Arrival/Check-In: After finishing some meetings, I arrived at the hotel in the evening. I was a bit concerned since I had dinner plans in an hour. I anxiously waited in line to check in, but it only took about 15 minutes. The Washington Park Hotel has five buildings, so I followed the map to my room in the Taft Building, where I quickly changed and got ready for dinner.

As I waited to check in, I found the lobby appealing. The Washington Park sports an Art Deco design with a lot of grays and wood. The lobby featured a beautiful pool table; I welcome a little friendly competition if time allows.

Guest Quarters: My room was perfect for the business traveler. From the entrance, an island separated the restroom and shower area from the beds. This may sound odd, but the island was set up perfectly along the wall so I could hook up my laptop, phone, iPad and anything else I needed to work from with plenty of outlets. A mini fridge and coffee machine sat closer to the window. The room provided a view of the pool area, which was nice; unfortunately, I didn’t get any time to enjoy swimming.

Services/Amenities: Once I finished dinner, I met Francis X. Gallagher for a drink in the Kenmore Building (where we checked in) at the Swizzle Bar — a Caribbean rum bar where Fran and I were treated well by bartender Danilo Bozovik. Bozovik uses a swizzle to make his signature cocktail drinks, which I’d never seen before. You can find out more about his tips and tricks of the trade in his book Barkeep: The Guide to Becoming a Professional Bartender. Aside from the bar, I later found the hotel offers a complimentary bicycle service, with seven bikes available on a first-come, first-served basis. This makes a good option for a leisure trip since parking is not the easiest thing to find in South Beach.

Despite the quick trip of only two days at Washington Park Hotel, it did not disappoint. I enjoyed the room, the service and the location. At first glance, this does not look like your traditional hotel — especially since you are given a map to find your way to your building — but it is a nice change from the norm, and I would definitely stay here again.

TOP TAKEAWAYS:

◆ The luxury bath products are Beekman 1802.
◆ Tuk Tuk Shuttle Service gets you around town.
◆ Head to the Swizzle Bar for signature rum cocktails.

WASHINGTON PARK HOTEL SOUTH BEACH

1050 Washington Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139
tel 305 421 6265
wphsouthbeach.com