A signature Miami luxury hotel is closing and will be replaced by two new towers
One of Miami’s top luxury hotels for more than two decades is closing next year and will be demolished to make way for a pair of new resort and condo towers.
The Mandarin Oriental on Brickell Key will close May 31, 2025. When it reopens in 2030, the resort will have a different look and vibe, catering more to long-term stays. It’ll be called the Mandarin Oriental, Miami and The Residences at Mandarin Oriental.
The south tower will have 228 residences and the north tower will have 66 residences. The new complex will also include a new Mandarin Oriental hotel, with 121 guest rooms and 34 suites, 28 hotel residences, a spa and several restaurants.
Mandarin is partnering with Swire Properties, the Hong Kong developer that built Brickell City Center. Swire disclosed plans for the new towers in 2023.
“For 25 years, Mandarin Oriental, Miami has been a beloved part of this vibrant city,” Genreal Manager Flavia Daudan-Caponi said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to our guests, colleagues and the Miami community for their loyalty and support.”
Over the years, the hotel has drawn celebrities including Will Smith and Chrissy Teigen. It was known for having Peruvian tapas and ceviche restaurant La Mar, led by famed chef Gaston Acurio, and for its signature restaurant Azul, once helmed by Miami celebrity chef Michelle Bernstein. Azul closed in 2019.
But the luxury hotel itself has kept going.
This year, the Mandarin Oriental received one Michelin key, one of 10 hotels in Miami-Dade County to get the honor in the French guide’s debut ratings of hotels. Michelin had previously long been watched for its assessment of restaurants. The hotel spa got five stars, the maximum, in Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards.
The Mandarin Oriental, Miami declined to make an executive available for an interview with the Miami Herald. The hotel also did not provide any additional information on construction.
High-end hotels have been moving toward the hybrid housing model for decades. The Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne was among the first to build a block of private condos alongside hotel rooms. The Four Seasons hotel has a similar set-up. And The Gale Miami Hotel and Residences opened earlier in the year.
Hotel demolitions also have been part of the South Florida cityscape in recent years, including the Deauville in Miami Beach and Dupont Plaza in downtown Miami. Next up could be the Hyatt Regency in Brickell at the mouth of the Miami River.
The Mandarin Oriental has 326 guest rooms and suites in its current form. The hotel opened in 2000.
The hotel’s spa license was temporarily suspended in August. That was due to a lack of designated establishment manager, per the Florida Department of Health’s suspension order, the Miami Herald reported at the time.
This story was originally published December 20, 2024 at 5:02 PM.