The Hotel of South Beach, Miami, United States

Personable, intimate, lively yet restful, The Hotel on South Beach manages to be one-of-a-kind in a highly competitive resort neighborhood, effortlessly creating an identity and guest experience you look forward to having again on your next visit.

Nestled on a corner of Collins Avenue near some of the most upscale shopping around Miami, The Hotel was originally built in 1939 and opened its doors as The Tiffany Hotel (the name remains on the building’s historic spire), then renovated and reopened in its present form. The outdoor terrace nowadays still provides a relaxing observation point for the flow of life between Collins and Ocean Drive. Enter the lobby, and you quickly notice how it artfully presents the property’s retro theme with detail such as the massive hand-cut mosaic mirror surrounded by dyed velveteen sofas inspired by the original terrazzo flooring.

The current proprietors engaged fashion designer Todd Oldham to put his own unique stamp on the redecoration of the premises, and Oldham’s very individual fun, hip, engaging style draws on the mood, colors and design highlights of an earlier glam era of the Fifties to breathe new vivacity throughout The Hotel’s public and private spaces.

The staff and management are young, attentive, and enthusiastic about making your stay perfect in every respect. The mix of available facilities - from the first-class dining, bar and relaxation options such as the rooftop pool and fitness center, to the in-room technology, ground floor business meeting and shopping areas - combine to make The Hotel a fine choice whether your visit is pleasure, business, or itself a mix of both.

The rooms
Our third-floor suite had an astounding amount of both living and separate bed and bathroom area to it. It is also in the guest rooms and suites that The Hotel’s style - as conceived and delivered by Todd Oldham - really expresses itself with full flair. Opening up the living area even more, a huge floor-to-ceiling framed mirror at one end reflects back at recessed window seating at the street end of the room, while light-colored wood storage units at either end of the window nook lend a studio-like feel to the room.

We warmed to Oldham’s lively use of woven-ribbon materials of varying emerald, lime, sapphire and earth tones that covered pillows, bed coverings and chairs, while hand airbrushed tiles and mosaic door and cabinet pulls picked up the ocean colors again. Play a CD of Sinatra’s “Come Fly with Me” on the sound system, and the mood is truly complete here. The effect is fun, infectious, and it simply works well in the South Beach context.