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rooms pack in 300 beds, but for those leery of sharing bunks, the private rooms with en-suite bathrooms overturn any outdated notion that hostels are fit only for budget-conscious back-packers.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.
