This Miami Beach hotel is closing but will return with two José Andrés restaurants

The Confidante Hotel on Collins Avenue will close on March 25 as it is set to undergo construction. When it reopens, the hotel will be rebranded as Andaz Miami Beach though it will continue to be operated by Hyatt Hotels Corporation which maintains the Andaz brand. Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. owns the property which is located at 4041 Collins Avenue.

The property dates back to 1940 when it was originally known as the Lord Tarleton Hotel. Victor H. Nellenbogen designed it. At that time, it was one of Miami’s first Art Deco hotels and at 14 floors, was one of the tallest buildings in the area, said Daniel Ciraldo, executive director of the non-profit Miami Design Preservation League.

During World War II, the Confidante was used by the Army, like many buildings in Miami Beach and in the 1950s, it received a nine-story addition designed by famous architect Melvin Grossman. In 2007, condos were added.

The property has survived countless hurricanes, crime waves, economic booms and busts, political turmoil, and demographic shifts plus many renamings, rebrandings and several additions. Now it is getting (another) new lease on life.

The José Andrés Group, the umbrella company for the renowned chef’s establishments, is set to oversee food and beverages - including creating two new restaurants and a cocktail bar with food - at the Andaz Miami Beach once it finishes renovations and opens to the public in the winter of 2024.

Andrés and his staff actually lived on the property when it was condos while they were preparing to open The Bazaar in South Beach in 2012, said Amy Johnson, general manager of the Confidante. The Bazaar, his famed initial Miami Beach restaurant, closed in March 2023 after about a ten-year run.

The partnership with Andaz is the firm’s inaugural collaboration with Hyatt, said Sam Bakhshandehpour, president of the José Andrés Group. It already has collaborations with the Marriot and Hilton.

The José Andrés Group will develop and run one high-end evening dining establishment and a more casual restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the executive said.

And it won’t be only for hotel guests. “Both of these areas will be as much of a destination for locals,” said the Andrés Group’s head.

The details have yet to be finalized, noted Bakhshandehpour, but he said that two goals are “taking tapas and shared plates to another level,” and offering flexibility so that carnivores, pescatarians, and vegetarians have ample choices.

Andrés’ deal with Hyatt comes months after the chef and entrepreneur, also celebrated for his World Central Kitchen’s non-profit work, opened Zaytinya, his new Mediterranean restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton in South Beach. That effort is a partnership with Aglaia Kremezi and serves Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese items.

Remodeling an Art Deco gem

The Andaz Miami Beach remodeling plans include changing the entryway, lobby, ground and second floor interiors. A dining room will be added to the first floor and a new lobby and lounge to the second floor. It will have 288 rooms and 68 suites.

The lobby will be fully redesigned so guests while checking in can see the ocean, an attempt to resemble hotels in Hawaii.

The check-in area will also have a lounge with 80 seats where arriving guest can relax and order small bites from a small plate menu and cocktails, said Johnson.

Guests will have the option of checking in at the desk or by a host with an iPad who will sit with them in the lounge while they start nibbling on food or drinking champagne with an ocean view.

“The arrival experience is a key piece to starting off anyone’s vacation or meeting,” said Johnson.

There will be two swimming pools, one elevated about 12 feet higher to be able to see the ocean. “You’ll be able to see the beach from wherever in the pools you sit,” said Johnson. A bar will be added too.

One of the pools will have a mechanism installed where within 15 minutes, the water disappears, and it converts to a hard surface for events.

The remodeled property will hold over 25,000 square feet event space and two ballrooms that each can hold 120-150 people.

The property also came with a small house built in 1936. The hotel owners will preserve the house but use it as a private beach club.

The Confidante is within the Collins Waterfront Local Historic District, which is part of the National Register of Historic Places so the remodeling plans had to be approved by the Miami Beach Historical Preservation Board.

Ciraldo with the Miami Design Preservation League calls the project “a major investment by the property owners to really bring the building up to the standards of today’s demanding travelers but at the same time honoring and respecting the history of the building.”

“We’re looking forward to seeing it getting underway.”