Few hotels carry a mythology like the Delano. The Collins Avenue landmark opened in 1947, then Ian Schrager and Philippe Starck reinvented it in the 1990s as the hotel that defined South Beach glamour, all billowing white curtains and boldface names. Madonna had a restaurant there. Lenny Kravitz had a nightclub there.
It closed in 2020 and sat dark for six years. This summer it reopened under Accor’s Ennismore lifestyle arm after a full restoration, and the first reviews say the legend survived the renovation. Here is what the revival actually looks like.
A Softer Take on the All-White Look
The hotel holds 171 rooms and suites at 1685 Collins Avenue, and the famous all-white palette is still the design language, just warmed up. Cream and beige tones soften the stark 90s minimalism, and the lobby pairs restored columns and terrazzo with cascading staircases. Suites add separate living rooms and soaking tubs, the bathrooms come stocked with Byredo Gypsy Water, and the headboards hide the controls for lights and blinds.
The keys everyone wants are the two-story poolside bungalows, which open straight onto the pool deck. Book an ocean-view room if the water matters, because partial ocean view here really does mean partial.
Two Restaurants Worth Planning Around
The dining lineup is the boldest statement of the reopening. Gigi Rigolatto, the Paris scene restaurant, makes its U.S. debut here with Italian plates like fried zucchini flowers with ricotta and truffle ($38) and a spaghetti limone e caviale at $135. Mimi Kakushi brings its Dubai-born Japanese menu Stateside for the first time, from truffle miso soup ($12) to black cod and tiger prawn gyoza ($28).
Order the Nara Nara at Mimi Kakushi if you drink martinis. The Botanist gin is chiseled from a block of ice held at minus 4 degrees, tableside, and the bar bills it as the world’s coldest martini ($38). The lobby-adjacent Rose Bar keeps the night going with drinks like a Rose old fashioned built on Macallan 12 ($35).
The Pool, the Beach and One Piece Still to Come
Starck’s whimsical garden path still leads to the legendary pool, ringed with loungers and cabanas, and a path beyond it reaches the sand. The Delano Beach Club and the new Gigi Beach serve the lounger crowd, and there is a full fitness center for anyone keeping a routine. The one piece still outstanding is The Source By Delano, the spa, which is scheduled to open later this year.
What It Costs and How to Book
Cash rates start around $600 a night, which puts the Delano at the top of the Collins Avenue market. Valet parking runs $65 a night, and dogs and cats up to 50 pounds can stay for a $250 fee. As an Accor property it earns and burns ALL points, and it sits in The Edit by Chase Travel for cardholders who want breakfast and property credits bundled in.
If the Delano is your splurge before or after a sailing, our guide to hotels near PortMiami covers the practical end of the market, and the full cruise port hotels hub plans the rest of the trip. Just know going in that at $600 a night, this hotel is the trip, not the add-on.
