I was invited to a behind the scenes sneak peek at the glorious new Thompson Miami Beach, and it looks amazing – even under construction.
Address: 1685 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Under Construction
In connection with a luxury hotel conference I attended in Miami’s South Beach, I was invited to see a sneak peek of the coming Thompson Miami Beach. On the private tour, I was given access to the lobby, a guest room, some public spaces, a restaurant, and the rooftop pool deck. Prior versions included images no longer available.
It should be crystal clear that this was an active work site and, of course, the hotel is not yet ready. I’m sharing the construction photos as I saw them, but will also utilize publicly available photos from Thompson’s own site to demonstrate its final vision. I was impressed by just how closely the actual examples were to the renderings as sometimes things don’t go as planned.
The Thompson Miami Beach is set to open as a Hyatt Privé property in August or September, official bookings can be made for stays beginning October 1st, 2025 and beyond.
Hotel Lobby
Upon entering a pair of very high wooden doors with a custom handle, natural features with mid-century modern furnishings will greet guests. To the left is the reception desk, an imposing structure backed by slate and lights.
The lobby will be filled with lots of seating to create a sense of community, bustle, and the hope of the hotel staff is that people utilize it fully, rather than a stopping off point or waiting for airport transportation.
A bar was staffed on my visit, but I declined. A fireplace will warm up the environment aesthetically.
Behind the reception desk, an impressive hallway representing sound waves before twin lifts take guests to their rooms, the fitness center, and rooftop amenities.
The floor I visited was the only one that will be painted with a dark red shade, and this was the floor with the show room ready.
Beautiful Lead-In Rooms, Great Outdoor Space
We entered a king room and it’s a little update on the standard American hotel rectangle. Still, the bathroom was to the right, the tv, desk, minibar and wardrobe along the left wall, and the bed and seating to the right.
The balcony is one of the most interesting features of the hotel. Each of the rooms has outdoor space facing either Washington, the Miami Beach Convention Center, or a partial ocean view and Collins Avenue. The balconies will have loungers, and lots of greenery providing privacy along with a separating waist-high wall.
One really beautiful design element visible from the balconies are the wave patterns above from other balconies. The paint and coloring might have been affected by cloud cover during my visit, or treatment on the artist rendering. 
Indoor/Outdoor Dining
All the way upstairs, the hotel will offer a few amenities. An open-concept kitchen will serve diners inside as well as outside in a covered space with open air breezes. A large atrium in the center of the hotel is viewable from several floors as well as the roof. 
Amazing Pool Deck, View
The pool deck will host morning yoga classes included in the destination fee. An alternative location is in the fitness center, purpose-built with enough open space to allow classes indoors on mornings with inclement weather.
The pool deck is outstanding. Views all the way to the sea, as well as long Collins Avenue give a real sense of a classic Miami Beach property even a couple of blocks back from the water. A handful of cabanas will be at the end of the pool. There’s also an outdoor bar area with event space and natural elements.
Opening Soon
One element that can’t be overshadowed is just how proud, knowledgeable, and competent the staff with whom I interacted were. Despite being outside of his scope, the Director of Rooms was incredibly informed not just around the accommodations, but down to the details of the atrium’s greenery, the elements of the pool deck, and the history of South Beach’s Collins Avenue. The property has a ways to go in some places, but in the areas I have seen that were finished, it looks like the hotel is delivering on its vision. I look forward to staying on the property when it opens. While Live And Let’s Fly doesn’t typically showcase properties before opening, this was a unique chance to share.
What do you think?
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The staff might have seemed competent, but the hotel is still located in Miami. The service culture in Miami just isn’t good. Indifference, poor maintenance, and general rudeness will rule the roost. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, people will continue to go there and spend whatever price they ask.
Indeed. Miami just doesn’t make sense to me…but I suppose most people say that about LA too.
Interesting. I find LA to have one of the better level of services at hotels and restaurants in the U.S. Far better than in NYC or Miami. San Francisco however really lacks. Much of that I think due to an inability to attract any workers to the city given outrageously high living costs. Sure, LA is also expensive to live in, but there are lower cost options within reasonable distance.
Agree with Jerry though, Miami is a hot mess when it comes to service. I will bet the staff giving the tour to Kyle are all the opening management team brought in by Thompson. After a few months and local recruiting is done they will move on to another property.
As a former Angelino, and an unabashed defender of LA, I’m biased. I’ll admit that. But LA and Miami are very different. To me, the big difference is that being a hard working guy squarely in the middle class in LA is totally fine. You might have rich friends, but I honestly don’t believe they flaunt it the way Miamians are inclined to do. In Miami, $60K means you behave like a billionaire, and your value as a human is determined by people’s perception of your net worth. This is reflected in the service culture at hotels. I hope this new Thompson bucks that trend, but I think we all know it won’t.