Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay

d and handed off to his assistant for a tour. Although his assistant was very nice, he was not able to answer our questions or make any decisions without his boss. We were hoping to meet with Miguel after our tour, again we were disappointed and not able to get any time with him. We were told he would follow up the next morning, it has been several days and we have not had a follow-up phone call nor an email. The service was less than we expected, which is very sad considering the hotel view is beautiful.

FECTION. When I began the process of looking for a wedding venue, my first step was to go to TheKnot.com and research "Most Affordable Venues in Miami". I was on a tight budget due to the amount to of people on our guest list so I had to make sure to find a place that would meet my per person maximum. Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay came up and they were my 3rd appointment. (P.S. - my parents got married here 30 years ago but that wasn't the reason I chose to make an appointment). Anyway, Miguel Pirela was the first person we met. He won me over from the moment I stepped in his office. He loved our story of potentially getting married in the same venue as my parents and he really just connected with us on another level. After the meeting with Miguel, I canceled all other appointments and booked the venue right then and there. My wedding style was glam. And I know what you might be thinking. How can you make a regular ballroom so glam on a tight budget? Well, the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay was so affordable that it allowed me to spend money in other areas AND the best part is their team allowed so much creative freedom to be done in their ballrooms. They made every single on of my requests happen. Now, to the person that made all of my dreams come true. Once the contracts were signed, Miguel assigned Catherine Patino as my Event Manager. Well, little did I know, Cathy wore way more than just an Event Manager hat. She handled every single one of my logistics including the room reservations for all of my guests, my wedding planner, the liaison between me and all of my vendors, the queen that made sure I ate, who always made sure my husband and me had our drinks refilled, wow the list can go on and on. Typically, when you book a venue and have an Event Manager, they usually just handle venue logistics. Cathy took on every single ounce of her role as not only an Event Manager, but my entire wedding planner. I trusted Cathy with every single decision that was made. Oh, BTW. Did I mention everything she did was with the biggest smile on her face? My goodness I just can't say enough. The service at my wedding was another thing that was out of this world. The bartenders never allowed my parents to go to the bar. By the time they saw my father's scotch running low, they brought him a brand new one whether it was to the dance floor or his table. Even down to the Valet. I had to visit the venue SEVERAL times before the wedding as one would imagine. Alberto, Robert and Jackie never hesitated to greet me with a smile and make sure I was taken care of from the moment I stepped foot on property. They always helped me with my items in my car and left my car parked in the very front because they knew I was always visiting on my lunch break from work and didn't have much time. I can go on and on about the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay. Trust me, you will NOT be disappointed. This was the best night of our lives and the best decision of our lives to host our wedding here Thank you to the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay staff for being so incredible and for making our entire wedding experience one we will never forget. Cheers!

upposed to call me to talk about details and dates. I set up a time to talk 4 different times, each time he never called. I would email and let him know he forgot to call and he would apologize, set up another time, and then miss it again. After the last time I didn't even email again to let him know he forgot for the FOURTH time to call me, it became a waste of time. My mom assisted me with all the planning with contacting vendors and is a Platinum Premier Elite member with Marriott, staying at their hotels around 200 nights a year for work. She was appalled by their customer service to people who spend thousands of dollars a year staying at their hotels. We ended up using the Doubletree by Hilton right next door who actually offered better options for an outdoor venue and the whole staff (wedding coordinators, catering, hotel management, etc.) was incredibly helpful. Marriott has lost a lifetime member with us and we will be choosing Hilton from now on.

ayview Ballroom absolutely breathtaking, but the people who approached and guided me throughout were just wonderful. Miguel Pirela, the Catering Sales Executive, was AMAZING! He was so attentive, answered EVERY SINGLE one of my questions, and made me feel special every time I walked into his office. Miguel treated my family fabulously, and made our decision to choose the Marriott as our venue so easily. I was also so pleased to have had Catherine Patino, the Event Manager, as my wedding planner. I must say after having such a good relationship with Miguel I almost didn’t want to go with any body else, BUT Cathy was definitely the cherry on top. She was truly the person who made it all work and easily flow together. Cathy knows how to calm a nervous bride - she had it all under control. As the day got closer, she reminded me of the critical items that needed to be checked off my list. Cathy coordinated and organized any of the small and BIG details that dealt with the venue, such as the room block for families and friends, the venue set up, the point of contacts, etc. Cathy extended herself and went as far as communicating with the DJ, plus accommodated almost anything I wanted. She was marvelous and always did her absolute best to give us what we wanted. She went ABOVE AND BEYOND to make us feel special and always did so with a smile! On the day of our wedding, everyone attended to our every need, we even had our favorite drinks, our own custom mofongo meals, and not to mention our suite was beautiful and the view breathtaking! From the moment I stepped foot into the Marriott, everything was perfect. The attention to detail from the Marriott Staff, including the Chef and his fabulous meals were outstanding and very much appreciated. Honestly, my husband and I can continue adding to this letter about how happy we were with every detail of our special day. We, without a doubt, would recommend this venue to anyone and everyone! Our wedding was beyond anything we could have ever imagined and none of it would have been possible without the people that helped coordinate it. Thank you for making our big day the BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES!!

finally spoke to the assistant, Johana who was was very rude and seemed to careless. She didn't attempt to find out anything about me or my fiancé and what our vision was for our wedding. Needless to say we will not be considering this hotel as it's not a good sign of the effort that will go into a day that you spend thousands of dollars or level of communication we'll receive.

helped us answer all of our questions, our seating arrangements, to recommending other vendors (Flowers, linens, DJs). We had our Rehearsal Dinner at their Catch Bar and Grill and it was perfect! Wedding Day came and Martha helped make everything FLAWLESS! I didn't have time to send one of my bridemaids to check our reception room to make sure everything was set up the way we wanted. But there was no need for that! Martha knew all of the details of our wedding and coordinated all the vendors to correctly portray our vision. My grandma had broken her hip the night before, but we hadn't realized until after the ceremony. The Marriott called an ambulance and while my mom was dealing with all the details for that, the team at the Marriott extended our cocktail hour an extra hour and kept our guests having a good time. When I tell some of guests the story later, they didn't even realize the commotion going on with my family because they were in a sort of "Bubble of Fun." Thank you so much to everyone who made the transition smooth. My husband and I's personal waitress was so accommodating! She made sure from the cocktail hour through the whole reception that we did not need or want a thing. By our side whenever we needed her! Helped me escape to a bathroom without being seen before our introductions. And she even packed us a ton of food and cake for us to take back to our Honeymoon Suite, (You don't get to eat much because guests are coming up to you, as well as you want to make sure you dance!) The Suite was gorgeous, you can't get a better view of Biscayne Bay. Hotel staff made all our guests and us so comfortable. Thank you Marriott Biscayne Bay for the exquisite memories that will last a lifetime! - Jesus and Stephanie Sanchez Married: 1/23/16

ll of our requirements. Martha was also a great help, from helping our chose our menu to stay at the hotel late to make sure everything at the party went smoothly as planned. I couldn't be happier to have chosen the Miami Marriot as our wedding venue! I got lots of compliments and it was truly a dream come true! I recommend it 100%

me advice, I would constantly be told, "You won't get everything you want from your wedding day" or "Your wedding day is not going to go exactly the way you planned." It was all meant to get me to enjoy the moments and to not stress, but it just discouraged me. So a part of me held on to those words. Well, for anyone who reads this review, I am here to tell you if you find the right place, your expectations can be met because the Marriott over exceeded my expectations. I'll be the first to admit, the first time I checked the Marriott as a possible location, I was not 100% sure this was the place for me. I was in love with the view, but there wasn't a lot of pictures of wedding events available, so I was very hesitant. I continued checking, and I decided to do a second look. The second time I went to the Marriott, I signed the contract. Bertha Galindo-Crucet was amazing through the entire process. She answered any and all questions, gave me suggestions, and would even check up to see how I was doing with the planning. If I told her I still hadn't found a DJ, I would get a phone call the next day from a wedding DJ. She's a BOSS! Anyways, she assigned me a wedding coordinator to handle the details who ended up being transferred to another Marriott a few months before the wedding. Ordinarily, I would have freaked out, but Martha Mayea jumped right in, without missing a beat, and she was INCREDIBLE. She handled every detail, was very flexible with my schedule, was always open to my changes. And because of them and the incredible service, my wedding was amazing. I had received so many compliments from the guests of the beautiful view of the bay, to the drinks and the food! Chef Donovan, Joe, and Malcolm gave us first class meals. The guests raved about the food, from the veggie taco during cocktail hour, to the mushroom strudel appetizer, to the moist, roasted French chicken for dinner. I even had a guest ask me what was in the salad. THE SALAD! The staff was incredibly nice and helpful. Malcolm was working the event, making sure all the guests were comfortable, answered questions, clearing tables. He was very attentive to all of our, and the guests, needs. We also had another staff, Mirva, who in addition to attending to all the guests, attended to me and my husband personally. Mirva made sure that we ate while guests were eating during the cocktail hour and during all of the excitement, had our top of the cake ready for us, and made sure to have all of our mementos in our bridal suite. There's so much more I could say about the Marriott. We received an even breathtaking bridal suite (two nights), with complimentary champagne, chocolate covered strawberries. I had the time of my life and I don't think I would have ever been able to experience it had we chosen a different location for our reception. Thank you to all the staff who helped in exceeding my expectation: Bertha, Martha, Malcolm, Mirva, Chef Donovan, Chef Joe, Martin, and many more.

g together! He kept my mom in check (she has a tendency to take over) and everything turned out great. Great food, excellent location and beautiful view...top notch in my books!

stions, give suggestions, and help plan little details that made our day run smoothly. Words truly cannot express how happy we were with your services. All of our family and friends are still talking about how much fun they had. The food and the drinks were exceptional, and the setting of the room created an atmosphere that was just wonderful. The entire staff was just great. They definitely get top rating in the area of customer service. Everything fell into place beautifully and we had wonderful compliments on the service of your staff, the food and the room itself. The timing of everything was excellent .The food courses came out with just the right amount of time in-between. Thank you Bertha and Shari you are truly the best at what you do!! We truly appreciate all the hard work from the Miami Marriot Biscayne Bay staff that put so much effort in making our wedding reception a beautiful celebration for our guests and us. Andrea and Eric Paez 8-24-13

nd this venue!

ey raved about the crab cake appetizer. The mofongo was something our guests were trying for the first time and it was a winner. The service was top notch. Whatever we asked for they made it happen. All of the suggestions made by Bertha and the events team were on point and really helped make our day amazing. I just wish it went slower because it was perfect.

like they had our back and supported us with everything. As a Bride to be, I was so nervous about everything. If you choose this venue, don’t waste any time stressing like I did. They will pull through and make it wonderful! The staff is very helpful and accommodating. Everything was perfect. If I had to do it again, I would not change a thing. Thank you to the staff, Bertha, and more importantly Shari for making my dream wedding come true. If we ever stay in Miami again I will be staying here. It was perfect!

rtha Galindo-Crucet and Shari Van Patten worked together to ensure that I had all of my wedding wishes fufilled!

ing here NOW, you will not regret it!

and reception at the same location for all of our guest from out of state. They also were able to enjoy the hotel for a few days. The event manager Bill Hamlin was excellent taking every detail into account. Excellent experience!! will definitely recommend it.

onding to emails and phone calls, very helpful wt suggestions, and ideas, and very flexible and easy to work with. It was a very pleasant experience. We got so many complements regarding our wedding. That it was the best epic wedding ever, and to us it was a dream wedding from begining to end. Everything came out perfect.

n we were treated like their best and only customer. Their event coordinator was great and helped out with every detail. the food and banquet services were very excellent. We were very happy with this venue and can't imagine having our wedding anywhere else.

he bay. But that is where the good news stopped! The sale manager/wedding consultant there Miguel was horrible!!!! He is as sweet as can be to your face and then does something completely different behind your back!! He was completely incompetent and unprofessional. He would NEVER return my calls and would take 3 days to email me back! All he would say was that he was too busy and had to prioritize! Well I guess we weren't a priority even the week of the wedding! He would NEVER appologize and even had the nerve to say I have gotten the most attention than any other bride! RIDICULOUS! There were several times we had a phone appointment set up and he still didn't call! Well I thought things would get better when the wedding came, but they didn't! He did not finalize some details until the day before the wedding!!! AND still had some not set! He was supposed to be in touch with me the day of the wedding and cordinating the day. Well we were informed by the staff at the Marriott that he may not be in on the day of our wedding!! BUT he showed up at 4 pm!!!! RIDICULOUS!!! He did not do anything the day of the wedding!!!!!!!! My bridal party and mother had to run around and finalize everything BECAUSE HE WOULDN"T!!!! He even booked an appointment with another bride to show her our reception instead of helping us!!! In addition, I did not see him AT ALL the day of the wedding! And I had to cordinate everything with the reception for timing including dances, toasts, cake cutting, and bouquet toss. I thought the week of our wedding we would become the priority that he kept saying we were, but we did not. He rushed through our meetings and did not complete them because he had other meetings set up leaving all of our details still unfinished! MIGUEL IS HORRIBLE DO NOT BE FOOLED!!! ALL HE DOES IS "YES" YOU AND DOES NOT FOLLOW THROUGH!!!!

detail was amazing. The catering manager, the event planner, the chef's and the hotel staff went above and beyond in every aspect of service. My husband and I would HIGHLY recommend this Marriott to anyone considering a wedding and reception. The service was exceptional!!!! Many thanks to all that made a fairy tale wedding --come true!

food is scrumptious!!! Miguel, Bertha,Michelle, and the entire staff really go out of their way to make your special day completely stress-free, and everything you can ever possibly dream of. The whole planning process has been an amazing experience....Thanks to their hospitality!

oming, very patient, listened to our needs and delivered the best in class service a bride and a groom can ever dream of!!! It was first class service all the way through, and it was way above and beyond what we expected!!! The food was absolutely amazing and our guests could not stop commenting on it. They all kept telling us that they have never been to a wedding where the food was as great as what they had on our wedding day. Chef Khaled gave us first class meal and we absolutely loved it!! The reception desk associates were fantastic and very patient with all our guest. They kept their cool and professionalism, especially when faced with some very “difficult” guests. They handled all these situations professionally and we applaud them for a job very well done. The wedding itself was to die for!!! Miguel did a great job coordinating it, setting up, and making sure that we all stay on schedule and enjoyed the day. He did all this with such finesse and class, it was so beautifully done!! Our hats come off to Miguel, Bertha and their team!!!

hey're incredibly responsive to emails and phone calls (especially considering how many times I've changed my mind about details). Miguel & Bertha and their entire team have made every aspect of planning this event exciting and fun.

n the day I had no worries and was just able to kick back and relax. They are an amazing team and worked with us on every detail to make our wedding the best day every.

uture Mr & Mrs and our sales coordinator and there should be cause for panic, this is far from the case. Neither of us have met Bertha Galindo-Crucet, we have never laid eyes on the hotel or the space we've chosen for our special day (other than pics). Are we worried? One would think yes however I describe Bertha as our savior to everyone who inquires about our planning process. The best advice I can give to any destination planning Bride is to seek out a person who is knowledgable, friendly, experienced, personable, and has the ability to dedicate time to answer any questions. Bertha encompasses all of these qualitites and more. Each time I email Bertha with a question or advice, she gets back to me the same day with answers and information. No doubt one of the best catering sales managers in Miami, she has also taken on the role of assisting us in coordinating our wedding. From area vendors to updates on hotel contruction - she never misses a beat. Bertha has gone above and beyond, taking extra steps to ensure we are both ready for our day. Our decision to choose a Marriott for a destination wedding was solely based on reputation of service and quality. We want all our guests to enjoy a worry free and relaxing vacation while celebrating our wedding. What we were not expecting was for us, the bride and groom, to enjoy a worry free and relaxing planning experience. It is seemless and as the day nears, we find ourselves giddy with excitement instead of trembling in fear of what could go wrong. Bertha is our savior and has made planning our day, 1,300 miles away, an ejoyable experience. The hotel offers us quality but Bertha offers exceptional service and best of all, peace of mind. We are both so excited for our wedding in January 2011!

tions in an extremely timely manner, which I know is important to a bride. The hotel views are absolutly stunning. Although my wedding is in March I am confident that my experience with the Biscayne Bay Marriott will continue to be as pleasant as its been so far. I am very happy with my choice and very excited for my wedding!!!

vision and help me design the event with the benefit of her expertise, and has stayed involved throughout the entire process. My event manager, Miguel Pirela, takes a personal interest in me and gives me his undivided attention, making me feel like the most special person in the world! With his experience and creativity he has helped me to think outside the box and try new things that better reflect who we are as a couple. Plus the hotel has gorgeous water views that will make the perfect backdrop for our (outdoor) ceremony; even at our indoor reception we'll be able to enjoy panoramic views! The new Junior Ballroom that has just completed construction looks absolutely gorgeous. I simply can't wait!!!