Best Luxury Hotels in Miami
Miami's hotels split roughly into two families: the mid-century icons that built the city's glamour in the 1950s, and the newer generation that has spent the last two decades reinventing it. Both are fully present today, often a few blocks apart on the same stretch of sand.
The Setai
Where much of South Beach leans maximalist, The Setai chooses restraint — streamlined Asian-minimalist interiors and soothing neutrals that feel closer to a residence than a resort. Three pools terrace down toward the beach, and the effect is a property that feels deliberately calmer than the energy on Collins Avenue just outside its doors.
Faena Hotel Miami Beach
Argentine hotelier Alan Faena built his Miami Beach flagship around theatre rather than restraint — gilded interiors, a Damien Hirst mammoth skeleton in the lobby, and an arts programming calendar that rivals a cultural institution more than a typical hotel events roster. It is the property most likely to be remembered for a single striking image rather than for its restraint.
Fontainebleau Miami Beach
Opened in 1954 and designed by Morris Lapidus, the Fontainebleau remains the definitive Miami Beach landmark — a curved, glamorous silhouette on Collins Avenue that has anchored the city's social scene for seven decades. Today it operates at a scale few hotels attempt, with roughly 1,500 rooms and suites, and its nightlife credentials are detailed further in our Miami nightlife guide.
Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club
Once a private 1930s retreat for Hollywood and old-money society, The Surf Club has been restored under Four Seasons management into one of Miami's most historically grounded luxury addresses. Its restaurant, helmed under the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group and covered in our restaurants guide, has itself earned a Michelin star — a rare case of a hotel dining room built around genuine culinary ambition rather than simply serving its guests.
Mandarin Oriental, Miami
Set on its own peninsula on Brickell Key, Mandarin Oriental trades South Beach's density for waterfront isolation just minutes from the financial district covered in our areas guide. Its private beach and spa give it a resort feel despite sitting inside the city's downtown skyline.
Choosing Where to Stay
South Beach's hotels — The Setai, Faena, and Fontainebleau — put guests inside Miami's most photographed stretch of sand, a short walk from the nightlife and Art Deco streets covered elsewhere on this site. The Surf Club offers a quieter, more historic register a few minutes further north, while Mandarin Oriental suits travellers splitting their stay between leisure and business in Brickell.
