I recently stayed at the Catalina Hotel & Beach Club on August 29th, and while the hotel itself is beautiful, rooms very clean, very comfortable, very easy check in. My experience was extremely disappointing and frustrating.
This was my second time staying at the property, but unfortunately it will likely be my last. Check-in was already somewhat frustrating due to a language barrier and a lack of clear communication, but I overlooked that because I enjoy the location. However, the real issue came after I realized the front desk failed to return my driverâs license after check-in.
I did not discover this until later, when I was preparing for my flight the next day. By then, I had already left Miami and had to drive an hour back in the middle of the night to retrieve my ID. This not only cost me additional money and time, but also forced me to rebook a later flight, putting me back on the East Coast much later than planned.
When I first called the hotel, the night audit clerk I spoke to was dismissive and completely disregarded what I was trying to explain. Instead of listening, he tried to pass me off to housekeeping the next morningâas if I had simply lost my ID in the roomâwhen I was very clear that the front desk never returned it to me in the first place. After hanging up and calling back, I insisted again, and sure enough, my ID was still sitting at the front desk the entire time.
There was no remorse, no apology, and no effort to correct the situation or make it eas