The Grand Hyatt Selected as Flag for New Miami Beach Convention Center Hotel

The development team behind Miami Beach’s new Convention Center hotel announced today that the 800-room property will be operated by Hyatt under the luxury Grand Hyatt brand, when it opens to guests in 2023. Grand Hyatt Miami Beach will create a new hospitality option for visitors attending events at the adjacent Miami Beach Convention Center, which underwent a $600 million renovation that was completed last year, and will anchor the Convention Center District.

The new hotel will become the second Grand Hyatt property in Florida, joining Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. Grand Hyatt hotels are designed to connect guests with iconic experiences, landmarks and cultural touchstones in captivating destinations around the world. Hallmarks of the brand include bold and vibrant design and architecture, elevated amenities and welcoming service that creates moments of more.

The hotel development is being led by David Martin of Terra and Jackie Soffer of Turnberry, whose plans for the hotel were overwhelmingly approved by Miami Beach voters in 2018. The 17-story hotel will be situated at the intersection of 17th Street and Convention Center Drive, within walking distance of the beachfront, Lincoln Road Mall, New World Symphony, The Bass Museum and The Fillmore Miami Beach.

“For years, Miami Beach has served as a global destination for arts, culture, shopping, dining and entertainment, but the City has lacked a true headquarters hotel for top-tier conventions and meetings,” said Martin and Soffer. “South Florida’s first Grand Hyatt hotel will maximize Miami Beach’s investment in its re-imagined Convention Center while bridging the physical gap that exists between the Convention Center District and surrounding neighborhoods.”

 Grand Hyatt Miami Beach will be designed by architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia and his firm, Miami-based Arquitectonica. The development team also includes partner Craig Robins of Dacra, who is the visionary behind the Miami Design District and helped revive Miami Beach’s Art Deco District in the 1990s; Stonehill Taylor, which is designing the hotel’s interior lobby and lounges, ballroom and meeting rooms, hotel rooms and all common areas; EOA, which is designing the pool deck hospitality features of the hotel; and Arquitectonica GEO, which is creating lush pedestrian promenades and landscapes.

Hotel features are expected to include 12 floors of guest rooms offering views of Miami Beach, two floors of meeting spaces and ballrooms that will complement the Convention Center, a resort-style pool deck with panoramic views, and limited retail space that will activate the district at street level. An elevated skybridge will enable event attendees to move freely between the hotel and Convention Center in a climate-controlled, art-filled corridor. 

Plans also include landscaped pedestrian promenades on surrounding streets, bike sharing stations, connectivity with public transit routes, dedicated ridesharing pick-up and drop-off zones, and direct access between the Convention Center and Lincoln Road. The project’s resiliency and sustainability measures include storm water management and reuse, flood risk mitigation, and the use of solar power – all of which are designed to ensure operational continuity during weather events.

“The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) joins Terra, Turnberry and The City of Miami Beach in welcoming the Grand Hyatt Miami Beach as the newly named brand for the 800-room headquarter hotel connected to the Miami Beach Convention Center,” said William D. Talbert, III, CDME, President of the GMCVB.  “Grand Hyatt Miami Beach makes it possible to better compete for citywide conventions which fuel jobs in our community and generates business for all of Greater Miami’s hotels and merchants. We look forward to the hotel ground-breaking which once completed will finalize the Miami Beach Convention Center District.” 

By Katya Demina

Legacy Hotel & Residences Reveals New Renderings With Construction Set To Begin Summer 2020

On the heels of Miami-based real estate developer Royal Palm Companies (RPC) officially launching sales for Downtown Miami’s newest mixed-use tower, Legacy Hotel & Residences, the developer has now released new renderings and plans on breaking ground in the Summer of 2020 with completion estimated for the Fall of 2023. The newly released renderings include the highly-anticipated sky pool that will hang off the edge of the tower’s 45th floor as well as the seven-story crown-jewel glass atrium. It will be the largest rooftop atrium for a hotel-condo in the U.S.

The soaring, branded mixed-use skyscraper will be located in the heart of mega-project Miami Worldcenter (MWC) at 942 Northeast First Avenue. OneWorld Properties will be leading marketing and sales and pricing starts at $300,000. Designed for the innovative and cosmopolitan traveler seeking a home away from home, Legacy Hotel & Residences aims to disrupt the condo space by introducing microLUXE living to Miami. The concept will offer homeowners luxury small living with the flexibility to live in or rent their home without rental restrictions, which will fulfill the demand of a rapidly growing and more international downtown core. Residents will have the option to rent on their own or through the tower’s hotel rental program, offsetting carrying and maintenance costs.

Legacy Hotel & Residences will bring international flair to the downtown skyline where the neo-futurism-inspired tower will feature 278 branded residences sitting atop a 255-room hotel. Legacy’s microLUXE residences range from 400 SF to 949 SF with studios and two-bedroom units. RPC takes the micro-living movement to the next level with their microLUXE concept, where each residence will offer the functionality of a micro-style home with the high-quality design and superior finishes of an elite luxury condominium. All residences will be equipped with a full kitchen and washer and dryer combinations. These small ergonomic but bespoke residences by RPC’s in-house design team in collaboration with Kobi Karp Architects and IDDI will offer buyers the freedom to rent their microLUXE residences without any restrictions.

The mixed-use tower will offer a suite of first-of-its-kind amenities, including ground floor retail, a hotel and microLUXE residences. Signature amenities of the tower include a sophisticated members-only international business lounge, dramatic cantilevered, Singapore-inspired pool, downtown’s largest hotel pool deck set on one acre, a medical and wellness center, all topped with the project’s signature amenity: the city’s first enclosed rooftop atrium, taking up the top seven floors of the tower.

Legacy Hotel & Residence’s will become an iconic centerpiece of Miami Worldcenter, one of the largest private real estate developments underway in the United States. The ten-block project will include world-class retail, hospitality and residential uses in the center of Miami’s urban core. Providing unmatched accessibility, Legacy Hotel & Residences is conveniently located next to I-95 and I-395, as well as the Virgin MiamiCentral Station, the Metrorail and Metromover stations.

For more information about Legacy Hotel & Residences, private showings or purchasing/ leasing information please fill out the form below:

Touzet Studio-Designed Urbin Retreat Miami Beach Proposed on South Beach

Urbin Retreat, designed by Touzet Studio, has submitted its final proposal to Miami Beach’s Historic Preservation Board and Planning Board. The proposal says that Urbin Retreat will offer “affordable global mobility through responsible green living and working in urban centers.” Urbin Retreat Miami Beach will be a co-live, co-work and wellness platform that “fosters creativity and ignites connections through small units, big amenities and an emphasis on community.” Located on the 1200 block of Washington Ave. between 12th and 13th street, Urbin Retreat will feature a hotel, co-living, retail, a rooftop bar and a ground floor restaurant and bar.

Rannan Katz's RK Associates Proposes R.K. Center Mega-Project in Fort Lauderdale

Rennan Katz’s RK Associates has proposed R.K. Center, a 5-tower mega-project in Fort Lauderdale. The proposal would replace a former Sears and is currently being reviewed by Fort Lauderdale’s Design Review Committee. R.K. Center would feature restaurants and street front retail along with 5 mixed-use towers featuring office space, retail, hotel and residential apartments. Parcel 1 will feature 3 towers rising 30 stories (X2) and 15-stories offering 819 residential units, 71,960 of commercial space, 4,000 SF of restaurant space, a 4,000 SF food hall and 1,351 parking spaces. Parcel 2 will rise 17-stories and will feature 192 hotel rooms, 22 residential apartments, 3,480 SF of restaurant space, a 1,290 SF cafe and 288 parking spaces. Parcel 3 will rise 15 stories and will feature 135 residential apartments, 4,178 SF of retail, 2,295 SF of restaurant space, a 10,312 SF art gallery and 230 parking spaces. R.K. Center will bring an active urban lifestyle to Fort Lauderdale for both the general public and end users.

Here Comes Wynwood’s First Hotel: One Eleven Wynwood by Sonder

BH Investment Group (BHIG), a US-based real estate private equity, investment and development company, along with partners Andres Hogg and Eduardo Vargas have announced One Eleven Wynwood Hotel by Sonder, which will be the first hotel delivered in the burgeoning Wynwood neighborhood. The project is located at 111 NW 26th Street, one block from Wynwood Walls, and is expected to deliver by summer 2021. 

The developers recently signed on Sonder, the tech-enabled hospitality company, as lease tenant and hotel operator for the 72 hotel suites. The building will also feature a 6,000-square-foot rooftop pool and dining area, and over 6,000-square-feet of ground floor retail spaces, with space for three or four dynamic, experiential concepts. 

“I have been invested in Wynwood for over 10 years. My father and I owned an art gallery and several real estate investments that align deeply with the community’s values for arts, culture and creativity. This project has been an immense undertaking personally, and to see it come into fruition is quite a big thrill,” says co-developer Eddie Vargas, long-time Wynwood investor who is responsible for putting together the team behind One Eleven Wynwood Hotel.

DSS Construction, who managed the YotelPad and Four Seasons Surfside, will lead construction management on the project, designed by Swiss based RDR Architects, in conjunction with local architect of record Alain Bartroli Architecture.

“This will be our flagship property in the market,” says Sam Artmann, General Manager of Sonder in Miami. “The heightened food and beverage concepts they are looking to attract for the rooftop and retail will be amazing amenities for our guests and help discover the best Wynwood has to offer.” 

The partnership also committed to donating 72 transitional homes for people living in extreme poverty situations in Latin America through the Home4Home program,the first ever “one-to-one” giving program for homes in the world. Andres Klein of BHIG founded Home4Home along with Techo, so developers can donate a home for each one built. Techo will oversee the building of the transitional homes in one of the 19 countries where it operates.

Written by: Stephanie Warren

OKO Group and Access Industries To Develop Aman Hotel & Residences At Versailles Hotel Completing Faena District

OKO Group and Access Industries announced today a joint venture to develop and build an Aman hotel and Aman-branded residences on Miami Beach, on the site of the former Versailles Hotel, in two buildings at 3425 Collins Ave. 

The Miami project will be Aman’s latest urban development in the United States, joining Aman New York, a hotel with residences under construction in Manhattan’s iconic Crown Building and scheduled to open in Q4 2020. Aman also operates Amangani in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Amangiri, a hotel and resort in Canyon Point, Utah. Aman is led by Chairman and CEO Vladislav Doronin, whose Miami-based OKO Group will develop the Miami project in partnership with Access Industries. 

The Aman Miami project will be a major economic catalyst for the area. The Collins Avenue site is in the iconic Faena District, a prime four-block stretch of Miami Beach that Access Industries turned into a vibrant cultural neighborhood. The more than 1 million-square-foot mixed-use district features top-flight residences, the Faena Hotel Miami Beach, innovative and immersive entertainment, shopping at the Bazaar, restaurants and the Forum, an arts venue. Since opening in 2015, the District has become the epicenter of Miami Beach activity. 

“My strategy for Aman places focus on expanding the urban destinations for the brand after success with similar projects such as Aman Tokyo. As a major global hub, Miami always has been a key location, particularly since I founded OKO Group and already have a number of developments in the thriving city of Miami,” Doronin said. “The Miami and Aman lifestyles are highly compatible. Both are energetic, easy-going and embrace the outdoors. I have been looking for the perfect location for many years, and I am thrilled to find it and to partner with Access Industries.”

Access Industries, founded by American industrialist and philanthropist Len Blavatnik, owns a diverse portfolio of over 6 million square feet across iconic hotels and other commercial and residential properties in the United States, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean.

“Transformational neighborhood investment is a hallmark of Access Industries’ real estate strategy.  The Faena District is now a renowned hospitality and lifestyle destination, and positively contributes to Miami Beach. Versailles expands this mission even further, and we are thrilled to find a partner who shares Len’s insight. OKO and Aman are the ideal partners to develop Versailles and complete the vision for the Faena District,” said Jonah Sonnenborn, managing director and head of real estate at Access Industries. 

OKO Group’s Miami portfolio also includes luxury waterfront residential towers; Missoni Baia and Una Residences; and 830 Brickell, Miami’s first new office skyscraper in over a decade

Check Out The Hotel Addition Proposed Atop The Sterling Building On Lincoln Road

Sam Herzberg has proposed a 144 room hotel addition atop The Sterling Building located at 927-929 Lincoln Road, home to the popular Books and Books Cafe. The Miami Beach Planning Board will review the proposal at their December 17th meeting, which came following the city approving an increase in building height from 50’ to 75’ on the north side of Lincoln Road as well as to allow smaller units down to 200 SF and waiving parking requirements. The city also changed zoning to allow hotels in the area. Developers who take advantage of the zoning changes must make a .5% contribution to the Art in Public Places program. The addition is being designed by Kobi Karp and will not effect the historical parts of the building on Lincoln Road which contribute to the historical district. The new addition will bring the building to rise 7-stories with 120 new hotel rooms and 24 converted from an older part of the existing building.

Mandala Proposes BLUR Workshop-Designed Courtyard By Marriott in Downtown Miami

Mandala Holdings has submitted new plans to Miami’s Urban Development Review Board for a 31-story Courtyard By Marriott hotel tower in Downtown Miami’s Omni district at 511 NE 15th Street. The proposal will be reviewed at a meeting by the UDRB on November 20. The hotel tower is designed by the Atlanta-based BLUR Workshop and will feature 269 hotel rooms, 16,131 SF of office space and 28,261 SF of entertainment space split between conference rooms, ballrooms and restaurant space. No parking component will be built as part of the development and will be provided offsite.

The Mess At Melreese Golf Club Gets Worse As Miami Freedom Park Gets Delayed Again

There is just no telling where the supposed deal to bring a professional soccer stadium to Miami will end up after Miami city commissioners voted on Tuesday to continue negotiations with the group, led by Jorge Mas of MasTec, in regards to the projected $1 billion mixed-use office and retail project. Although Miami has a state-of-the-art stadium in Hard Rock Stadium, Inter Miami CF has decided that they need a dedicated soccer stadium to accommodate what are expected to be masses of fans, albeit one that is decidedly much smaller than the capacity Hard Rock Stadium could accommodate. It was proposed to voters that they could “vote to bring a soccer stadium to Miami along with a public park” where the public Melreese Golf Course currently operates, which passed in 2018.

Since then plans have changed significantly. The public park portion has been significantly scaled back to being a nearly non-existent part of the planned development. In fact, the 25,000 seat soccer stadium would potentially not even sit on the same lot if built. What is planned, should negotiations work out, is a massive private office park matched with a retail mall and a hotel. Those negotiations though are getting pushback from commissioner Manolo Reyes as well as local opponents such as Bruce Matheson, who claims the redevelopment of the golf course should have gone through a public competitive bidding process and that the city has continuously misled voters through the process. Numerous other opponents argue that there is no reason to get rid of one of the city’s last remaining public golf courses, all of which are heavily used, irreplaceable and support the local youth with programs such as The First Tee, especially with a state-of-the-art Hard Rock Stadium already built.

Reyes worked to force a vote on the proposed agreement before Commissioner Will Gort steps down at the end of the month as he maxes out his term limits but was shot down by majority vote from the commission which claims that the deal is nearly closed and is just pending 3 fair market value appraisals as well as traffic and environmental studies. Already environmental studies have shown the the ground underneath the golf course is full of toxic material and remediation would be in the range of $40 million.

Beckham first moved to have a stadium built at PortMiami in 2014 before the proposal bounced around 4 other sites including county-owned parking lot in Overtown. Inter Miami CF will play at their new Fort Lauderdale Stadium and Training Complex, which is currently under construction. If Miami Freedom Park is ultimately approved the timeframe for development would extend into 2022-2023.

Royal Palm Companies Launches Sales Of Legacy Hotel & Residences At Miami Worldcenter

Miami-based real estate developer Royal Palm Companies (RPC), has officially launched sales for Downtown Miami’s newest mixed-use tower, Legacy Hotel & Residences, the soaring branded mixed-use skyscraper in the heart of mega-project Miami Worldcenter (MWC). On the heels of the successful completion of PARAMOUNT Miami Worldcenter, Downtown Miami’s newest residential condo tower with its famous Sky-Port, developer Dan Kodsi aims to transform Miami’s skyline again, this time in the hospitality and branded residence market. Located at 942 Northeast First Avenue, Legacy is expected to break ground in 2020. OneWorld Properties will be leading marketing and sales where pricing starts at $300,000.

Designed for the innovative and cosmopolitan traveler seeking a home away from home, Legacy Hotel & Residences aims to disrupt the condo space by introducing microLUXE living to Miami. The concept will offer homeowners luxury small living with the flexibility to live in or rent their home without rental restrictions, which will fulfill the demand of a rapidly growing and more international downtown core. Residents will have the option to rent on their own or through the tower’s hotel rental program, offsetting carrying and maintenance costs.

“When travelers come to Miami and stay on the beach, they find themselves inevitably crossing the bridge to the mainland, where all the latest attractions are; from Wynwood, the Miami Design District to the American Airlines Arena and PAMM. We've seen the tourism growth and are filling a void for the leisure traveler who doesn't have a downtown hotel with resort-style amenities in the center of it all,” said Dan Kodsi, Developer at RPC.

Legacy Hotel & Residences will bring international flair to the downtown skyline where the neo-futurism-inspired tower will feature 278 branded residences sitting atop a 255-room hotel. Legacy’s microLUXE residences range from 400 SF to 949 SF with studios and two-bedroom units. RPC takes the micro-living movement to the next level with their microLUXE concept, where each residence will offer the functionality of a micro-style home with the high-quality design and superior finishes of an elite luxury condominium. All residences will be equipped with a full kitchen and washer and dryer combinations. These small ergonomic but bespoke residences by RPC’s in-house design team in collaboration with Kobi Karp Architects and IDDI will offer buyers the freedom to rent their microLUXE residences without any restrictions.

The mixed-use tower will offer a suite of first-of-its-kind amenities, including ground floor retail, a hotel, microLUXE residences. Signature amenities of the tower include a sophisticated members-only international business lounge, dramatic cantilevered, Singapore-inspired pool, downtown’s largest hotel pool deck set on one acre, a first-of-its-kind medical and wellness center, all topped with the project’s signature amenity: the city’s first enclosed rooftop atrium, taking up the top seven floors of the tower.

“With our experience selling Downtown Miami through previous projects during its various real estate cycles, we understand the downtown buyers and their demands,” said Peggy Olin, CEO of OneWorld Properties. “We are bringing our buyers from over 60 countries an alternative pied-à-terre – the piece that was missing— for residents who seek small living and large experiences,” she said.

Legacy Hotel & Residence’s will become an iconic centerpiece of Miami Worldcenter, one of the largest private real estate developments underway in the United States. The ten-block project will include world-class retail, hospitality and residential uses in the center of Miami’s urban core. Providing unmatched accessibility, Legacy Hotel & Residences is conveniently located next to I-95 and I-395, as well as the Virgin MiamiCentral Station, the Metrorail and Metromover stations.