Penguin Hotel

I had a last minute trip to Miami from Los Angeles with a colleague who had never been. So I wanted a place where after our meetings we could walk and find an interesting place to eat. The hotel is at the top of Ocean Ave, near Lincoln Road Mall and Espanola Way, where there's a great snapshot of South Beach's dining and nightlife to experience. My first impression of the hotel was great. Clean white gleaming deco bldg. The impression plummeted when I stepped off the elevator. The corridors are hideous and I was worried I had made a mistake. But that changed when I got into the room. It was newer and spacious, though not a lot of meaningful furniture. The bed was OK. Urethane pillows - awful. A small proper desk would have been nice since there was wifi. Small bathroom, but it had all I needed. Plus 2 free happy hour drinks and breakfast at the sister hotel (didn't try - had to leave before it opened but that's OK) were nice touches. There's a nice lobby front porch and sidewalk ding and drinks area which is very good and convenient. It was a good choice and I would stay there again for a short one or 2 day stay. Anything longer, I would want more amenities and a larger more comfortable room.

Overall, this was a good experience however, it could have been better. It was a great location on Ocean Drive but the rooms are very very small and not up to date. It's definitely not the Loews but if you are on a budget and are only sleeping in the room it will be fine. The two gentlemen that worked the front desk were wonderful, the female on the other hand was not friendly and rude, she should brush up on her customer service skills!

The hotel was in a great location. Staff was very friendly and helpful. The parking was $29 a night. There's a parking garage around the corner for $15. Everything was fine for the price

My husband and I checked in and there was hair all in the bed. House cleaning was walking in the room when I was coming out the shower. I figured they probably didn't clean the room before we checked in. We complained and instead of an apology. We got 5 different members of staff asking us why we didn't complain sooner.

The room itself was small but that was expected for the location, which was perfect and just steps to the beach and the nightlife. The staff was very nice and the place was clean!

The hotel itself is very nice, clean and comfortable, except for the fact that the room was tiny, however, this is true of all the hotels on South Beach. The staff was very nice. The $15 resort fee is optional which is nice and you don't have to use the valet for $30, you can use the municipal parking just one block away instead for much cheaper. Great stay, will stay again.

My friends and I enjoyed the fourth of July week in South Beach and had a great experience staying at the penguin hotel. The only inconveniences were that they did not have room service and you had to go to the President Hotel for breakfast. Other than that, the staff was nice and very accommodating. Don't expect to get any super strong drinks though since the bartender was adamant about only pouring the standard amount of liquor for each drink. We had a friend who stayed in another more expensive hotel not too far away and he had flying waterbugs! The Penguin was bug free and definitely a place that I would return to for a South Beach vacation.

the hotel was great. no complaints. I definitely would.stay there again.

We were sceptical based on previous reviews, but we had absolutely no issues with any of the items listed by other reviews. It's definitely not the ritz but it's better than most cut rate budget hotels. The location was great, the $15 resort fee was worth it, they now do the evening cocktail at the Penguin, the breakfast is in the sister hotel & doesn't start til 7:30. The place was clean & comfortable & the staff was helpful. One note - don't pay for the valet parking, there is a city run garage 2 blocks south & 1 block west.

The staff were very nice at this hotel but I did not have that comfy hotel experience. The rooms were a little small to relax in and the lighting within the hotel hallways was a little dark and scary looking. The location, however, cannot be beat, we were a 20 second walk from the beach. If you're not planning on spending too much time in the hotel and just need a place to sleep, it's good value but definitely just the basics.