It looks like there’s a Waldorf Astoria coming to Miami. The hotel will only open way down the line and details are still limited, though as a Miami resident I found this news to be interesting, given the type of development we’re talking about.
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Waldorf Astoria hotel & residences Miami
The Waldorf Astoria Miami has been announced, and it will be the tallest building in Florida. The building will be 1,049 feet tall and 100 stories, making it the tallest building in all of Florida. It will be located in downtown Miami, off Biscayne Boulevard.
Rendering of Waldorf Astoria Miami
The mega-development will feature both residences and hotel rooms:
- There will be 205 hotel rooms, on floors 7-16 and 26-31
- There will be 360 residences on floors 40-100
While details about the hotel are limited as of now, we do have some details on the residences:
- Residences will be anywhere from one to four bedrooms, ranging in size from around 500 square feet to around 3,500 square feet
- Residences will start at $1 million, and will cost anywhere from $1,100 to $2,500 per square foot (ouch)
Rendering of Waldorf Astoria Miami residences
The building has been designed by architect Carlos Ott, and has a pretty cool design featuring nine stacked glass cubes that are offset.
The two acre lot on which the property will be built was purchased by developers in 2014 for $80 million.
While pre-sales of residences have now started, it’s anyone’s guess when construction will actually start, and for that matter when the hotel and residences will open. I’d be shocked if this building is finished before 2025 at the earliest, given that we’re talking about a 100-story structure.
My general take on this project
I’m obviously no expert when it comes to real estate development. Nonetheless I’ll share my take, both as a Miami resident and as someone who has been watching the hotel space in Miami pretty closely.
First of all, the location of this project has little appeal to me, personally. The Waldorf Astoria Miami will be in downtown just off Biscayne Boulevard. Yes, this is a central location in the sense that it’s close to Brickell, the cruise port, and the Design District, and not far from Miami Beach.
However, the area immediately around this isn’t very appealing to me. You’re right next to the (soon to be renamed) American Airlines Arena, and this isn’t even directly on the water, as you’re on the “other” side of Biscayne Boulevard.
From a hotel perspective, if you’re coming to Miami for vacation, you’re going to have to take a car just about everywhere from this hotel (then again, that’s the case in much of Miami).
In general in Miami we’re just seeing an incredible number of new luxury developments, and they’re all luxury “name brands” just trying to cash in on their brand. From Missoni, to Aman, to Aston Martin, the new developments are endless. Next thing you know there’s going to be a Wolfgang Puck building.
There are Aman residences coming to Miami
Bottom line
It looks like there’s eventually going to be a Waldorf Astoria coming to Miami, which will nicely expand Hilton’s luxury portfolio in Miami.
It seems pretty certain that this hotel will actually be branded as a Waldorf Astoria, given that the residences are being branded as such. However, it’s anyone’s guess when construction will actually start and when the hotel will open. At 1,000+ feet in height, the building will be hard to miss.
Anyone care to guess if/when the Waldorf Astoria Miami will open?
If you spend time in London you will see the aberrations and carbuncles that are the fruit of modern architecture there. What a hideous mess!
Too bad Miami has opened the skyline to such visual garbage...
Any one heard of 150 mph winds in hurricane, what are winds at 1,000 ft up???
Can a building that tall withstand it?
We agree with Brian about living on Brickell, he is absolutely correct.
The other assumptions we hold as well, hurricanes and such.
We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhatten NYC with a view of that 88 story residential building, which from our room looked to be like a toothpick in the middle of a city, too skinny.
Recently we read of many try to sell their very expensive condos due to many malfunctions within...
We agree with Brian about living on Brickell, he is absolutely correct.
The other assumptions we hold as well, hurricanes and such.
We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhatten NYC with a view of that 88 story residential building, which from our room looked to be like a toothpick in the middle of a city, too skinny.
Recently we read of many try to sell their very expensive condos due to many malfunctions within the building.
Not sure what will happen to Miami if it goes the NYC way, and how it will be in the future.
Architects who design crap like this should be removed from the profession. What a hideous building, absolutely no style or taste involved.
@Robert D, "I often check the “notify me of follow-up comments by email below”. It has been at least 3 years since that checking that box has actually resulted in any notifications. Why is it still there??"
Apparently, the same level of attention is being given to that as to the five month old:
"Reminder: OMAAT comments are changing soon. Register here to save your space."
These stacked/offset buildings are going up everywhere now. We even have one (maybe two?) in Seattle now. These buildings are gonna look really dated in a few years.
Unrelated topic.....I often check the "notify me of follow-up comments by email below". It has been at least 3 years since that checking that box has actually resulted in any notifications. Why is it still there??
I wonder what wind speeds are during a cat 5 , 100 floors up in a building with a floating foundation ( as all those downtown buildings are)? They’re already planning to raise streets on South Beach and Brickell, but it’s a losing battle. Maybe that’s the real plan: thanks to global warming, only the top 20 floors will be above water after Greenland’s glaciers melt and the building will be accessible by ship from Orlando, a new coastal city?
Looks almost identical to the twin towers in Moscow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Capitals
Not likely this is getting built. Projects like these take too long to finish and unfortunately the current real estate bubble will likely burst before this is completed. It starting to look like 2008 again.
More like "31 story" Waldorf-Astoria hotel, not 100 stories. Doesn't sound like any hotel rooms are above the 31st floor.
And, because, Miami, there will be no consideration or planning as to fixing the abysmal traffic flow and urban planning needed to accommodate this monstrosity. Just plop it down there and hope for the best!
I’m sorry, but what is going to happen to all these skyscrapers in Miami that is already eroding due to climate change and then a cataclysmic category 5 hurricane hitting the city - because it will happen eventually.
We've got a 700ft "Jenga Building" in Austin too. It was completed in 2019. It must just be a current, albeit unoriginal trend.
As for a 100 floor building being thrown up in Miami as RE prices are skyrocketing everywhere to ridiculous levels... well that all just seems really 2008-y to me. Good luck to the developers.
@Ben, but you can have all that while living actually on the beach, be it Key Biscayne or Miami Beach (well, north of Miami Beach, a little away from the mobs).
Hate to sound negative, but here goes: what was the architect thinking? The idea of a 100-story building in Miami is compelling (and probably somewhat overdue). But this thing looks like a child's pile of blocks. Ugggggggly as hell.
What a shame, a building like this has so much potential to be a showplace of style and beauty.
@ Santastico, You wouldn't want to live *in any building* in coastal Florida, when a hurricane is on the way.
1000 ft and 100 stories? What is it, 1920? More like 50 stories these days. People expect higher ceilings especially in luxury spaces.
Not sure I would like to live in the penthouse when a hurricane is on the way.
Have to develop fantastic public transportation and bike lanes and paths. If the lanes are safe. People will use them!!! Young/old/rich/poor. Be creative Miami
I was shocked he is not the same architect behind the "Jenga building" in NYC. Thought for sure it had to be him. I guess misaligned buildings are all the rage these days?
“ Residences will start at $1 million, and will cost anywhere from $1,100 to $2,500 per square foot (ouch)”
So, standard San Francisco (and Manhattan? idk) pricing.
As many have noted, these aren’t priced/meant for locals, or people from the flyover states.
Joe’s going to raise upper income taxes. You can’t escape Uncle Sam’s tax man, but moving puts you out of reach of NY’s & CA’s.
What's the point is living in Miami if you're in an area without beach?
@ James S -- As someone who chooses to live in Miami and doesn't like the beach, here's my take on that:
https://onemileatatime.com/picking-place-to-live/
Hope they did wind tests on that design of that scale!
Building that on that soft unstable sandy soil lol from an engineering perspective that'll be a lot of fun to watch a documentary on...not so much for the engineers involved. Oh and let’s see how it will hold up to a cat 5 hurricane. Architects can dream up anything they want but the engineers have to bring it to life...that’ll be the fascinating part.
Any flight path concerns?
I want to live on the 100th floor.
How long before we are asked for a taxpayer bailout as Miami sinks, the ocean rises, and severe storms become routine? Continuing to build there is irresponsible. Already, the amount of flooding now compared to when I lived there 30 years ago is stunning.
I usually don't mind US spelling, but this...
If you want the whole story,
"100-storey Waldorf Astoria"
does look better than
"a 100-fairy tale Waldorf Astoria"...
Still looks like a Conrad
A 100-storey building? Or does it have a story to it?
That building is hideous!
As a Hilton Honors Diamond member — pass
Boy, what an ugly building
For 2 years I lived in a then brand new 50-story high rise in Brickell section of Miami where the bottom 20 floors were a luxury hotel.
The building was beautiful. The views were wonderful. But actually living there was miserable.
The roads aren’t big enough to handle the traffic with all those people living in the high rises. The drawbridge(s) are like a wrecking ball to traffic. Many of the buildings are valet only...
For 2 years I lived in a then brand new 50-story high rise in Brickell section of Miami where the bottom 20 floors were a luxury hotel.
The building was beautiful. The views were wonderful. But actually living there was miserable.
The roads aren’t big enough to handle the traffic with all those people living in the high rises. The drawbridge(s) are like a wrecking ball to traffic. Many of the buildings are valet only and that’s a disaster. Trust me. Any time there’s substantial rain, which is not rare, parts of the city flood (especially Miami Beach). The cable/internet was always going out and it sometimes took a week to fix.
My advice on Miami downtown (aka high rise living) is visit don’t stay. Tho since most of these apartments will likely be owned by offshore people parking/hiding/laundering money that’s probably the case anyway.
My entire floor of condos was sold out but there were places that didn’t get used for 6-8 months on end. Welcome to Miami.
Great addition to our skyline! They have taken a solid number of reservations already and prices are actually reasonable compared to other luxury buildings. Groundbreaking planned for early 2022 and completion for 2025. Don’t bet on that schedule ....we are still in Miami. Probably quicker than BER though ...:))
There’s no way to finish the FOUNDATION before 2025 given that soil condition.
At least if it’s a tall building only the lower floors are going to be underwater before you pay of your mortgage.