A couple of weeks ago, I covered how the W South Beach, one of Miami Beach’s most well known hotels, will soon be closing for a renovation, and would no longer be affiliated with Marriott. At the time, I speculated that this would become a Waldorf Astoria, and that has now been confirmed and announced.
Continue reading: W Hotel South Beach Closing, Rebranding As Waldorf Astoria Miami Beach
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
If it is the same hotel , at the same location , with the same coconuts and fish , with a different name , how can it "move upmarket" ?
W is and has always been bad in the US. Total lack of service. You know, like all the so called 5 stars hotels in Las Vegas .... You can't compare to W in Asia and in Europe.... It's really another level. Bangkok, Barcelona and Taipei as my favorites.
W Hotel South Beach always seemed to have strong rates, but most of the non points big party quasi-luxury hotels down there seem to have had more buzz in recent years,
I hope Marriott figures out the W brand... I have liked many of the properties over the years, and some of the newer hotels seem like they are actually good (W Rome and W Algarve, for example).
The weather in Miami between June and October to me seems unpleasant - hot and humid. I can understand why some visit at other times when their own weather might be cold and dreary, but who is the target market for hotels in this area during the summer months?
Quite a few of the first- and second-generation W properties feel tired, both in concept and in their physical condition. The brand itself probably should be phased out because it remains trapped in the late-1990s and early-2000s version of "modern" that no longer feels particularly fresh or aspirational.
Legacy Starwood (much like legacy Marriott with Edition) believed the W concept would attract Generation X and Millennial travelers who had no interest in staying at their grandparents' St. Regis or Ritz-Carlton. But what once felt edgy and contemporary now often feels dated, making many W hotels seem like relics of a bygone era rather than trendsetters.
With respect to the W South Beach, Ii also doesn't help when nearby are Ritz-Carlton and Edition properties. It's rather duplicative to have both a W and an Edition right by each other.
I have on good authority that it's becoming a Waldorf. There's allegedly a hotel management agreement already in place with Hilton on it.
That W in particular has had a lot of mold issues but management was very secretive about it and never did anything to seriously address it so perhaps it finally got out of hand since Miami's inspectors are being more strict now after the Surfside Collape
Marriott does this some places, some times. Like, in Downtown NYC, there used to be a W, a Ritz-Carlton, and a Courtyard, all of which closed or become hotels under a different name/brand during the pandemic. Maybe that was a strategic retreat on Marriott’s part; or, the owners had enough of their operations. I feel for the residents who owned in those buildings because some say the level of care, maintenance, and amenities really diminished once the hotels stopped. Wonder what’ll happen in Miami Beach.
Mold? In Florida? By the beach? I’m shocked! Next, you’ll tell me there’s termites… and an issue with the AC! *gasp*
The Ritz-Carlton in New York that left the brand was a dump. Owners wouldn't renovate. It was a glorified Sheraton.
I worked there for 17 years…I did not know of any mold issues there, and I was in every area of that hotel everyday.
This will be the second move upmarket on this property. The W is a remodel of the old Holiday Inn. My grandparents had a condo in what is now the One Hotel next door when it was the Roney Plaza, so I spent a lot of the early '80s there.
It hot and humid in most places in the US during July and August. I would rather be hot and be by the pool and beach than be in my backyard. Hotel rates and flights during the summer are a steal too in Florida.
That Ritz in South Beach is awful and does not take away from potential guests, except unsuspecting first timers who don't look at reviews. The Edition and W are two very different vibes. The Edition is a little more luxury focused, more "boutique", and much more tranquil while the W is more see-and-be-seen, more trendy focused with house tracks by the pool, and a much larger operation.
Can confirm this is going to be a Waldorf and Major Food Group will be taking over the F&B.
One thing that many of the W hotels do is draw people to their bar/restaurant and other establishments which can be good and bad if you are a guest. I guess that was the case with this property and will not be the case going forward.
Not a fan of the “W” hotel brand. Paying more for less service simply because the decor is modern and the brand is “cool” just isn’t “cool” anymore.
This probably makes sense for the owner. No more elites to give breakfasts to since Hilton only offers a paltry F&B credit that often doesn't even cover the cost of breakfast.
I am, however, curious as to whether Hilton will manage the property. Marriott operated the W as legacy Starwood wouldn't franchise W. I believe Hilton manages all Waldorf Astoria properties but I'm not terribly sure. If Hilton is willing to franchise then I'm sure the management costs will be lower. On the whole, however, my impression is that Waldorf Astoria has marginally higher brand standards than a W.
i would have said that this makes more sense. Waldorfs are more stately old world like admiralty arch, Conrads are more sleek modern like W and Miami Beach, but what the owner wants, the owners gets. Hilton doesn't much care about brand image, they care about getting the property in
350 rooms is on the large size for WA. Curious what the room count is after the transformation. It's also sort of an old hotel design, wonder how that will shape up with the rebranding.
Thanks. Following the Hilton press release stating that it’s going to be a Waldorf Astoria, we really appreciate your confirmation that this is indeed the case.
Maybe. The Waldorf Astoria in New York City is actually disappointing, at least with respect to the actual rooms.