfort INN when we stayed there. Didnt get the room we had asked for and when asked about itwas told the place was full???? (sure didnt show as it looked rather empty) :mad: The room smelled so bad and was full of smoke when it was a no smoking room. Floors were not clean and the bathroom made you want to reclean it before use. We wouldnt even think of taking a shower in there it was so nasty. :eek: I think they need to clean places and make them ready for guests coming in but that is why we leave at 10 or 11 AM is so the place is cleaned yet we can tell no one was working hard to clean things here. we had seen the Amerisuites down from us and the Hampton next door and bothlooked cleaner then ours. I guess that wasnt how it is then if the Amerisuites also had that bad smell about them also. Maybe after the flooding and all from the storms that passed they now have that oder about them.

OK off that dang soap box this is just making me mad all over again about how nasty the place was and even after writting to the head company no onebothered with a call or follow up letter. Ohhh wellllllll:(

At least you had a working toilet. We had the same experience on the same day as you, except we spent half the night without a toilet as did many others that I spoke to the next day. We are considering calling the credit card company and fighting the charge.

If you notice, most hotels state check in time is after 3PM or 4PM and not at 3PM or 4PM.

 

I really don't see an issue here.

 

Sounds like the hotel was sold out and housekeeping was behind the 8 ball trying to flip the room.

 

For what it is worth, I was in the hotel business for years so I am more tolerant than most.

 

However, I still don't really see a nightmare scenario.

I would agree - there is a reason check in time is after 3 or 4pm. And some times, things happen beyond a hotel's control with guests not leaving promptly. One can not just throw the past guests out

As to the missing gameboy, well I agree with trent - that can happen anywhere and no one should really let valuables out of their sight

Hyatt has purchased Amerisuites and plans include a complete redo of the property renaming the property "Hyatt Place". I wonder if the indifference shown by the employees and lack of maintenance is due to that fact. What incentive is there for going above and beyond with a guest not knowing where you'll be working tomorrow?

If there's any letter writing, be sure to send your letters to Hyatt, it's their property. ;)

http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/about/press/pr-show.jsp?id=1636293

we had seen the Amerisuites down from us and the Hampton next door and bothlooked cleaner then ours. I guess that wasnt how it is then if the Amerisuites also had that bad smell about them also. Maybe after the flooding and all from the storms that passed they now have that oder about them.

You're mixing up hotels - There's no AmeriSuites near the Comfort Inn or Hampton Inn. There is however a Stirling Suites near the nasty Comfort Inn that I believe you're referring to, and it's far WORSE!

Bad experience at this same property about a month ago. No running water of any kind on bathroom for duration of stay. Fire alarms continuously went off from 3:45am-4:30am -- the halls filled with groggy guests, all having been told by the front desk "it's a false alarm, go back to sleep"... after 45 minutes of the ear-piercing shriek and no information beyond "go back to sleep", we made our way down the stairs to the lobby where close to 100 guests were milling about in pajamas, etc. No clue as to what was going on until 3 Fort Lauderdale fire trucks pulled up out front and fire fighters came into the building, evacuating those of us in the lobby (the first instruction or information any of us received)... sitting outside on the curb until almost 5:45am, when we were allowed back in. Overheard a firefighter explaining to the property manager that there was no fire, but faulty wiring/circuitry in the ceiling above the fitness center.

...and oh yeah, there was still no water in the room. Sigh.

If you notice, most hotels state check in time is after 3PM or 4PM and not at 3PM or 4PM.

 

I really don't see an issue here.

 

Sounds like the hotel was sold out and housekeeping was behind the 8 ball trying to flip the room.

 

For what it is worth, I was in the hotel business for years so I am more tolerant than most.

 

However, I still don't really see a nightmare scenario.

Your post bothers me a little. We got up at 4:00am and traveled all day. We got to the hotel expecting to get a little R&R before our vacation. Instead we were forced to spend many hours sitting in a lobby (with other guests who were equally upset). By the time we got into our rooms we were exhausted and frustrated, not exactly how you want to begin a vacation.

I worked in housekeeping for a brief stint. I find it difficult (if not impossible) to believe that it took until 6:00 pm to clean the rooms. Perhaps they are understaffed, I don't know. For what's it worth, the rooms are not all THAT clean anyway.

Emotions aside, they are contracting with us to provide certain things. They failed to deliver sheets for some beds, failed to have the rooms ready when they SAID they would be, and they were very rude. There was not a single apology offered.

It was not only the fact that the rooms were not ready, but it was the attitude of the hotel staff. They gave us no indication as to what the problem was and when it would be resolved. They were content to let us sit in the lobby for hours with no end in sight. They gave us absolutley no idea how long the wait would be. After waiting 1 1/2 hours they told us there were 9 people still ahead of us. What does that mean to me. Is that 15 minutes, a half hour, two hours. Give me a timeframe or some compensation for having to spend the beginning of my vacation in a lobby with many angry people (besides the tons and tons of cheerleaders running all over the place) and my luggage piled to the ceiling when we left home at 8:00 in the morning. They knew the hotel was sold out for that night, why didn't the management do anything to clear those rooms out earlier. And don't tell me it takes all that long to clean a hotel room. Baed on the amount of hair on our bathroom floor, it didn't take long at all. And once you get in the room, you should expect to have a toilet that works and not be told to get dressed and come and use the bathroom in the lobby as "they were working on it" Over two hours later someone finally showed up. What he was working on was cleaning the carpets in the lobby when he should have been fixing the toilets of many people that had a problem that night. Even as a budget hotel this hotel is a disgrace and I wouldn't stay there again if they offerred me a free room. The staff was rude and unable to handle the situation in a manner that would be suitable to their guests. Problems happen - handle them correctly and those problems are easily forgotten. Handle them improperly and a bad situation becomes much worse. This situation was a disaster.

AMEN to everything Chopper said.

They pratically threw us out of our rooms the next day. They were VERY rude about it too!

Didn't you love the "full breakfast" disaster? Nothing was stocked, I was digging around finding plates in a lower cupboard, the tables were a mess, and there was ONE poor girl trying to cook and keep up with the entire area. The hotel knows how many guests are booked and they obviously did not staff accordingly.

For the record, I am not a picky person when it comes to hotels. last year we stayed in a VERY budget hotel in FLL. It was cheap and barely clean. I had no complaints because it was exactly what I expected from a cheap hotel. They responded to our requests right away and we felt we got what we paid for.

We paid over $100 for our room(s) at Amerisuites and I expected more. One of our rooms also had a toilet that did not work, and I have not even mentioned the smoking rooms we got when we CLEARLY booked "non-smoking".

It was not only the fact that the rooms were not ready, but it was the attitude of the hotel staff. They gave us no indication as to what the problem was and when it would be resolved. They were content to let us sit in the lobby for hours with no end in sight. They gave us absolutley no idea how long the wait would be. After waiting 1 1/2 hours they told us there were 9 people still ahead of us. What does that mean to me. Is that 15 minutes, a half hour, two hours. Give me a timeframe or some compensation for having to spend the beginning of my vacation in a lobby with many angry people (besides the tons and tons of cheerleaders running all over the place) and my luggage piled to the ceiling when we left home at 8:00 in the morning. They knew the hotel was sold out for that night, why didn't the management do anything to clear those rooms out earlier. And don't tell me it takes all that long to clean a hotel room. Baed on the amount of hair on our bathroom floor, it didn't take long at all. And once you get in the room, you should expect to have a toilet that works and not be told to get dressed and come and use the bathroom in the lobby as "they were working on it" Over two hours later someone finally showed up. What he was working on was cleaning the carpets in the lobby when he should have been fixing the toilets of many people that had a problem that night. Even as a budget hotel this hotel is a disgrace and I wouldn't stay there again if they offerred me a free room. The staff was rude and unable to handle the situation in a manner that would be suitable to their guests. Problems happen - handle them correctly and those problems are easily forgotten. Handle them improperly and a bad situation becomes much worse. This situation was a disaster.

Very well said.

I know that check in was at 3 and we arrived at 2. That was not the problem and I didn't mind walking next door to get something to eat. But they shouldn't have told us our room would be ready at 3 when it was clear that that was not going to happen. It was after 5:00 when we got a room and only because we switched the type of rooms that we would take. They could not give you a time frame at all and you had to just keep going up to the desk to check on your status.

The hotel also knew that they were full and that meant breakfast would also be an issue. I would imagine that this hotel is full every week because of the proximity to the port everglades. When Jennew says that she was rooting around in the cupboards for dishes, she is correct. I was standing next to her and there was no clean dishes, no clean tables and most of the food was empty. It was very chaotic.

Your post bothers me a little. We got up at 4:00am and traveled all day. We got to the hotel expecting to get a little R&R before our vacation. Instead we were forced to spend many hours sitting in a lobby (with other guests who were equally upset). By the time we got into our rooms we were exhausted and frustrated, not exactly how you want to begin a vacation.

 

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jenn, I'm sorry because I know it sounds like I am discounting your post and I don't mean to.

Yes, traveling all day like that I would like to have my room available also but hotels list checkin after a certain time for just that reason.

It isn't uncommon for a cruise hotel to flip the entire property on Saturdays and Sundays.

Just wondering which Amerisuites we are referring to in this thread. I understand there is more than 1 Amerisuites in Ft. Lauderdale.?? Just wondering since we have Amerisuite on 17th Street booked. Is this one located close to the pier for cruises. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks

Just wondering which Amerisuites we are referring to in this thread. I understand there is more than 1 Amerisuites in Ft. Lauderdale.?? Just wondering since we have Amerisuite on 17th Street booked. Is this one located close to the pier for cruises. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks

Yes, this is the same AmeriSuites, but don't worry too much. It's a cheap, BUDGET hotel, and one of those places that people either love or hate, but whatever happened when these people stayed there is not the norm there all the time. There are far better places to stay, but many many people on these boards stay there frequently, love the place, and have none of those problems.

Keep in mind though, the clock is ticking for the complete shut down of the hotel property and the Hyatt Place makeover. The employees may have become disenfranchised with the Amerisuites operation and just counting the days until they're layed off or transferred elsewhere. ;)

I am wondering what will happen with reservations made direct with hotel or through Valuetrips for later in the year once Hyatt takes over. Will they honour the quoted price. Will they call and cancel the reservation if work is to be done on the hotel.