Scary Experience with Family
My husband, young daughter, and I checked into Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort on May 25, expecting a relaxing family vacation. Unfortunately, what we experienced was one of the most frightening and unsafe hotel stays we have ever had.
At no point during check-in were we warned about the major security concerns, teen takeover activity, or riots occurring in the area. However, it quickly became obvious that the situation was serious, as there were heavily armed police officers outside the hotel carrying rifles and drones actively monitoring the area. Despite this obvious police presence, the hotel continued operating as if nothing unusual was happening and failed to implement any additional safety precautions for guests.
As the evening progressed, large groups of disorderly teenagers gathered outside and around the property. There was constant yelling, profanity, aggressive behavior, and complete chaos. Many guests, including my family, felt intimidated and unsafe. We repeatedly notified hotel staff about the escalating situation, but we were continually told that “security was looking into it,” yet nothing was ever done.
Around 8:30 PM, the Hollywood Police Department shut down nearby retail stores and ordered crowds to disperse or face arrest. Shortly afterward, over 100 individuals flooded toward the Margaritaville property, where the situation became even more dangerous. Groups gathered directly outside the hotel entrance yelling that they were not leaving unless they were arrested. Fights broke out, people were running everywhere, and guests were terrified.
Despite the escalating violence and panic, hotel security failed to lock the doors, secure entrances, or restrict access to the property. In fact, the back gate remained open, allowing individuals involved in the unrest to enter the hotel lobby freely. Many carried backpacks, and given the circumstances, families like ours feared for our safety and did not know whether weapons were involved.
We personally witnessed a young man being violently attacked by several others and repeatedly stomped and beaten. It was horrifying. Guests were crying, panicking, and leaving the hotel by Uber and taxi because police activity had blocked access to parked vehicles.
The most disappointing part of this experience was the hotel management’s response. I spoke directly with the front desk manager, Alex, who acted dismissive and unconcerned despite the obvious danger surrounding guests. He initially denied the extent of the police presence until we showed him photos and videos of armed officers and police drones outside the property.
In my opinion, the hotel failed in its responsibility to provide a reasonably safe environment for guests during a clearly dangerous and escalating situation. There appeared to be little to no emergency response, crowd control, or guest protection measures taken until police intervention became unavoidable.
We have stayed at other Margaritaville properties before and always had positive experiences, but after this incident, we will never return to this location. Several other guests expressed the same feelings during the ordeal. This experience was traumatic, unacceptable, and handled with extremely poor judgment by hotel management.