So you’re looking to book a Miami hotel that’s convenient to the airport and you’ve stumbled on the Holiday Inn Miami Airport West in Hialeah Gardens. Is it any good? Let’s have a look.
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I booked this for a four night stay over a holiday weekend because I needed a four night stay on points and this hotel was among the least expensive redemptions with a total price of 74,000 points.
The hotel typically goes for $120-130 a night and has an Expedia rating of 7.0. Check the Expedia rates for your dates. This hotel also charges a fee of about $11 a day which is not really for anything. Just an extra way to rip off customers.
Holiday Inn Miami Airport West Location
This location stinks. If you want access to the airport stay right next to the airport. If you want the cruise port stay near Route 1 or I-95. There’s nothing good or beneficial about this location.
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Holiday Inn Miami Airport West Property
This is an older property that may have been a Holiday Inn from the beginning. It has ballrooms and meeting facilities. The lobby is large but often full of cruisers, as this is a popular cruise port hotel choice.
The pool is pretty nice except for the incredible amount of noise from the surrounding area. The gym is large but could stand to add some additional equipment. I didn’t eat in the restaurant but it’s very nice to have a restaurant on site, particularly if you haven’t got a car. There’s a Wawa and a Shell station across the street.
The hotel is in overall good condition but there are some signs of deferred maintenance noticeable throughout. I particularly disliked the magnetic strip door locks which barely worked at all. Had to request new keys about five times during my stay.
Holiday Inn Miami Airport West Guest Rooms
Rooms here are pretty nice. The one-kings have a pullout couch. Each room has a balcony which isn’t really big enough to enjoy but still better than just a window. The Sun blasts into these rooms in the afternoon making it necessary to close the curtains entirely.
As a platinum member I received a top floor room facing south. I can’t overstate how much ambient noise there is at this location. There’s a 12 lane expressway next to the hotel making constant noise. The beauty supply store hires a DJ to blast music all day long. It’s the stupidest sales strategy ever. There’s not even any foot traffic. But you can hear it in all the south facing rooms and the pool area. There’s always a truck or motorcycle going by here, or a siren.
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There were some maintenance issues in the bathroom as seen in the video. They were not really an issue but they’re below what you’d expect for the quality level at a Holiday Inn.
About Hialeah Gardens
I already said this location sucks and the neighborhood sucks too. There’s miles and miles of warehouse and light industrial here. There’s a landfill. And of course the airport not far away.
103rd Street is a busy traffic sewer that’s annoying to drive and walk on. There’s a mall and several large scale shopping centers. So at least there’s some shops nearby. But everyone speaks Spanish here. Si te gustas o no.
But mostly it’s the noise. It’s so loud here. It’s awful.
Bottom Line
The hotel itself is fine but it just can’t overcome this poor location and all the noise.
If you’re looking for a room for a cruise, flight, or any other reason look online for something closer to the airport or basically anywhere else.
