The Great Miami Expansion: A City in Flux

A closer look at the cranes, chaos, and quiet forces changing Miami.

It’s summer in Miami, and Pura Vida has cleared out faster than your WhatsApp groups on the last day of school.

Miami is in a state of flux.

The city is somewhere in between the before and the after, and your perspective determines whether this moment feels like a renaissance or a reckoning.

Either way, here are the facts:

Miami Hotels: Luxury Boutique Hotels 3.0

Miami’s real economy, hospitality and real estate, is in full renovation mode. Nearly every major hotel on the beach is getting a face lift. This level of investment signals belief in the long-term story. If hospitality is Miami’s heartbeat, consider this a citywide transplant.

Total Renovations In Progress:

• Raleigh – Full rebuild by Shvo, Rosewood, & Peter Marino.

• Aman – Top-to-bottom rework by Aman & Kengo Kuma.

• Shore Club – Major redo by Witkoff, Auberge Resorts, & Robert Stern.

• Delano – Reimagined by Cain & Ennismore.

• SLS – Rebuilding with Ennismore.

• Bulgari – Entirely redone by LVMH.

• The Standard – Major overhaul from Barry Sternlicht, Peter Thiel, Marcello Claure, & Bjarke Ingels.

• Deuxville Hotel – Reinvented by Terra/David Martin and Meruelo family.

• Maison Felix - Zibi Brothers bring French Style to North Beach.

• Ritz Carlton/Sagamore South Beach, Mandarin Brickell Key, Gates, Fasano, Casa Cipriani, Thompson South Beach, LPM Hotel South of Fifth, Grand Hyatt Convention Center, and The Sunny (Sunny Isles) – All undergoing full transformations.

Upgrades Coming Soon:

• The W – Purchased by the Reuben Brothers, undergoing a major refresh.

• Le Particular – Former Seaspray Hotel being thoughtfully upgraded.

Recently Completed:

• Fontainebleau – Opened new bridge-connected conference center.

• Shelborne – Relaunched under Proper Hotels.

• Andaz – Opening process underway with Hyatt and José Andrés.

• The Setai – Debuted new restaurant, Japon (and killer brunch).

• The Moore – 10 boutique hotel rooms in the Design District.

Still Waiting:

• The Eden Roc/Nobu Hotel – Please. Someone. Give us a better Nobu.

The Great Restaurant Overbuild

Here’s where things get tricky. The supply of full-service restaurants in Miami is beyond saturated. It’s not just a bubble, it’s a buffet line with no end in sight.

Cities like New York and London can support their restaurant ecosystems because they have density. Miami? Not so much.

• New York: 29,303 people/sq mile

• London: 14,700 people/sq mile

• Miami: 4,744 people/sq mile

Tourism helps, but even here the numbers tell a story:

• NYC: 60–65 million visitors/year

• Miami: 28 million (yes, that’s impressive, but remember it’s concentrated through seasonality, 6 months on, 6 months off)

While demand has grown, it hasn't kept pace with the rate of new openings. Why the imbalance?