rewrite this title This Fort Lauderdale Hotel Is All About The City, Not the Beach – NerdWallet

The Hyatt Centric Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, isn’t within walking distance of the beach (unless you’re really determined). But don’t let that keep you from staying here. If you’re planning on spending time exploring the city, it’s hard to beat the hotel’s location and amenities, and the service is great.

Located in the heart of the city’s trendy Las Olas neighborhood, the hotel is about three miles from the beach — but it’s close to several bars, restaurants and museums. You also have easy access to the Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale, a paved walkway along the city’s New River that takes you past multiple parks, restaurants and shops. While rooms can run north of $500 per night in peak season, you can find them starting at about $150 in off-peak months.

I was hosted by the Hyatt Centric Las Olas, which covered my meals and room. But this review is my own opinion and has not been influenced by the hotel.

Hyatt Centric Las Olas is a Category 5 Hyatt hotel, so a stay in a standard room will cost you 15,000 to 35,000 Hyatt points per night.

There are situations where paying with points would make more sense, though. The highest rate I saw was $558 per night. If you paid 35,000 points, you’d get roughly 1.6 cents per point, a decent value. Still, other Hyatt properties offer much higher redemption values.

Another perk of paying with points: Resort fees are waived on Hyatt properties when booking with points. That means you can skip the $30-per-night daily destination fee and still get the perks it’s supposed to cover, such as unlimited bicycle rentals.

Every single interaction I had with the staff was positive. The bartenders and restaurant servers were willing to go above and beyond to help guests (shoutout to the bartender who offered to froth oat milk for my morning coffee). And the front desk was extremely helpful. I accidentally left my credit card at the pool snack bar and received a call from the front desk before I even had time to look for it.

I normally don’t comment on a hotel’s service if my stay was covered, because it can be hard to tell whether I’m getting the same treatment as every other guest. But here, the staff was attentive when I needed help, but not overbearing — and I observed other guests getting similarly good treatment. Several reviews on Tripadvisor also comment on the excellent service, so I feel confident guests will have the same experience I did.

The room design isn’t particularly unique, but it is spacious and modern with a masculine gray, navy and dark wood color scheme. I stayed in a king room and really liked the layout.

All of the amenities are stored in the hallway, including cups, a coffee station and some storage in case you like to unpack on vacation. I hate taking video calls with a hotel bed in the background, so I especially appreciated that the desk was in the hallway, separate from the bed.

The modern design theme continues in the bathroom, which has a walk-in shower and plenty of counter space. I also loved the light-up mirror. It provided pretty good lighting for doing makeup.

The bathroom door is a barn door, which isn’t always my favorite. But it was actually a heavy door that stayed in place when you closed it.

Hyatt Centric Las Olas has three food options on property: a full sit-down restaurant, a speakeasy bar and a snack bar at the pool.

Harborwood is the hotel’s main restaurant and is open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also has a fully stocked bar and coffee shop serving Starbucks coffee. I visited Harborwood several times throughout my stay for drinks, dinner, and breakfast, plus the all-important afternoon coffee pick-me-up. I had a great experience every time I visited. The dinner menu is a little expensive, but nothing felt overpriced considering the quality of the meal and overall atmosphere. Most sandwiches on the menu cost at least $15, while entrees will set you back between $22 and $41.

At dinner, I tried a smattering of dishes and desserts, including lamb shanks, pan-roasted branzino, chicken empanadas, churros, and pineapple upside-down cake. Everything I tried tasted great, but I kept coming back to the chicken empanadas, which had sofrito and mozzarella cheese inside and were served with a chipotle sauce. They felt like the perfect comfort food.

Before heading to the airport on my last day, I went back to Harborwood for breakfast and ordered the Las Olas Huevos, a take on huevos rancheros with refried black beans and salsa verde, instead of ranchero sauce. I’m somewhat of a huevos rancheros aficionado and loved Harborwood’s take on it. I could have used more sauce, but the egg was cooked perfectly and the refried black beans added a really nice texture to the dish.

I’ve visited my fair share of hotel restaurants, and Harborwood is easily one of the best I’ve been to. A lot of hotel restaurants seem to be an afterthought, with overpriced food, subpar service and vibes to match. But Harborwood is run efficiently (my breakfast was served particularly quickly) and has a welcoming atmosphere that makes you want to stay and hang out long after your meal is over.

In contrast with Harborwood’s approachable and friendly atmosphere, Room 901 is a tiny 1920s-themed speakeasy that offers limited two-hour reserved seats each Tuesday through Sunday. It started during the pandemic as a way to give guests a safer dining experience around a smaller group of people. But it could just as easily have been the 2015 brainchild of a hipster mixologist. As a 30-something millennial, I felt right at home.

Room 901 serves unique cocktails and sharable appetizers that are definitely filling enough to make a complete meal. We ordered the “lamb lollipops” (individual rib chops served with tahini sauce), black truffle mac and cheese, and shrimp skewers served with two different types of plantains and a passionfruit glaze. I enjoyed everything, but the shrimp was my favorite. It was perfectly cooked and the flavors were very nicely balanced.

You do have a $60-per-person minimum, but that won’t be hard to reach, especially if you’re getting dinner here.

The hotel has a rooftop pool that’s such a nice escape in the middle of the city.

Since the rooftop space is a little small, I imagine that it could be difficult to find a seat if the pool is busy. But there are multiple types of pool lounge chairs and outdoor couches that are pretty comfortable.

There’s also a snack bar at the pool that serves drinks and basic lunch items. Don’t expect the same fancy food you’ll get at Harborwood or Room 901 (though you can order the chicken empanadas). But the quality is still extremely high for something you’d order at a pool. I tried a turkey sandwich with bacon and an herb spread that was surprisingly delicious. I also ordered a margarita. It was a little too sweet for me, but definitely not too much if you prefer your drinks on the sweet side.

One thing to know: The building next door seemed to be doing a huge renovation when I stayed there in the spring of 2026, so you might hear construction noises at the pool. But this only seems to be an issue at the pool. I never noticed the noise in my room, and my window overlooked the construction.

The Hyatt Centric Las Olas is a great option if you want a beach-optional city vacation or if people in your group want to do different things during the day. It also can’t be overstated how much staff can make or break a hotel stay. And during off-peak dates, the low cash rates can be a great deal, especially if you want to stay at a place with top-notch dining options.

Skip this property if you absolutely need to be near the beach. But if you’re looking for a convenient hotel that gives you some flexibility on what you do during your vacation, it delivers.

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About the author

Caitlin Mims is an editor covering credit cards and travel rewards. Before joining NerdWallet, she was an editor at CreditCards.com and Bankrate. Caitlin has written about personal finance for nine years and has also covered credit scores, retirement planning and the financial challenges women face.