If Miami Beach wasn’t already one of the hottest hotel markets in the world, it just got a little hotter with Commune Hotels & Resorts announcing on Wednesday that the 380-room Thompson Miami Beach will open in the first week of December just in time for the big Art Basel event.
To differentiate itself in what is quickly becoming a very crowded market, Commune CEO Niki Leondakis exclusively told HOTELS Magazine that its beachfront entry at 40th and Collins Avenue will focus on F&B venues that will cater to locals. In fact, with numerous spaces on the property led by local iconic chef Michelle Bernstein, in partnership with KNR Hospitality Group’s Karim Masri and Nicola Siervo, F&B should account for more than 50% of the properties revenue. Leondakis added that the opening rooms will be around US$350 and settle in at US$400-450. “There is enough demand,” she said. “The location and our programming will command it.”
Leondakis acknowledged that is a lot of new hotel product coming into the Miami and Miami Beach markets, which is why Commune is consciously targeting the local community with its vast F&B offering. “It will be approachable from price standpoint, have Michelle’s Florida influences, and we will provide easy access for locals.”
The yet-to-be-named indoor-outdoor 267-seat classic brasserie will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, while also providing poolside and bar service, as well as in-room dining and on-site catering in 47,000 square feet of venue space. The focus will be on locally-sourced food from both the land and sea.
In fact, Bernstein and KNR will develop multiple F&B concepts across the property, including an intimate Library Bar in an historic 1920’s house with a crudo bar and an adjacent lounge for the electric late-night crowd.
The property, most recently an apartment building, was acquired by John Pritzker’s Geolo Capital for US$100 million in late 2012 and has slowly been repurposed with a multi-million dollar renovation led by designer Martin Brudnizki in collaboration with Kobi Karp Architects. Commune is preserving the building’s original art deco features and 1950s architecture to exude casual glamour with bohemian flare. Guestrooms and suites will blend beach-inspired accommodations and mid-century, international resort style.
The Thompson Miami Beach will feature two indoor/outdoor restaurants, two pools, a spa with six treatment rooms, a fitness center, lush tropical gardens and lounges with ocean views.
Looking ahead, Leondakis said Commune has three additional Thompson hotels under development, as well as two Tommie hotels in New York and four Joie de Vivre properties in the pipeline.