These new (and newly renovated) properties in Miami have meeting rooms, conference facilities, ballrooms, and outdoor spaces that can accommodate groups small and large. So consider these hotels for events, meetings, seminars, and business entertaining.
1. The long-awaited Dream South Beach (a sister to outposts in New York, Bangkok and Cochin, India) fuses two low-rise Art Deco buildings along Collins Avenue into one 108-room boutique hotel, which opened this month. The project brings New York City’s Lambs Club chef Geoffrey Zakarian to South Beach, where he’ll run the show at the new ground-level restaurant, Tudor House; it can host indoor receptions for 100 or outdoor receptions for 160. Meanwhile, the Deep End Rooftop Lounge & Pool will also be available for events for 275, and the Palmer House rooftop can accommodate 80.
2. The 100-room Hotel Breakwater is set to open in a prime position anchored by two restaurants along Ocean Drive this month. The hotel’s see-through pool will be the center of attention when it’s completed later this year, while the rooftop deck accommodating as many as 175 is sure to catch planners’ eyes. Other options for meetings and parties include a 2,220-square-foot exhibit space, a lecture hall with capacity for 180, a private courtyard, and the opportunity to host activities and ceremonies on the beach.
3. Private club Soho Beach House has been an event-industry hit since opening last fall. "The House" has 50 hotel rooms and event spaces ranging from a private dining room for 16 to the pool and tiki bar area, which can host cocktail parties for 300. Both the 15th-floor penthouse and Plunge Bar & Terrace offer jaw-dropping ocean views, while the library has a country-house living room feel. Cecconi’s restaurant and the Cowshed Spa are also available for private events.
4. Thanks to a convertible indoor basketball court and outdoor pool deck that combine to accommodate 1,000 guests, the 19th floor of the JW Marriott Marquis Miami has hosted some of the splashiest parties in town. But there are other event options in this eight-month-old hotel—including 32 meeting rooms totaling 80,000 square feet, a virtual bowling alley, and a Jim McLean Indoor Golf School. The hotel has 313 rooms, while the boutique hotel-within-the-hotel, Hotel Beaux Arts, has 44.
5. Less than a quarter mile from Miami International Airport—adjacent to the 18-hole Melreese Golf Course—the Sheraton Miami Airport Hotel & Executive Meeting Center is perfectly positioned for business. The transformed property (formerly a Wyndham) opened in December with 405 guest rooms and a 20,000-square-foot executive meeting center that uses a Pure Air system. Planners can choose from 20 conference rooms, a 4,000-square foot ballroom, and a comprehensive menu of meeting services.
6. B Ocean Fort Lauderdale arrived on the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and A1A in February, bringing with it 8,000 square feet of event space. The hotel’s penthouse, known as B on Top, is home to two ballrooms and a boardroom. The Horizon Ballroom can be divided into smaller breakout rooms, while the Infinity Ballroom can accommodate 250. Catering from Salia and B’stro on the Beach are available, and an additional restaurant, Breeze, will open at the hotel later this year.
7. This revived South Beach boutique favorite is tiny—just 14 guest rooms, opening in July—but The Marlin’s Elite Lounge is now open and available for private events. With capacity for 150 to 200, the space is best considered for live music performances, DJ sets, and cocktail receptions. An hors d’oeuvres menu includes sliders and lollipop chicken wings, while the lounge’s bar specializes in "molecular mixology." A rooftop lounge and cigar bar will open later this year.
8. Miami’s only marina-front hotel has just reopened after a two-year, $31 million renovation. The Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay has 20,000 square feet of event space that includes 23 meeting rooms, a grand ballroom with a maximum capacity for 1,350, a new 2,500-square-foot Bayview Ballroom, and a new executive boardroom. Also available for hire are the terrace overlooking the bay and pool and a private dining room for 20 at the hotel’s restaurant, Catch Grill + Bar.
9. For a small venue, Lords South Beach, the gay-friendly boutique hotel that opened in late 2010, has a good variety of event spaces—all bearing the hotel’s signature bright yellow and pop-influenced decor. Three sun-splashed penthouses with balconies cater to groups of 20 to 55, and the combined porch and lobby area totals 2,664 square feet—the latter featuring a nine-foot-tall fiberglass polar bear sculpture. Restaurant Cha Cha Rooster seats 86, plus 30 at the bar; and outside, the pool area can host 200.
10. Perched within the 67-story Marquis Residences, opposite the Adrienne Arsht Center and AmericanAirlines Arena, Tempo Miami opened its 56 rooms and suites last fall. The hotel can host events for as many as 100 at Amuse Restaurant & Lounge, which serves small plates with an emphasis on organic produce and sustainable seafood, or in the ground-floor gallery, a loft space accommodating 150 to 200. For wow factor, though, planners head to the 14th-floor Sky Pool Deck, which can host receptions for as many as 200.
