Looking for a new venue for your next event? Here are the most anticipated Miami/South Florida restaurants, corporate event venues, hotels, conference centers, and party rooms slated to open in 2019. These new and renovated Miami/South Florida venues will accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, conferences, meetings, weddings, business dinners, teambuilding activities, cocktail parties, and more.
1. The controversial, guitar-shaped hotel tower at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, is expected to be finished in 2019. The property-wide $1.5 billion upgrades will also nearly double the casino offerings. The wild price tag includes a revamped Hard Rock Live entertainment venue, new restaurants, bars and lounges, 120,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, and a 41,000-square-foot spa.
2. After the $110 million renovation of Ocean Drive’s Park Central hotel, the property will reopen as Celino South Beach in February. The 132-room oceanfront hotel features three original Art Deco buildings and a new five-story atrium. A rooftop sun deck and glass bottom pool and ocean view library lead the event spaces. The property hired artist Mr. Brainwash to paint a 70-foot-tall mural in the atrium building that will be lit naturally through the rooftop glass-bottom pool: Expect it to be Instagram-worthy.
3. The international lauded Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant Osaka will make its North American debut in Miami when it opens in early 2019 in Brickell. Covering 5,000 square feet, the restaurant will feature a center ceviche and Nikkei bar as well as an outdoor terrace. Wooden floors, flowing water pools, and Feng Shui elements will distinguish the sleek design, while the menu will feature Nikkei Omakase platters, Izakaya-style dishes, and several varieties of ceviche.
4. Executive chef Hemant Mathur, the first Indian chef in the United States to be awarded a Michelin Star, and Rickshaw Hospitality Group will open Maska Indian Kitchen & Bar in early 2019. The 7,000-square-foot eatery in Midtown Miami will seat 120 guests within its indoor and outdoor areas. The menu will offer small plates, Maska Marke (from the tandoor and clay oven), and large plates.
5. In February, Hilton is converting the Hilton Key Largo Resort, renaming it Baker’s Cay Resort Key Largo, Curio Collection by Hilton. The property sits on 13 acres along the bay, boasting 17,000 square feet of meeting and event space, from ballrooms to boardrooms to beachfront space. Its signature restaurant Calusa will offer panoramic views, while a tiki bar, pool bar, and beachside eatery round out the food and beverage options.
6. Menin hospitality is slated to open the Gale Boutique Hotel & Residences Fort Lauderdale (formerly the Escape Hotel) just steps from the beach in early 2019. The property will have 96 rooms and 129 condo residences. The building’s MiMo architecture remains intact but there will be new additions like a rooftop sky deck and state-of-the-art upgrades to rooms with sleek Menin stylings.
7. Brad Kilgore’s sister concept to Kaido, Ember, is set to open in Design District in early 2019. Ember will sit below Kaido on the ground floor and contrast its sister’s Asian-inspired space as a contemporary “wood-fire American” concept. The open kitchen is set to plate grilled terrine with demi glace, watercress, and wasabi root vinaigrette within a clean, modern dining room. It will seat 130 guests.
8. Located on Knights Key in Marathon, Florida, Isla Bella Beach Resort is set to open in March. Backed by Pritam Singh and the Singh Company, the reimagined hotel will feature one mile of waterfront, as well as a 4,000-square-foot conference center called the Hibiscus Center, five pools, and a marina on its 24-acre lot. Overall, the resort will include 20,000 square feet of event space.
9. A sit-down spot with loads of Latin flair, La Placita officially opened on January 1. Situated off Biscayne Boulevard in Miami’s MiMo District, the restaurant can’t be missed—artist Hector Collazo painted a large Puerto Rican flag across the building’s exterior. The interior is brimming with island nods (think Goya cans and rainforest-inspired bathrooms), while the menu, helmed by Jose Mendin of Pubbelly fame, is a homage to his motherland (complete with a mofongo bar). Take a seat on the outdoor terrace or lounge inside; the entire venue seats 140.
10. The Cocktail Cartel (which recently worked on La Placita’s cocktail menu) is getting its own spot in Wynwood with Spanglish Cocktail Bar & Kitchen. The cocktail group is revamping the former Pride & Joy space and enlisted star chef Giorgio Rapicavoli to shape the food offerings. The space also will contain a bar-within-the-bar, which the Miami New Times reported will be called Grails Sports Bar. The dual locations are set to open this summer.
