Miami Beach has had plenty of great hotel openings lately—Thompson Miami Beach and 1 Hotel South Beach, to name a few—and the new developments aren't slowing down for October. Case in point: the San Francisco-based Commune Hotels & Resorts, which is opening its first Joie de Vivre brand property on the East Coast, The Hall on South Beach.
The 163-room property on 15th Street and Collins Avenue encompasses the renovation of architect L. Murray Dixon's Art Deco landmark, Haddon Hall. Designer Robert McKinley, of The Surf Lodge and Ruschmeyer’s, studied 1960s beach culture to establish The Hall's tropical modern feel, which is most obvious when looking at the room's Scott Rudin surfing photos. Top Chef star Spike Mendelsohn (of Good Stuff Eatery; We, The Pizza; Bearnaise) now helms Sunny’s, named after his grandfather. Guests can tuck into a grilled grouper “reuben” with Swiss cheese and sauerkraut or a Jersey Shore pork roll sandwich, with ham, egg, and root vegetables.
Jason Pomeranc’s Nautilus, a SIXTY Hotel, is also opening in October, and boasts its own impressive architectural bones. The 1950s Nautilus, on 18th Street and Collins Avenue, was designed by Morris Lapidus of Fontainebleau fame. The Nautilus décor features Sante D’Orazio photographs, and the bar Driftwood Room is pure High Beach atmosphere. Chef Alex Guamaschelli—an Iron Chef vet and author of Old-School Comfort Food—is heading the Nautilus Cabana Club, working with Chef de Cuisine Lucas Marino.
What's more, Miami Beach hotels are increasingly opening outside the pricy beachfront areas. In mid-Beach—on Indian Creek and 41st Street, the western end of Miami Beach—the new Lux Hotel is offering a boutique stay starting at $129 a night. The better news: guests can walk a few blocks over to one of the more opulent beachfront hotels, order a drink at the pool bar, and stroll the exact same beach. After all, if you’re paying $129 a night, you’ll have plenty of spending money for a big night out.
