EAST hotel review - Miami, USA

Swire Hotels’ first foray into North America is part of an enormous 5.4 million sq ft mixed-use, city-within-a-city redevelopment of Miami’s Downtown district.

Designed by local architects Arquitectonica, the 352-guest room hotel’s contemporary interiors by New York’s Clodagh Design pay homage to the local setting with a natural palette of blue, amber and white complemented by bold modern art pieces by the likes of local painter Alexander Mijares.  

Rooms (including 89 residence suites) come with floor-to-ceiling windows and sleek balconies that make the most of the spectacular views, while the open-plan studio interiors focus on unfussy contemporary furnishings, seriously comfortable beds, and understated lighting.  

Other highlights include the hotel’s double-height stone-clad lobby, home to local specialty coffee roaster Panther Coffee; a lush jungle-like 40th floor rooftop bar designed by Los Angeles-based Studio Collective; and the famed Uruguayan restaurant Quinto La Huella’s first outpost, which wins extra points for authenticity with a parilla grill.

The real star of the show, however, is the fifth floor open-air pool deck with four pools and views over an extraordinary Climate Ribbon™ canopy created by Paris-based British architect Hugh Dutton. Designed to provide protection for an elevated walkway that links the hotel to the adjacent retail centre (scheduled to later in the year), guests are just a short stroll away from Saks Fifth Avenue and a host of creative local designers.