MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A group who traveled to Miami Beach for a bachelorette party is upset after the hotel’s elevator broke, leaving them, including a wheelchair-bound guest, to go up and down a flight of stairs.
Lori Jackson was in town with her bridesmaids for her bachelorette party. They flew from Connecticut to Miami Beach on Saturday, and said they were having a great time, until all four of the Grand Beach Hotel’s elevators stopped working on Monday.
Another group was visiting from Texas to celebrate Lejuan Dennis’ 73rd birthday, and they said the non-working elevators has caused some issues for them too.
“At 2:21 [p.m.] the elevator stopped working,” Jackson said. “I tried talking to management several times. No one gave me any answers. And then finally after four hours, they told us we can go to the other hotel.”
Jackson is with a group of 13 people who are staying on the 14th, 15th and 18th floors of the hotel. One woman in her bridal party is wheelchair-bound and had to be carried from her room down to the lobby.
Jackson said that member was stuck in her room. “We had to send staff up there to carry her down,” she said.
Dennis and her son decided to take a drive. She left behind her 75-year-old husband and grandson, who stayed in their room on the 16th floor.
“This is our last night here, thank God,” she said. “I don’t know if we’re gonna get another hotel. I can’t go 16 floors. I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
Her son Baron said they were told the issue would be resolved. “It was supposed to be fixed within two to three hours, but it actually ended up being like since 2 o’clock,” he said.
Jackson said they gave her an explanation for the malfunction, and have since been moved to another hotel owned by the same company.
“A speaker blew on the 21st floor and there was water flowing all down the shafts, and as you know, water and electricity don’t mix very well, is what I was told,” she said.
The bride-to-be said their room was compensated for one night.
The Dennis family said they loved their time together, but this isn’t the way they wanted to spend this major life moment.
“We can’t get on the elevator, I’m not able to go on it,” Dennis said. “So, I want to say the best thing about this hotel is the view. Everything else is crappy.”
“I’m here with my best friends and my family and everything’s amazing — except for all of today,” Jackson said.
Both the Dennis family and the bridal party have left the hotel, Tuesday.
Jackson said the hotel initially offered to compensate her friend who was disabled and had to be carried down by staff. According to Jackson, the hotel then said they would give everyone one night free, but she said that money has not been repaid to them.
A couple checking in for their 25th anniversary, Monday, told 7News that the elevators are off and on as of Tuesday afternoon. The couple said their biggest concern is the hotel’s communication, as they said they received a text message when it was time to check in, but they saw no information about what was wrong and how the hotel was working to fix it.
7News tried to speak with staff members, but were told to leave the property.
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