Design Buzz: Aloft South Beach

Ahead of the property's May 28 opening, we got a look at the ADD Inc.-designed Aloft South Beach.

Building on the foundation of the historic 1954 Ankara Motel, the Aloft South Beach will preserve the Art Deco-inspired architecture on the exterior, while breathing life into a newly constructed interior with contemporary elements. The design and furnishings were chosen to strike a balance between the hotel's Miami Beach location, the structure's historic significance and modern amenities.

Components of the hotel that will be retained include the classic brick walls of the Historic Wing, refurbished Ankara Motel signage, and the pool shape. Inside, modern design will take center stage as a translucent staircase will welcome guests into the two-story atrium with custom leather wrapping and a light fixture inspired by drum cymbals. Additionally, the bar and lounge will feature a custom chandelier by Yellow Goat Design made of 1,000 colored acrylic lighting rods descending from the ceiling.

Aloft South Beach

The rooftop will have an architectural element that fuses the line of Aloft’s logo with Motel Ankara’s historic signage.

On the main floor, the re:mix lounge will be a hub for guests, and will connect to W XYZ Bar. An onsite herb garden will be available. W XYZ will transition to the outside deck by way of a 36-foot sliding glass wall, where the pool will be located, with private cabanas nestled between the pool and the lake. For guests' convenience, solar-powered charging stations will be available.

Looking up from the pool area to the third level will be the hotel's plunge deck, outfitted with daybeds under a canopy of strawberry guava trees and a four-sided infinity edge water feature serving as a visual design element. At the Plunge Deck Bar, a variety of games, including bocce, oversized tic-tac-toe, beanbag toss and a large dice game tying into hotel offerings will be available on the outdoor deck.

Aloft South Beach

Adjacent to the deck will be the guestrooms, including 22 suites overlooking Lake Pancoast. Most of the rooms will have private terraces peering over the lake and all of the action on the pool deck below. The third floor guestrooms in the Historic Wing will offer private lake-view balconies, while the fourth floor will boast Breezy Suites with oversized private terraces. In the main tower, the 350 square foot rooms will have city views; while corner suites will have full height windows and private balconies allowing guests to take in views of Miami Beach. All 235 guestrooms will come complete with Aloft Hotels' signature trademarks, including nine-foot ceilings, streamlined design, Bluetooth-enabled door locks and Bliss Spa bath amenities.

Sitting at the edge of the water, the Dip hot tub will offer a backdrop of an art wall, which will display rotating street art by artists from Miami's artsy Wynwood neighborhood. The art program will extend to other areas in the hotel as well, with a variety of photographic prints and murals. The lobby will have a series of black-and-white images of 1970s beach scenes and near the entrance, a large-scale aerial view photograph of models in vintage swimsuits will be displayed. Each guestroom will have a photograph by British fashion photographer Miles Aldridge on view, while the corridors will continue the theme with interpretations of summer swimming pools, beaches and barbecues.

Located on Collins Avenue will be Aloft South Beach's Continental Miami restaurant, which will be helmed by Stephen Starr.

Adjacent to both the pool deck and lake, a waterfront deck with enclave seating will offer a space for outdoor dining.

The re:charge gym will be located on the second floor.

For events, the Aloft South Beach will have 1,500 square feet of adaptable indoor meeting areas, and 5,000 square feet of al fresco event space.

Other amenities and activities will include: beach access, paddle-board yoga and kayaking from the hotel's private dock and custom beach cruiser bicycles to explore the boardwalk or nearby shopping on Lincoln Road.

Leslie Weil will serve as the GM of the property.