Searching for Congressman George Santos' $199 Room at the W South Beach

In the world of U.S. Rep. George Santos, whatever your heart desires might cost precisely $199.99 on the right night.

Regular dinners at his favorite Italian restaurant in his hometown of Queens, New York. A scrumptious meal at Miami Diner. A stay at the glitzy, star-studded W South Beach Hotel in Miami Beach.

Wait, what?

Santos, the newly elected Republican from New York, has admitted to fabricating much of his life story and résumé, including claims that he worked on Wall Street at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, was a star volleyball player for Baruch College, and is Jewish ("I said I was Jew-ish," he later insisted).

In the latest chapter in the congressman's ongoing saga, a watchdog group known as Campaign Legal Center has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing Santos of a slew of campaign finance violations.

The complaint claims the Santos campaign filed 37 disbursements in the 2022 election cycle for exactly $199.99, which suspiciously fell one cent below the amount at which campaigns must keep receipts or invoices. Among the $199.99 disbursements was a charge for a stay at the W South Beach hotel on October 13, 2021.

As the complaint (attached at the bottom of this story) notes, the math doesn't quite add up.

"Simply put, barring some type of private insider rate that would raise other serious violations of federal campaign finance law, the Santos campaign could not have paid $199.99 for a 'Hotel Stay' at the W Hotel South Beach," it reads.

Is it possible to drop only $200 on a one-night stay at the hotel, as the Santos campaign claims to have done?

New Times set out on a quest to find out.

On Collins Avenue in Miami Beach's Art Deco District, the contemporary landmark hotel boasts rooftop basketball and tennis courts, two-onsite pools, a luxury spa, and panoramic ocean views. It has a penchant for attracting celebrities, including the likes of Justin Bieber, Bono, and the rapper Drake, who even name-dropped the hotel in a song years ago.

It's safe to say that spending only $200 for night at the property would be a hell of deal.

New Times recently phoned up the hotel's toll-free reservation center to inquire about room rates: particularly, how one could possibly receive the Santos special rate.

A representative explained that the cheapest room at the W is the "Splendid Studio" — a spacious suite with a king bed and balcony — which is going for as little as $799 a night in late January. In the October season, when Santos reportedly spent several nights at the ritzy property, it can cost as much as $999 per night.

When asked whether it would be possible to get a $200 room at any point during the year, the representative laughed into the phone.

"No," she said. "Maybe with like, an employee rate."

She explained that there is the "Explore Rate," but it would only lower the cost to around $300. (The promotion also appears to be exclusively available to employees and immediate family members of Marriott, which owns W Hotel South Beach.)

On the morning of January 30, Expedia offered a base room at the W South Beach for $699, which jumped to more than $840 including taxes and fees. The next tier up is the Wonderful Studio with an ocean view, at an $819 rate, or $984 with taxes and fees.

Breakfast for two? Add $76.

Evidently, luxury comes at a cost. And it amounts to more than $199.99 these days.