The Hotel Of South Beach

Hotel description

When Tiffany the jeweler challenged Tiffany the 1939 hotel (re-opened in 1998) over the rights to its original name, it didn’t go down too well. The project was, after all, the baby of Tony Goldman—the developer responsible for South Beach’s chic makeover—and Todd Oldham, the official fashion designer of the young and hip. Though they did in the end lose the battle, the original Tiffany sign still looms defiantly over the building—a bit confusing for first-timers. But it’s not surprising that Goldman wanted to hang on to the name, for The Hotel is a SoBe gem, from the emerald shaped pool to its indoor palette of ruby, sapphire, and amethyst.

Youthful and quirky, stylish yet touchable, The Hotel is obviously not the work of an interior designer. Oldham has spent a career creating clothes that are cutting-edge, comfortable and colorful, and the same aesthetic applies to his hotel. The 48 bedrooms at The Hotel are cleverly divided into fashionista categories such as Designer and Couture and are funky and bright, decked out in colorful cotton quilted fabric. In the bathrooms there are hand air-brushed tiles, Kiehl’s bath products and great big shower heads to get that SoBe sand out of your hair. And in the lobby, the mosaic walls are modern and merry, and the crumpled lapis velvet banquettes are perfect for, in Oldham’s words, “slouching.”

The restaurant, Wish, continues to wow Miami with crispy skin yellow-eye snapper and goat cheese and roasted garlic tarts. But even without the restaurant, the Hotel is one of the coolest addresses and everyone on the nearby beach will know where you’re staying thanks to your signature blue and green towel.