Miami might be steamy right now but, with this bumper list of new hotels, now is the time to enjoy off-season and introductory rates at the newly opened properties-- or to start planning a trip around those that will be opening later this year and next.
Metropolitan by COMO, Miami Beach
Open since March, the Metropolitan by COMO offers a soothing oasis in the midst of South Beach madness. As we pointed out earlier this week, this hotel offers a more relaxing, wellness-focused vibe than you would normally expect in South Beach. As well as signature COMO Shambhala treatments by Balinese-trained therapists, organic and locally sourced COMO Shambhala Cuisine, and a rooftop hydrotherapy pool, the hotel offers 74 timelessly elegant guest rooms in seven categories, designed (as is the rest of the hotel) by Paola Navone.
Given that summer is Miami's off-season, the Metropolitan by COMO is currently offering a slew of special deals, inclusive of tax and a $22.60 daily resort fee. These include: three nights for the price of two for any room category during the summer months; up to 15 percent off for guests who book a minimum of seven days prior to arrival, and reduced rates for guests who book two rooms at a time (City rooms start at $224 and Metropolitan rooms at$273). Without any of the special offers, rates would start at $296.
The Vintro Hotel & Kitchen, located at at the crossroads of Park Avenue and the newly renovated Collins Canal, will open its doors in July 2014. The 50-room hotel, the first in a new boutique brand, will offer a lobby bar, restaurant, and canal-side terrace, as well as a roof deck with plunge pool and sundeck. As is the law in Miami, the original façade of the art deco Park Avenue hotel remains, but the interiors have been totally stripped and redesigned by Guillermo de Yavorsky, a St. Barth-based architect. The lobby bar also features larger-than-life artwork by fashion and fine art photographer Peter Eaton Gurnz, and the guest rooms, too, highlight work from both seasoned and emerging artists. At the on-site Vintro Kitchen, Chef Giorgios Nikolas Bakatsias, has developed a menu focused on seasonal and local ingredients.
Rates start at $233 a night. WiFi and bicycle rental is included, but there is an extra $20 per night resort fee.
Thompson Miami Beach
Opening this fall at the site of the old Churchill Suites Crown, the 380-room beachfront Thompson Miami Beach will preserve the building’s original art deco details and also feature design elements by Martin Brudnizki, in collaboration with Kobi Karp Architects. Guestrooms and suites will blend beach-inspired appointments and mid-century, international resort style, and the hotel will feature two indoor/outdoor restaurants, two pools, a spa, and lush, tropical gardens. The hotel’s intimate Library Bar will offer rare spirits and fine wines, while the adjacent prohibition-themed lounge will be a late-night venue. James Beard Award-winning chef, Michelle Bernstein, will open an on-site brasserie focused on locally sourced produce. Starting rates are yet to be announced.
EDITION, Miami Beach
Occupying the old Seville Beach Hotel, in the northern part of Collins Avenue, the Miami Beach EDITION will be the third opening for the luxury lifestyle brand created by Marriott in partnership with Ian Schrager. The Miami Beach property will have 294 guest rooms (including bungalows), a year-round ice skating rink, bowling alley, nightclub, multiple bars, two pools, a Jean-Georges restaurant, spa, and gym. Rates are not yet available.
Faena Hotel
For his first U.S. hotel, charismatic Argentinian developer Alan Faena has enlisted the help of movie director and costume designer husband-and-wife team Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. The hotel, in the old Saxony building at the northern end of Collins Avenue, is just one part of a massive development that will take up six blocks and include residences, an arts center, theater, cabaret, and a second hotel especially for artists. Details on the Saxony hotel (and rates) are currently slim, but earlier this month Faena spoke at the LE Miami travel show about his vision for the entire project -- it'll be something of a mini-city, he shared. He referenced his Faena Buenos Aires development, whose Puerto Madero neighborhood was run-down and neglected before Faena opened in 2004. Considering the area now contains some of the most expensive real estate in the city, it'll be exciting to see what happens when the Miami Faena opens this fall.
Swire Hotels will open their first U.S property in 2015 with EAST, Miami at Brickell City Centre, a huge mixed-use development in Miami's up-and-coming Brickell downtown district. EAST, Miami will offer 263 rooms and 89 serviced apartments known as EAST Apartments, essentially long-stay hotel rooms with kitchen and laundry facilities. Much of the buzz around this hotel is around the recent news that it will be the home of the first U.S. outpost of the foodie favorite Uruguayan beach restaurant, La Huella. There will also be a poolside bar and lounge, a 40th-floor rooftop bar, and an outdoor pool deck with plunge pool. In addition, guests will enjoy floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies in all rooms, in-room espresso makers, free WiFi, and the largest average room size among hotels in Miami. As we have more than a year to wait until opening day, rates are not yet available.
