I do not understand the last review! We were there in June and there are two brand new German lifts both working perfectly so do not let that put you off.
I do agree that the area is not brilliant but Ritz Carlon are building next door so is certainly not Beiruit! It is also a lovely walk into South Beach by the board walk.
We changed room to one with a balcony with an ocean view and this made up for all the other aspects of the hotel as it was just great to sit there on a lovely florida night.

This hotel is in the middle of Beirut, i do not think it could be in a worse area, when you enter the hotel you feel a bit better with a lovely lobby area, clean and well kept, but do not let this fool you, once you enter the ONE working lift and enter the decrepit old fashioned floors where your room key doesnt work and you have to go back to reception to get it fixed, where you ask for adjoining rooms and their idea of this is 2 floors apart, like if you request adjoining, why not at least put you on the same floor??

The rooms are small and seedy, carpets need replacing if not cleaned, the bath... well i will wait till i go to our next hotel before i will use it.

I want to stay somewhere else, also they advertises "FREE WIFI" well this is true, if you want to sit in the lobby to do your work, there is no Wifi in the bedrooms.

Thank god we are only here 2 nights, id sooner die then stay here again, infact 2 nights is daunting enough.

the Valet parking is mandatory, and costs $15 a night, the guys who take the car do not speak English....

no extra pillows in the room, grotty is s good word for this hotel, it should be condemned.

Even though we live in Miami, My husband, two children and I decided to spend 4 nights at a hotel in MBeach and got this reservation free thru our miles card. only two choices available! Upon arrival we were greeted by a very friendly young man and got an ocean front room that was spacious and nice. The beach is really close,but had big waves, and a thick gray sand not typical of MBeach at all.Lunch was only served thru The Alligator, a cafeteria in the pool where a fountain soda in a small cup was almost $5.00 and had no refills! The service was not friendly or attentive there at all. They do not have to work for the tip!!
Also, they do not provide the service of taking your food or drinks to the beach, something we've really enjoy in the past!The first night we requested more bath gel , but never came. The overall experience was OK, but would not stay again if I had to pay full price. We've stayed in the Marriot only a few blocks away and had a magnificent experience! We had the best food and service at the Cuban restaurant in Ocean Drive called Larios / Bongos. Great taste and good price.

Anyone reading bad reviews can be scared away from this hotel. I stayed with my family for the second time, and I must say I haven't been disappointed.

There's only one elevator, that's true, but we have no problems by having to wait a bit more to go to the beach, shopping, etc. We were on vacations, we had no rush.

The hotel has a very European way to it. I think that's the main reason why US Citizens can feel uncomfortable with the food and every other aspect I read here. Regarding the breakfast, I'm from Argentina, I've been to other RIU Hotels, and I can assure you it's standard RIU Breakfast. Really complete with live cooking. (Ommeletes, eggs, pancakes, made at request in the moment). It´s all about tastes.

The room we were assigned was big, the bathroom, huge, and everything was well maintained and clean.

To be able to move around with freedom you do need a car, as the location is far from various points of interest. To do so, you'll have to spend some money at the valet parking which is the worst part of the deal offered by RIU. It's an outsourced parking company, and the hotel won't assume responsibility for damaged cars, and the parking staff is not very polite, nor helpful.

I would recomend this hotel for people that don't mind the cons stated above.