MIAMI—Meliá Hotels International has opened its first U.S. destination with ME by Meliá brand in Downtown Miami. The hotel has 129 luxuriously appointed rooms and more than 1,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. It also has a 14th-floor sundeck featuring open-air sunset and sunrise pools, and Bella’s Bar, a poolside bar and lounge set to open later this season.
CGI 1100 Biscayne Management, LLC, an affiliate of CGI Merchant Group, owns the hotel, which will be managed under the Meliá Hotels International brand ME by Meliá. CGI Merchant Group purchased the building in January 2013, and led the redevelopment of the original hotel from 56 to 129 guestrooms.
The hotel is near Pérez Art Museum Miami, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, the Miami Design District, MiMo, Brickell, and the Arts + Entertainment District.
“The opening of ME Miami is not only historic because it is the brand’s first-ever foray into the U.S. market, but also because it’s an acknowledgement and celebration of Miami’s thriving downtown community, which has undergone an extraordinary and exciting cultural renaissance,” said André P. Gerondeau, EVP of Hotels, Meliá Hotels International. “As the brand does with all of its destinations, ME Miami really places the guest right in the middle of that urban vitality and momentum. We’re excited about what we’ve achieved here, and know that our guests will find ME Miami a distinctive and compelling addition to an already robust portfolio of unique destinations.”
Guestrooms feature custom furnishings, new bedding, modern technology, in-room “Maxi” bars and views of the bay and skyline, according to the brand. The hotel uses Algotherm natural bath products; SKIN C products will also be introduced this fall. Pet-friendly welcome kits containing shampoo, a play ball, mini towel, teeth cleanser, pet bed, food and water bowls, and pet services, including gourmet pet food especially prepared by the chef for pets. The hotel also has a partnership with fashion photographer Alberto van Stokkum, which includes installations on the first and third floors.
Floor-to-ceiling windows, vibrant art, greenery and multi-tiered public spaces provide an open flow and allow Miami’s tropical vistas to provide the backdrop, according to the brand. Further, ME’s Aura Experience Managers, a signature brand position, sets the mood throughout the hotel’s public and personal spaces by controlling everything about the sensory experience—from music to lighting to scent, the brand noted.