Here's a look at new Miami/South Florida eateries, drinking spots, hotels, conference areas, private rooms, and other spaces available for events this fall. The new and renovated Miami/South Florida venues are available for corporate parties, weddings, fund-raisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, teambuilding activities, conferences, meetings, and more.
Coral Gables’ iconic Biltmore Hotel Miami marks a new era with $25 million in renovations that wrap up this fall. The years-long restoration features design by D’Shakil Designs and Studio 5 Design & Architecture, which updated the resort's 275 guest rooms and main lobby, which now features plush, peacock-hued furniture and trappings under its romantic archways. In addition, the property's 10,000-square-foot gym has new Technogym equipment and a Babor retail space within its Spa. The property's Donald Ross-designed golf course also will debut a restoration, overseen by golf course architect Brian Silva, that adds bunkers and extends the course length to more than 7,100 yards.
Brickell’s Four Seasons Hotel Miami has redesigned its sixth-floor function spaces, more than 10,000 square feet total, as well as the seventh-floor lobby. New York City design group Rockwell gave the spaces mid-century modern furnishings with tropical touches reflective of the nearby bay-like corals and deep blues. The largest space at the 221-room luxury hotel is the Grand Ballroom, which seats 450 guests for banquets or 528 for theater-style events.
European-based hospitality brand Generator has opened Generator Miami, its first stateside property in Miami Beach, located on Collins Avenue. While it does not have dedicated meeting space, the property features the portfolio's first pool and a cocktail-driven poolside bar in Driftway, which is available for events. There is also the Jim & Neesie restaurant and bar and an Asian-style, pillow-seated lobby area overlooking the pool.
Hawks Cay Resort reopened in August after a nearly yearlong hiatus as it dealt with damage from Hurricane Irma. After a $50 million renovation, the resort now has a new lobby, 177 revamped guest rooms, and Morris Lapidus-inspired public areas. There are also two new food and beverage concepts: Hawks Cay Marketplace, a casual eatery, and Sixty-one Prime, a steak house and seafood restaurant. The 60-acre property has the largest waterfront meeting space of any resort in the Florida Keys thanks to 20,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space that accommodates as many as 480 guests in the Dolphin Ballroom and 450 guests in the Overseas Ballroom. There is also an indoor waterfront meeting space, multiple outdoor venues, and a catamaran for private events.
Kimpton Angler’s Hotel South Beach has unveiled new refined and funky event spaces and 85 guest rooms in a new wing to the boutique property. The wing’s sixth floor added a rooftop pool, sundeck, and the Minnow Bar cocktail spot; the pool and deck combined can be used for reception-style events of 630 guests. Overall, the hotel has 132 guest rooms and nearly 19,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space.
Fort Lauderdale’s Shooters Waterfront is slated to unveil a new 6,000-square-foot private event space in November. The second-floor space will hold 175 people, suitable for holiday parties, meetings, or weddings. The largest of the three rooms, the Intracoastal Ballroom, divides into two separate rooms and flaunts floor-to-ceiling windows with unobstructed Intracoastal views. Adjacent to the ballroom is a 24-seat conference room, the Summit, and a 16-seat conference room called Papillon.
Gastronomic maestro Brad Kilgore and Kilgore Culinary are exploring new territory with Kaido, an Asian and Japanese-inspired cocktail lounge with small plates, crudos, and robatayaki that is set to open in Miami’s Design District in November. The space promises a second-floor lounge, a Funktion One sound system, and two distinct indoor and outdoor settings that will encompass 6,000 square feet once the restaurant component, Ember, is complete.
Golf, sport, and entertainment lovers have a new go-to in the recently opened Topgolf Miami Doral. The three-level, 65,000-square-foot venue is the company’s 45th location worldwide and second in the South Florida market. In addition to the neon-lit, point-scoring golf games, the Doral location offers big screen TVs, more than 100 climate-controlled hitting bays, and a rooftop terrace. For events, the venue's Signature Room measures 3,000 square feet and hold 250 guests. Full buyouts are available.
The Havana Cabana hotel brings the flair of old Cuba to Key West. And with only 90 miles standing between Key West and Cuba, it truly is the closest you can get to the island feel without touching its soil. The property boasts Key West’s largest pool as well as unique decor and food and beverage options: The pool area’s tiki hut is flanked by a vintage Airstream while the pool bar serves 25 versions of the mojito. The meeting space measures 500 square feet suited for groups of no more than 20 guests.
Upper Buena Vista, a newly built bohemian-esque enclave just north of the Design District, houses a bevy of freshly minted shops, eats, and creative ventures that cover 60,000 square feet. The niche area is anchored by Vista, a new restaurant by Italian chef and restaurateur Roberto Bearzi and his wife, Fiorella Blanco, of Fratelli Milano restaurant. The two-story haunt boosts an open air rooftop bar.
