Generator — Miami, USA

Still barely started in its ambitious expansion through Europe, the Generator group has cast its net further across the Pond. For its American debut, it’s picked the former Atlantic Princess, a 1940s condominium on South Beach’s heaving Collins Avenue, to show off the distinctive blend of low-cost lodgings and grown-up style so beloved of Generator groupies.
The hostel’s 105 rooms pack in 300 beds, but for those leery of sharing bunks, the private rooms with en-suite bathrooms overturn any outdated notion that hostels are fit only for budget-conscious back-packers.
For this happy state of affairs, kudos to London-based Argent Design and Generator’s in-house team for swaddling the rooms and public spaces in a mood-board of Cuban- and Miami-lite by way of stage-lamps, rocking armchairs and Art Deco-inspired pieces.
The outdoor terrace, meanwhile, features a hand-painted mural of a giant iguana by South African street artist Chris Auret, and the group’s first swimming pool, alongside the obligatory cluster of palms, wire chairs and terracotta hues.
The F+B diversions, too, reflect the Generator’s increasing confidence in reading its demographics. Which explains the three on-property venues, and their winning menu of locally brewed kombucha, seafood and sharing plates, and free-styling partnerships with Heineken, Pernot Ricard and Ben & Jerry’s.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
3120 Collins Avenue
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Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
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