The Setai Hotel
, Miami Beach
Rooms: 125
Reviews - The Setai Hotel
Read 249 additional reviews of The Setai Hotel at TripAdvisor.
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Historical Traveller Reviews of The Setai Hotel
Awesome
from A TripAdvisor MemberThe hotel is beautiful ; the shore club and Delano don't even compare.
We will return to South Beach in the fall and will definetly be staying here.
OUTSTANDING
from geombflOutrageously Expensive, over-rated disaster
from A TripAdvisor Member1) Prices are ridiculous - WAY overpriced by more than double.
2) Staff is a joke - they are having some kind of war with their management- heard the bellman call the manager Hitler, said that in six months all the staff has quit, been replaced, and is quitting again
3) room was dirty...toilet not flushed (not joking)
4) Wife and I ordered overpriced dinner for two (over $240), which after 2 hours waiting for we gave up on it and went out to eat., even after walking down to restaurant to see where it was. Next morning found it in the hallway. Hotel charged us for meal. When we argued, man at front desk walked into office and never re-emerged.
5) A resident of the condo was fighting with a guest at the pool saying he is tired of these 'low-class, loud guests running around acting like they own the place."(At $785 a night, may as well). Aparently owners are suing the hotel developer, who is also beng sued by the bank that lent the money to build this heap. End result was, residents and guests dont get along too well.
6) For a half empty hotel (a resident said that hotel has been running less than 50% occupied), the service was bad on every count. Resident said they were told they would make a ton of money renting their units to the hotel, but said almost everyone has not even rented out just one night. Might explain the unrest!
7) Room was funky, dirty tub in the middle of the room. No views to speak of. Decor looked cheap.
I am (used to be) a regular Aman visitor, but this was the last straw. tried new Amanyari in Turks, had an equally bad, even more overpriced experience, and stayed at Amangani, in Wyoming, where the experience seemed to have little to do with Jackson Hole. I guess it makes more sense to pretend you are in Bali when you stay at a ski resort in the Rockies.
I think Adrian zecca has lost it......a shame.
Good luck getting a late lunch at the Setai
from lisa1061Outstanding!!!!
from brendanlaAlmost laughable
from travelcookieWe were totally disappointed by the Setai and would not go back. After checking in around noon on Fri (room not ready, not a problem) we headed to the pool but there were no lounge chairs available. Help assured us everyone at the pool was staying at the hotel or in the tower residences, but that was a lie as we overhead several groups (looked like strippers) talk about how they live in South Beach and frequent this pool. As frame of reference, during our stay we were never asked for our room # or proof of residence by the people allocating lounge chairs at the pool (or the beach). So we spent the day at the beach, which was okay (nice lounge chairs), although we had to listen to a screaming argument between one of the beach boys and a waitress who was delivering drinks/eats to some of the beachgoers. Basically, we wouldn't recommend ordering food/drink at the beach unless you're in the mood to have a good nap while you wait. And you should probably find a chair away from the beach boy's hut so you don't have to listen to him bickering with the wait staff or hanging out with his friends who stop by to talk.
We ate lunch at the poolside bar both Fri and Sat. Food is pretty good, setting is great but service is typical of the Setai - pretentious, bitter and unhelpful.
We upgraded our room from a courtyard view spa suite in the hotel building (dark and view of the Days Inn next door) to a one bedroom suite in the tower (17th floor). The tower suite was awesome - unbelievable views, great layout, huge bathroom, comfortable bed, all-in-all we were totally psyched by the room and glad we upgraded.
Back to the room Fri night after dinner (Tantra - overrated, tourist trap), had to call housekeeping as they had not come for turndown service. Had to sit in living room for 45 minutes until they finished. Sat morning, up at 8AM to reserve our pool chairs (successful, although they didn't even ask if we were staying at hotel). Spent all day Sat at pool, very enjoyable. Only one waitress serving entire pool area so everyone around us who ordered food/drink was complaining. We knew better than to order something and be disappointed.
Back to the room Sat around 5PM, alas, housekeeping skipped us again, so we had to call down to get towels and have the room put back together. Dinner Sat night at Casa Tua (been there before, unbelievable food, great atmosphere and service, can't wait to go back again).
Checked out Sun. Had a problem with getting the rental car. Concierge was helpful in arranging for Hertz to deliver a car, we went downstairs and talked to him in person and told him we were going to head over to hotel restaurant and grab quick lunch, came back to concierge desk and learned the Hertz person had come and gone. No one thought to walk over to restaurant or call and let us know! So we had to cab it to Hertz location and pick up car old-fashioned way.
So for the money (very expensive), we would have thought service would be great. It wasn't even good at the most basic level (housekeeping) and pretty much everywhere we went at the hotel we felt like unwelcome outsiders.
Hotel management has their work cut out for them. With a pervasive bad attitude among the staff, hard to say if this thing is fixable.
Lovely visit at the Setai
from A TripAdvisor MemberThe hotel and surrounding area are a zenmaster's dream. Everything is serene and calm and the staff are truly friendly and available to help as needed. We were immediately met at the door, our room set with our preferences for magazines, beverages, etc.
Arriving at night and walking into the sitting area next to the bar was a dream, terribly romantic. The shallow pool is filled with water and stones and candles are set out all around. Alcoves made the experience private.
The Balinese couples massage is wonderful. A full 90 minutes in a beautiful suite with a highly qualified massuese.
The restaurant we found to have very good food in general. The wine list was exceptional and the sommeliers highly qualified. The food and beverage is very expensive, but it was not surprising in a hotel like this.
The room was a dream come true. As an escape from a hectic, stressful workweek, my significant other and I had great fun relaxing in the room, listening to the stereo and enjoying the room's multiple other amenities.
What keeps it from being a 5 star hotel? It's the small things, possibly because the hotel is still new - I have several examples...
- an empty mayonaisse jar left in the table rack
- the smell of varnish in the hallways. You didn't smell it in the room, but it was overpowering when we walked to the elevator.
- room service food served a bit less than hot
- valet service that did not retrieve our car though we called 30 minutes before we were ready to leave.
In all, these were minor annoyances, but they keep the hotel from earning a full 5 stars.
Overall, the Setai was an absolutely beautiful, tranquil resting place. I would return again under similar circumstances in a minute.
Loved it
from A TripAdvisor Memberhighway robbery in restaurant
from raqazranComing at the end of a week in South Beach, where we happily ate our way through excellent food at reasonable prices (Osteria del Teatro, Novocento, Vita, Talula and of course Joe's Stone Crab), the Setai lunch menu was ludicrous.
Problems in Paradise
from A TripAdvisor MemberThe rooms are cold, off-putting, and uncomfortable. Hard surfaces everywhere. Nothing soft and comfy other than the beds which are very nice. The linen sheets are scratchy. There are not blackout curtains on the windows, only wooden venetian blinds, so if you would like to sleep-in in the morning, forget it. Bath linens are frequently stained.
The public corridors are unadorned and unfinished looking. Not a piece of art anywhere. Walls are gouged and nicked, as is the woodwork. Carpets are stained. Keep in mind, this is my third stay here, and I've stayed on 3 different floors, all are in the same condition.
The pool area is beautiful if somewhat cramped. Row after row of wooden lounges. One frequently has a long wait to have the lounger made up with towels, and these towels are already in tatters. The hotels literature refers to "acres of tropical gardens" which I have yet to see. The music at the pool is schizophrenic.
The hours at the pool bar fluctuate with the weather here. If it happens to rain at 10 am. don't be surprised if they close the bar for the rest of the day. One definitely gets the idea that at the Setai they would rather cut back on overhead than provide a cocktail to only a few. If you want a beer at sunset, goodluck, better go next door to the Shore Club.
My biggest gripe with this place is the front desk. One is hard pressed to get the staff to even look up from their computer screens, (games?) as one walks thru the lobby. One of the concierges, Rick, is incredible, another who wears those gold keys on her suit is aloof, and once kept me waiting so she could converse with a valet about carwashes. Do what I do, make a game of getting one of the night shift front desk clerks to even acknowledge you. The surly strawberry blond on that shift should be fired.
Food........well, it's hotel food. But 3x the price. Toast on one stay was 8 dollars U.S. one day, 12 dollars the next. Toast! Room service is uninspired and limited selection. Things that should arrive hot don't, likewise with those that should be cold. Just a pet peeve of mine, but at a place like this, couldn't a french fried potato be fried from actual real potatos? Oh yeah. The caesar salad dressing has no anchovies in it. So it's not actually caesar, right? I asked for extra anchovy, they didn't have any. The room service person told me that the dressing comes out of a jug. Wow!
In all honesty, I haven't tried the signature restaurants. Only eaten at the pool and room service. But with so many great options within a block or two of this hotel, and given my expereinces at the Setai, why would I?
I could go on and on, but my point is not to ramble and nitpick. I just don't like the idea of someone electing to stay at this hotel thinking that it is going to be an experience which will be inline with the prices that it charges. At least at a place like the Ritz-Carlton, like it or not, you get a reasonable value for the dollar and a smile or two.
Top Local Tips for Miami Beach
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nothing I don't want to add a tip but trip advisor makes me do so
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Other names for The Setai Hotel
- setai miami beach
- setai miami
- setai hotel miami beach
- setai
- Address: 2001 Collins Avenue - Miami Beach - Florida - 33139 - United States
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