Hilton Cabana Miami Beach, a 231-room oceanfront hotel, opened in June in the former Allison Hotel. For receptions, the property holds 120 people on a 2,000 square-foot courtyard as well as by its two outdoor pools. The hotel also is home to the French restaurant L’echon Brasserie, a new concept from local restaurant developer the Pubbelly Group. The 130-seat restaurant has an oceanfront patio and is available for private events.
The Korean barbecue restaurant Drunken Dragon debuted on South Beach in June. Designed by Los Angeles-based Studio Collective Design, the space features several seating options, from banquettes to tables with embedded grills where guests can roast their own food. For groups, one option is a communal table made from a 300-pound slab of reclaimed Douglas fir that is suspended from the ceiling. Other design elements include dim lighting, walls covered with heavy rope, and provocative photos of Japanese bondage. The eatery seats 74 in the dining room as well as 12 at the bar.
In August, the zoological park Jungle Island finished a $700,000 facelift of its signature 14,000-square-foot Treetop Ballroom, the Arboretum room, and adjacent function spaces. The ballroom holds 2,000 people for receptions or can be split into three salons, and the Arboretum holds 150 people. The design, by Cardenas & Kriz design studio, uses neutral colors and nature-inspired patterns to evoke the environment. Ovations Food Services also has updated the venue's catering menu.
North Miami Beach fitness studio Pulse 163, a sleek and modern space, opened earlier this month. The studio takes groups reservations for teambuilding events and can hold 25 people for barre classes and 30 people for yoga classes. The space also can be used for lectures or workshops of 40 people.
SLS South Beach updated its meeting and event space with the addition of Clyde, a 1,500-square-foot space that holds 80 people guests for seated events or 200 for receptions. The stylish space, which debuted in August, can be set up in traditional classroom or boardroom settings or in a more casual setup with lounge-style furniture. The ground-level space overlooks the hotel's pool with floor-to-ceiling windows that offer plenty of natural light. The catering menu comes from the property's culinary partner, chef José Andrés.
Mexico City-based hospitality firm Cinbersol Group opened Cantina La Veinte, a traditional Mexican restaurant in Icon Brickell downtown, in July. Designed by architectural firm Niz & Chauvet, the space has Mexican Art Deco touches such as a floor-to-ceiling black onyx bar, black and white marble flooring, and Mexican folk art. The venue has 450 seats spread over the bar, dining room, and waterfront patio with views of Brickell Key and Biscayne Bay.
Porfirio’s Restaurante, a Mexican concept that originated in Mexico City, opened in July. The Miami Beach restaurant has 200 seats spread over its indoor dining room and a terrace that overlooks a fountain. The space features cathedral ceilings, teardrop lighting, a wraparound bar, and a display of 100 different tequilas in polished wood cases.
More than 20 different solo, duet, and group acts and characters interact with guests nightly at Steam Miami, a 7,500-square-foot nightclub and performance space that opened in August. The venue has a Funktion One sound system and features film noir-inspired design such as velvet-covered banquettes, neon signs with R-rated phrases, and rusted chains. The club, which includes outdoor space, holds 600 for receptions.
Il Mulino New York, an Italian restaurant, opened in South Beach in July. It's the second South Florida location for the New York-based concept and features sleek white and light gray decor with walls decorated with poster-size covers of vintage issues of magazines such as Vogue and The New Yorker. The 2,000-square-foot restaurant seats 84.
Miami-based chain Balans Café launched a fifth South Florida location in the Dadeland Mall in June. The restaurant features a brasserie-style menu from chef David Welch and has 151 seats indoors, including at a long wraparound bar, and a 65-seat patio. The venue offers free Wi-Fi; valet parking is available.
One of the hottest hotel openings was the Miami Beach Edition, a new hotel brand from legendary boutique hotelier Ian Schrager. A part of Marriott International, the property is only the third Edition to open globally and the first in the United States. Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten opened a pan-Latin restaurant, Matador Room, at the hotel and offers indoor and outdoor dining. For events, there is a dedicated entrance to the largest space, which measures 8,300 square feet and holds 550 guests for banquets or 920 theater-style. Three meeting studios on the fourth floor are ideal for small events and can be combined to hold 120 guests for banquets or 136 guests theater-style. A 2,400-square-foot landscaped terrace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean holds 240 guests for receptions, and a 2,000-square-foot penthouse also is available for events.
The luxury beachfront hotel Thompson Miami Beach from Commune Hotels & Resorts opened in November. The 380-room hotel has 47,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space tailored for groups looking for stylish, out-of-the-box gatherings—think theater-style setups using sofas instead of rows of chairs. A unique space is the 1930s House, a 1,700-square-foot cottage in the property's backyard that serves light bites and cocktails inside and on its two terraces. Another highlight is chef Michelle Bernstein's Seagrape restaurant, which seats 267.
The 7,100-square-foot rooftop venue Touché Rooftop Lounge & Restaurant opened in downtown Miami in April, offering 360-degree views of the skyline. The concept is from chef Carla Pellegrino of Top Chef fame and includes a 50-seat indoor dining room with an open kitchen as well as a 225-seat outdoor lounge with a waterfall wall, fire pits, and a communal table and bar. The space is set up to accommodate DJs and live music and has audiovisual equipment including LED screens.
After becoming part of the Trump Hotel Collection in 2012, Trump National Doral Miami embarked on a $250 million gut renovation, reopening in October. The property built its reputation as a golf resort—it has five courses, all renovated, as well as an expanded driving range with lighting—but it also has significant meeting space. The property has 100,000 square feet of indoor function space as well as 75,000 square feet of outdoor space. The Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom is the largest space at 24,079 square feet and holds 3,400 theater-style, 2,400 for receptions, or 1,700 for banquets. It also includes new event space such as the Crystal Ballroom and Terrace, which were built atop the resort clubhouse. The circular 7,200-square-foot ballroom features floor-to-ceiling windows and attaches to the 8,000-square-foot terrace. Used together, the space holds nearly 1,000 people. Restaurant options at the resort include the newly opened BLT Prime steak house.
E11even, a 24-hour nightclub and adult cabaret, debuted in February in downtown Miami. The 20,000-square-foot club offers a variety of performances—think contortionists, runway models, and acrobats—on multiple stages. The $40 million venue also includes audiovisual features such as more than 600 square feet of LED video walls, a Funktion One sound system, and a 13-foot retractable pole. It opened in February and holds 600 people for receptions. There is also a V.I.P. entrance and private rooms that hold 20 people each.
The signature restaurant at the newly renovated Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach is Morimoto South Beach from chef Masaharu Morimoto. The 180-seat restaurant was designed by the Glamorous Group of Tokyo and features a central sushi bar, warm decor, and 180 seats spread both indoors and outdoors. The menu includes playful dishes like a yellowtail pastrami appetizer, along with sushi, steaks, and a omakase chef's tasting menu. The restaurant opened in September.
New York City's Lure Fishbar opened a Miami outpost at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel. Opened in December, the seafood restaurant is designed in a stylish nautical theme meant to evoke the Queen Mary (its private dining room displays a replica of the famed ocean liner). The restaurant offers ocean views as well as a terrace and patio with their own bars. For private events, Lure seats 20 people in the main dining room or 28 in the wine vault. Buyouts are available for seated events of as many as 200 guests or receptions for 300 guests.
Siena Tavern, a new Italian restaurant from Top Chef favorite Fabio Viviani, opened in November in Miami Beach. The restaurant offers full buyouts for 420 seated guests or 600 for receptions or partial buyouts of its main bar, terrace, and a private dining room that seats 50 and has a private bar. Viviani's hospitality partner, DineAmic Group, also offers catering. The 10,000-square-foot space formerly housed the China Grill.
The Korean barbecue restaurant Drunken Dragon debuted in South Beach in June. Designed by Los Angeles-based Studio Collective Design, the space features several seating options from banquettes to tables with embedded grills where guests can roast their own food. For groups, one option is a communal table made from a 300-pound slab of reclaimed Douglas fir that is suspended from the ceiling. Other design elements include dim lighting, walls covered with heavy rope, and provocative photos of Japanese bondage. The restaurant seats 74 in the dining room as well as 12 at the bar.
The Official VH1 & Scope Party, now in its third year, was held at Mansion nightclub in Miami on December 5. Artist and calligrapher Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic hand-painted hundreds of feet of Japanese synthetic paper, creating an art installation that event planners described as the longest continuous painting shown during this year's art fairs.
The Boca Raton Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, debuted a $30 million renovation of its historic Cloister building in November. The design from Richmond International of London drew inspiration from the building’s Spanish Colonial/Mediterranean style and incorporates materials such as rattan, mahogany, and leather in the 318 rooms and suites. The renovation is part of an extensive improvement plan that began in 2013 and upgraded the resort’s restaurants, lobby, common spaces, pool, and health club.
Chef Michelle Bernstein has opened a new restaurant in her former, beloved Michy’s space. CENA by Michy debuted in early May after a renovation that included literally raising the roof as well as moving the bar to the front of the restaurant. The exposed wooden beams, terrazzo floors, and a white color palette give the restaurant a rustic look. The interior seats 62, and another 62 can be seated on the back patio. The Mediterranean cuisine features dishes such as sweetbread tacos, roasted sunchokes with smoked almonds, and snapper Moqueca.
Kuro, a Japanese restaurant, debuted at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in March. The restaurant features an open dining room overlooking the resort’s pool, as well as a chef’s table, a sushi bar, two private dining rooms, and outside seating. The entire venue seats 240. David Mexico Design Group designed the space, which includes an entrance wall comprised of 100,000 sea shells, and chandeliers that resemble floating jellyfish.
The 235-room Aloft South Beach from Starwood opened in late May. The converted 1950s-era Art Deco motel on Collins Avenue preserves the building’s distinctive exterior architectural elements while updating the interior for modern needs. The property has 1,500 square feet of indoor meeting space as well as 5,000 feet of outdoor event space split between the ground-floor Splash pool deck and the third-floor Plunge pool deck. The hotel’s restaurant, Continental Miami, is the first Florida outpost of the Continental concept from Starr Restaurants. Guests can also gather at the W Xyz bar and Re:mix lounge.
Turnberry Isle Miami welcomed a new restaurant, Corsair by Scott Conant, in March. The menu features rustic Mediterranean dishes such as house-made pastas as well as grilled octopus, balsamic lacquered duck, and bar snacks like oyster and a chicken liver and foie gras pâté. The 5,400-square-foot space, designed by New York-based Meyer Davis Studio, includes the signature design element in its arrivals space: an illuminated wine display. Other design features include Moroccan tiles, tufted banquettes, an open kitchen, and a living-room style lounge complete with its own library. The main dining room seats 100; a private dining room separated by translucent glass sliding doors has both indoor and outdoor space and seats 38. Outside, a 1,400 square-foot terrace has custom outdoor furniture and offers views of the golf course and a newly refinished waterfall feature.
Naples Grande Beach Resort, an independent property following a conversion from Waldorf-Astoria Naples, finished an $18 million renovation in January that redesigned its 424 tower guestrooms and suites, three restaurants, beach and pool areas, and common spaces. The property, which also has 83,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space, was designed with a “coastal contemporary” vibe. Now the resort is undertaking a renovation of its golf course, which will include building a new, 13,500-square-foot clubhouse that is expected to be finished in early 2016.
The Peruvian restaurant Coya—already established in London—opened its first United States location in Brickell in February. The main dining room features Incan-inspired design as well as a central ceviche counter and Robata grill that nod to the Japanese influences on the country’s cuisine. The space also has a terrace landscaped with oversize plants. In addition to the restaurant, the venue also includes a Pisco bar, a members-only lounge, and a gallery of art called the Coya Collective.
Domino, a 10,000-square-foot barge, is newly available as an event space from Delta Powerboats Americas. The three-story glass and steel enclosed barge comes with a full kitchen, bathrooms, V.I.P. lounges, a bar, conference rooms, a theater room, and balconies. It can hold 221 people for reception-style events, and can be docked or can sit out on the water.
New to downtown Miami this summer is the 126-guest room Langford Hotel, a boutique property preparing to open soon. The 12-story property—once the Miami National Bank building—has been designated a historic landmark by the National Register of Historic Places. After a renovation, the hotel will include a new restaurant, PB Station, by the popular Pubbelly Restaurant Group, as well as a rooftop lounge called Pawn Broker that will hold 150 for receptions. There also will be a two-story, 1,400-square-foot penthouse.
Soho Bay—a Brazil-based chain of Japanese restaurants—opened in Miami Beach in April. The 180-seat restaurant has floor-to-ceiling glass windows that offer views of the Intracoastal Waterway. Outdoor dining on a patio is available. The menu focuses on sushi and sashimi, with a bar program featuring several varieties of sake and cocktails made with molecular science techniques.
Owners of the chic Bistrot Bagatelle have expanded their empire with Villa Bagatelle, a boutique hotel in South Beach that opened in June. Designed by Callin Fortis of Big Time Design Studios in a French Mediterranean style, the property has 31 guest rooms, a rooftop pool, and other amenities. For events, groups can book the Presidential Suite, which spans nearly 2,800 square feet including a balcony. It holds 50 people for receptions or banquets or seats 24 guests conference-style. The Bagatelle Garden, a landscaped courtyard, holds 150 for receptions or seats for 75 banquet-style. The 7,000-square-foot rooftop terrace holds 225 guests for receptions.
Hyde Beach Kitchen and Cocktails, a massive new oceanside entertainment venue in Hallandale Beach, is scheduled to open at the end of August. The 10,000-square-foot space from SBE spans three floors. The first floor has casual dining and a spa; the second floor features a patio restaurant serving contemporary American cuisine from chef Danny Elmaleh; and the third floor has a pool and lounge, cabanas, and meeting space. The venue also has multiple full bars, a sound system, and a DJ input. The space holds 300 guests for receptions.
Part of the National Register of Historic Places, Miami Beach Women’s Club opened as an event space in the Collins Park neighborhood in May. The Mediterranean Revival style venue, operated by the South Beach Hotel Group, offers 3,500 square feet indoors and 1,500 square feet outdoors and seats 80 guests banquet-style with a dance floor or 100 theater-style. Amenities include a large stage in the main room as well as in-house audiovisual equipment, rentals, a full catering kitchen, and valet.
From famed Colombian chef Juan Manuel Barrientos comes Elcielo, his first restaurant in the United States following locations in Medellin and Bogota. The telegenic Barrientos—he hosts The Taste Colombia—interprets Colombian cuisine through modern techniques intended to stimulate the senses. Dishes include “Crabrûlée,” a savory take on the dessert, and a panna cotta shaped into a hard-boiled egg with a liquid passion fruit “yolk.” The sleek-looking eatery seats 60 inside and has a private dining room for 30 guests. Outside, the upper terrace seats 130, while a covered outdoor space seats 90. The lower terrace is available for receptions or as a display area large enough to showcase cars. The restaurant, located along the Miami River in Brickell, offers deep-water dockage and valet for as many as 60 cars. It opened in January.
Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami opened at 16th Street and Collins Avenue in June. The 105-room hotel, a new lifestyle brand from Hyatt, has a third-floor pool deck with cabanas, a Spanish-Mediterranean restaurant called Deck Sixteen, and a 600-square-foot meeting room. The 10-story glass tower, designed by architect Kobi Karp, blends the area’s Art Deco history into a modern look.
Primrose South Beach, the new restaurant at the Stiles Hotel, serves a mix of French, Asian, and American cuisine. The space offers a main dining room, alfresco seating on Collins Avenue, and outdoor dining overlooking the hotel’s pool. The dining room mixes rustic touches such as a wall covered in wide-plank wood with chic copper-colored banquettes. It seats about 60 guests.
As part of an ongoing, multimillion-dollar renovation, Hawks Cay Resort in the Florida Keys has renovated its meeting space. Following a gut renovation of three smaller meeting rooms, the resort created the Dolphin Ballroom. It features new carpet, wall coverings, audiovisual from PSAV, natural light, and water views. The space seats 400 at rounds or 600 theater-style. Other changes at the 60-acre property include converting its Ocean restaurant into a dedicated space for events, and a new 250-seat restaurant, Angler & Ale, that is slated to open in January.
Following turns as a nightclub and photography studio, the Paris Theater in South Beach reopened as an event space June 1. The luxe venue features opulent chandeliers, gilded mirrors, and extensive draping. It seats 200 on the lower level and has an upper level that seats 80 or can be used as a lounge area. Overall the theater holds 1,100 for receptions. The venue retained its stage and offers basic sound, light, and LED capabilities for events.
A former warehouse in Wynwood was converted into Social Hall, a bar and event space from Concrete Beach Brewery that debuted in late May. The venue is attached to the two-story craft brewery and serves its beers in the hall. Guests can view the brewery tanks through large glass windows. The space features a circular indoor-outdoor bar as well as communal tables and holds nearly 150 people for receptions.
A nondescript access shaft leads to Libertine, a new bar downtown with a comprehensive mixology program. The space, designed by Thrilwall Design, is intended to evoke a sense of glamorous decay and features a DJ booth fashioned from a repurposed baby grand piano. The floor is covered in thousands of pennies that are arranged by finish to create a pattern. The bar, which opened in June, is available for buyout and holds 150 people.
Morimoto Asia, a collaboration between Iron Chef star Masaharu Morimoto and Patina Restaurant Group, opened in late September at Disney Springs. The two-story, 11,000-square-foot restaurant has a contemporary design, with cascading glass-beaded chandeliers and glass mosaic artwork based on ancient Japanese prints. There is seating for 474 people at the restaurant, which includes the main dining room, two patios, and a private dining room that seats 36. A lounge and sushi bar on the second floor can be reserved for semiprivate events. In addition to sushi, the menu includes a variety of pan-Asian fare such as Peking duck and moo shu pork and dim sum during weekend brunch.
Within walking distance of the Orange County Convention Center, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse has multiple spaces for private dining. The Grand Cru room, with wood-paneled walls and contemporary lighting, seats 90 or holds 110 for receptions. It can also be divided into two rooms. Also on the main floor is the Executive Room, which seats 28 people. Upstairs, the Eagle’s Nest is a smaller room that seats 10. The level also has a large lounge and a covered patio that together seat 130 people or hold 200 for receptions. The main dining room can also be reserved for seated events of 210 people. All of the private rooms have audiovisual equipment. The restaurant opened in mid-August.
The much-anticipated Orlando Eye opened in May as the most prominent attraction at the I-Drive 360 entertainment, dining, and retail complex. The 400-foot-tall observation wheel is similar to the London Eye, and both are owned by Merlin Entertainments. The attraction has 30 air-conditioned capsules that each hold 15 people for a 20-minute ride that provides views of Central Florida in all directions. Private groups can rent one or more capsules for events. In addition, a hospitality room located on ground level holds 100 people for pre- or post-ride receptions. Larger groups can also buy out the terminal building and outdoor courtyard, creating a venue for as many as 2,500 people for receptions or 1,400 for a sit-down meal.
Adjacent to the Orlando Eye is Madame Tussauds Orlando, which opened in May. The 25,000-square-foot museum has dozens of lifelike wax statues of historical figures and celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Jimmy Fallon, Derek Jeter, Abraham Lincoln, Pitbull, and more. The attraction is available for buyout and holds 400 people for receptions.
The Boathouse opened in mid-April as the first new restaurant at Disney Springs, the dining, shopping, and entertainment complex that was formerly known as Downtown Disney. Managed by Gibsons Restaurant Group, the Boathouse is a 24,000-square-foot waterfront restaurant serving steaks, chops, and seafood. The restaurant seats 400 people inside and 200 on a patio. Two adjoining private dining rooms seat 50 people each or can be combined for a larger group. The Boathouse also has a 40-foot Italian water taxi that can be used for private events on Lake Buena Vista for as many as 16 people, and it offers guided rides in vintage amphicars that seat three guests.
Tin Roof is part of a Nashville-based chain of casual live music venues. It opened at I-Drive 360 in early January. The 5,000-square-foot venue has a small stage that hosts live music nightly, varying from rock to alternative to country. The restaurant and bar space seats 155 people inside and 55 on a patio. The menu leans toward Southern-inspired cuisine, including shrimp and grits, baby back ribs, and a fried chicken sandwich, but also offers lighter fare such as an ahi tuna salad and a smoked salmon sandwich. The restaurant is available for buyouts and accommodates 360 people for receptions.
Memphis-based Lafayette’s opened at Pointe Orlando in July, making it the brand’s first location outside Tennessee. The venue is available for buyouts and seats 376 or holds 700 for receptions. There are also three semiprivate rooms, which seat 60 people or hold 80 for receptions. Private groups can also use the restaurant’s patios, which each seat about 50 people. The restaurant serves Southern fare such as po’ boy sandwiches, shrimp and grits, and beignets and offers live music nightly.
Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center has redesigned and renamed the restaurant in the hotel’s Key West atrium. What was once Sunset Sam’s reopened in May as Moor, serving regionally inspired dishes with a focus on fresh seafood. The former restaurant’s signature 60-foot sailboat remains, but the rest of the decor is new, with neutral furnishings and multiple wood tones giving it an upscale, nautical feel. The restaurant seats 300 people or holds 700 for receptions. Various sections can be used for semiprivate events, and there is a private dining room for 28 people.
Itta Bena, a new speakeasy-style upscale restaurant at Pointe Orlando, is the second location for the Memphis-based concept. The 4,700-square-foot restaurant is available for buyouts and holds 250 people for receptions. For a seated event, there is room for 160 people inside and 32 on the patio. Smaller groups can use a private dining room that seats 40 or holds 48 for receptions. The menu is focused on contemporary Southern cuisine from the Mississippi Delta region, including she-crab soup and sautéed shrimp over sweet potato grits. The restaurant opened in July.
Wood accents, exposed brick, and a large central bar create a warm atmosphere at Slate, which opened in June on Sand Lake Road. The restaurant, developed by Atlanta-based Concentrics Restaurants, serves handmade pastas, burgers, fish, salads, and pizzas all prepared in an open kitchen. The 4,500-square-foot restaurant seats 160 people. Two exterior walls are made of sliding glass doors that can be opened in nice weather. It’s open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.
