Every couple of years I mange to make it out to the Winter Music Conference (WMC) in Miami, to enjoy life, listen to some good music, and make a few new friends. This time around I stayed at the Crest Hotel and Suites which was located off of James Avenue and Lincoln Road. The location of the hotel was fantastic in that a lot of parties and events during WMC take place between 1st street and 25th street, and as such are easily walk-able particularly in the mild Miami spring weather. The actual conference this year was held at the Eden Roc Hotel, which is a terrific venue, however it also is located on the 45th block which is a bit far from south beach. However, buses run regularly up and down Collins and a ride will set you back a meager two dollars each way. But I digress, other than the stellar location, the Crest Hotel had also very comfortable and clean rooms, and unlike a lot of the hotels in the south beach area, the walls were not paper thin so that one could enjoy a nice rest when needed. The front lobby was modern, clean, and the front porch area was large and enjoyable. The crest Hotel is a no thrills place, so don’t expect a fancy pool or a swanky bar, but at least it had free wifi which I find criminal when not provided by a hotel. The only hotel issue that I experiences was a 12 hour period without hot water, which was mildly annoying, but at least it was fixed within a reasonable amount of time. Given that the main purpose of a hotel is to provide a place to sleep and shower, I would have expected a little more than a $20 discount for the day without hot water. But that is something I will take up with the hotel corporate office – On that note, I really don’t get people that get all rude with the front desk because the discount was less than they expected. Hello, you are dealing with a person that has limited say in these decisions, spend your energy on dealing with the big cats at the corporate office, trust me, it will get you much farther on average.
