Dec. 06–The operators of the iconic Raleigh and glitzy SLS South Beach have a new addition in the neighborhood: The Redbury, an East Coast outpost of the Hollywood hotel.
Officially open since Dec. 1, the 69-room boutique at 1776 Collins Avenue has a rock and roll vibe, with record players in every room and vinyl selections curated by Capitol Records. Lorenzo, the restaurant from James Beard Award-winning chef Tony Mantuano is also open on the main floor.
Room sizes in the former Fairfax hotel, which sat vacant for the last several years, are generous for South Beach. There’s a playful element to the look: While hallways have gray walls and floors, doors are painted in pops of bright color. Above the beds, walls are decorated with clustered photos of South Beach and posters from old concerts at the Fillmore Miami Beach.
Some final touches are still left to finish, and a library with a sitting area has not yet been completed.
A large rooftop deck includes a small pool, a tiny view of the ocean and plenty of unblocked light for sunbathers. Also in the picture: the hotel’s competition, including many new, recently revamped or currently remodeling properties.
“It keeps us on our toes and it drives more traffic,” said Thomas Meding, area vice president for Los Angeles-based sbe.
He said the hotels in sbe’s portfolio balance “friendly competition” with mutual support.
“Any guest, whatever they want, we have to offer between the three properties,” Meding said. Each hotel is in its own price range, separated by about $70, he said. And guests at one property have access to amenities at the others.
Boaz Ashbel, managing director of Coconut Grove investment banking firm Aztec Group, said that will come in handy, especially since the Redbury is on the west side of Collins Avenue.
“Obviously two of the properties are oceanfront, and The Redbury is not,” he said. “But you almost can market it as an oceanfront property because the guests at The Redbury have access to amenities and facilities of the Raleigh and the SLS across the street … and that gives you a tremendous advantage over other similar properties that don’t have that luxury.”
The hotel, which is majority owned by Levy Restaurants chairman Larry Levy and developer Bob Heyat, brought in sbe as the operator earlier this year. Earlier plans had called for the hotel to be called Hotel Lorenzo, but conversations with sbe representatives led the group to create to a South Beach version of The Redbury instead.
Lorenzo is the only restaurant affiliated with an sbe hotel that isn’t managed by the company. Levy Restaurants, which is the concessionaire at Marlins Park and AmericanAirlines Arena, is managing.
Levy said the rustic Italian menu features artisanal products and produce from local farmers. The rooftop eventually will have space for hydroponic farming, he said: “It’s rooftop to table, not farm to table.”
Levy said more than $15 million has gone into renovations at the U-shaped hotel.
“And every bit of it is visible,” he said. “It was demolished to the studs.”
While The Redbury is sbe’s third hotel in South Beach, more are in the works for South Florida. The company is partnering with Related Group for the SLS Hotel & Residences Brickell, a couple years away, and recently announced plans with Related for a new hotel and condo brand called Hyde.
Hyde Hotel & Residences Midtown Miami and Hyde Resort & Residences Hollywood Beach are both expected to be finished in 2016.
Suzanne Amaducci-Adams, head of the hospitality practice group at Bilzin Sumberg, said the company’s growth trajectory for hotels — from Los Angeles to Miami and, next year, Las Vegas and New York City — fits together because they are all entertainment centers.
“They’ve done a lot of growing in our market,” she said. “I think they’ve really been a big thing in L.A. for a long time, but they’ve made a big movement in the last several years to make a really big splash in Miami.”