Sunshine State: Three New Miami Hotels Shaking up the Scene
The exterior of the new Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach (Photo: Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach)
There’s certainly no shortage of hotels in Miami, which is a popular place to visit year-round, but particularly now, as it’s getting colder up north. Nonetheless, impressive properties continue to open, expanding the many options in what just might be America’s quintessential travel destination. Recently, a few major standouts debuted just in time for Art Basel. (And there’s more to come over the next year or so, with highly anticipated properties from Faena and Four Seasons in the works.)
Here’s a rundown of what makes each of the latest entries so special.
Dive in at Thompson Miami Beach (Photo: Thompson Miami Beach)
It’s a bit surprising that it’s taken this long for the Thompson hotel chain — which has properties in vibrant cities like New York, Chicago, and Toronto — to open on Miami Beach. Its trademark mix of relaxed chic with a focus on chic dining and cocktails feels like an ideal fit in the city.
Thompson’s huge (380 room) new property on 40th and Collins Avenue — near Soho Beach House, and conveniently equidistant from South Beach, the Design District, and Bal Harbour’s designer shopping — was designed by the British interior architect Martin Brudnizki. It feels a bit a like being in an elegant mid-century resort club as opposed to a big hotel in a bustling, modern city.
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A Thompson room — very Miami (Photo: Thompson Miami Beach)
The vibe: A modernized take on Miami Beach in its rat-pack heydey.
Historical nod: The 1930s House, a Spanish-revival bungalow near the pool, serves up fabulously old-school cocktails conceived by Cuban-born mixologist Julio Cabrera. Our favorite is the fruity, rum-based Hemingway royal. There are also snacks like croquetas with spinach and feta.
Celebrity chef: Miami-based Michelle Bernstein, who is a television mainstay and the force behind local restaurants like Michy’s. Making the most of our Miami’s stellar produce is her priority here. Because, let’s face it: all that warmth and sunshine is as good for growing plants as it for working a tan. For the hotel’s airy brasserie Seagrape, Bernstein works with local farmers to have fruit and vegetables specially grown for her kitchen.
Ocean views (Photo: Thompson Miami Beach)
What’s special: The local touch in general, including retro-inspired staff uniforms by the Miami clothing brand Dress Noble and an outpost of Junior & Hatter, a trendy hairdressing salon based in the city’s art-centric Wynwood neighborhood.
The essentials: 4041 Collins Ave; 786/605-4041.
The Bungalows at the Edition (Photo: Miami Beach Edition)
Two decades ago, Ian Schrager opened the Delano, the hotel that was instrumental in transforming South Beach into a magnet for travelers. Now, Schrager has opened another Miami Beach property, part of the Edition chain, which is a partnership with Marriott. Architects Yabu Pushelberg engineered the reworking of the old Seville Beach Hotel, creating a property that’s inviting but uber-chic (like, say, an art gallery or fancy boutique that’s actually unpretentious and accessible). It’s located a bit north of South Beach, on a stretch of Collins Avenue that’s calm enough to help guests truly unwind.
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A guest room (Photo: Miami Beach Edition)
Vibe: Like the Delano, the Edition is clean and modern, with grand open white spaces that are somehow not austere or intimidating.
Historical nod: Key original design details, like massive golden columns and ornate marble floors, have been kept in the lobby as a reminder of the property’s history. (It was originally built in 1955.)
Celebrity chef: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who is overseeing both the Matador Room (where, in addition to the Spanish-inspired food, the signature pineapple cocktail is not to be missed) and Market, an appealing, casual spot to grab something quickly (like worth-the-calories pastries) to eat in or take outside into the sunshine.
The Matador, from Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Photo: Miami Beach Edition)
What’s special: The hotel’s quirky offerings, like a basement ice-skating rink, bowling alley (complete with luminescent bowling balls), and outdoor screening room. There’s a sense of upscale fun here that makes it nearly impossible to not have a good time.
The essentials: 2901 Collins Avenue; 786/257-4500.
Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach
Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach’s pool (Photo: Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach)
Located in the heart of South Beach, this large (200 room) hotel has undergone a $90-million dollar, unveiled in September. It really epitomizes what many people think when they think of Miami Beach: a mix of the laidback vibe of a resort and the cosmopolitan sensibility of a world-class city, all in a glamorous mid-century wrapped. Although it’s been updated and luxe amenities have been added (like, in the rooms, Frette sheets and 46-inch interactive smart televisions), the best details by the hotel’s original architects, Igor Polevitsky in 1940 and then the legendary Morris Lapidus in the 1950’s, have intentionally stayed intact.
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A sunny poolside cabana at the Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach (Photo: Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach)
The vibe: Old-school glamour in the middle of Miami Beach’s most bustling area.
Nod to the past: The Drawing Room Bar Lounge, which looks like it could be a set in a film noir classic and is open in the daytime for coffee and in the evening for cocktails conceived by Albert Trummer and alumni of New York City’s downtown bar Apotheke.
Celebrity chef: Masaharu Morimoto of Iron Chef America fame, who is bringing his distinctive dishes to Miami for the first time. (Standouts include a Japanese take on Caesar salad with seared tuna, hamachi tacos with avocado and serranos, and, of course, his trademark braised black cod.)
Even the rooms are stylish at the Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach (Photo: Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach)
What’s special: The hotel’s Blue Harmony Spa is the Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach, which uses Natura Bisse products and also offers a special anti-aging treatment using the extract of local red mangrove plants, with some of the proceeds of its $145 price going to the South Florida National Parks Trust.
The essentials: 1801 Collins Avenue; 305/531-1271
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