If quirky is your thing, then buckle up … because I’m about to give you five reasons why your next hotel stay should be at Citizen M (the M stands for Mobile). After enjoying an evening at Citizen M Miami Brickell, I can easily say it’s an unassuming, affordable, quirky-cool hotel choice for citizens on the move.

Dazzling Décor
Wide open and with just enough warmth to keep it from feeling too warehouse-y, the décor inside Citizen M sets the tone for your stay. With numerous gathering areas and pops of color throughout, this well-decorated, upper-floor lobby screams cozy and charming with a dash of adult whimsy. It’s inviting and sleek while still being visually stimulating and evoking curiosity about what’s around the next corner.

Check-In Queen
Our host assisted us with the process, but much like scanning my own produce at the grocery store and tagging my own luggage at the airport, Citizen M walks guests through the self-check-in process. I entered my name and confirmation number and could select a high floor or low floor on different sides of the building. It felt a little awkward but not as difficult as I expected. I even received a discreet print-out of my room number on a separate piece of paper and was issued my room key (which doubled as a luggage tag).

Size Doesn’t Matter
Although narrow and shockingly small at first (my room reminded me of being on a cruise ship), you come to realize the room still has everything you need. The longer I stayed, the more I appreciated the clever use of space. The only area which felt a little tight was the bathroom, where the glass door pushed into the shower, separating it from the toilet. For frequent travelers, sometimes the closeness of quarters is a plus. It’s hard to lose things when it’s all directly in your line of sight!

Cheeky Detail
I asked our host downstairs about the square-shaped doll on my bed. Turns out it’s a Martin doll, found in every room and apparently a bit of a Where’s Waldo on social media. The bookends are fun, as were the titles of the books they hold (Why You Will Marry the Wrong Person and Why We Hate Cheap Things, to name a few). Finally, the privacy door tag stated “Don’t come in, there’s someone naked in here.” If that doesn’t scream quirky, I’m not sure what else could.

Tech Galore
Everything in my room was controlled by an iPad, including the window blinds, TV, lights and room temperature. Within seconds of one another, I turned down the shades, slightly adjusted the volume on the flat-screen and played around with the lighting tone (landing on green), all with the touch of a finger. Extremely user-friendly, even for an occasionally tech-clumsy Gen X-er like me.

And on top of everything else, the staff felt genuinely friendly, and the light bites of tempura shrimp and crab cakes at the bar were quite good.

If you don’t know what you’re getting into, Citizen M can be a bit disorienting. But embracing these quirky details as you travel is the key to your comfort.

Now that I know what to expect, calling myself a mobile citizen of the world, with a pinch of peculiarity, is a title I wouldn’t mind taking on on a regular basis.

— Carrie Cox, account executive