Miami’s iconic Shelborne hotel in the heart of South Beach is now called the Shelborne Wyndham Grand.
It’s the latest big brand to come to Miami Beach, with Hilton Worldwide recently opening the Hilton Cabana. (Travel Update readers recently met at the Hilton Cabana for an exclusive meet-up with top management.)
The 200-room Shelborne’s located on Collins Avenue near south Beach’s boutiques, restaurants, nightclubs, beach and oceanfront biking/running trail. It has direct access to the beach. Among its own restaurants: Morimoto South Beach by celebrity chef of Iron Chef fame, Masaharu Morimoto, who will also oversee the hotel’s 24/7 room service and catering.
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Art Deco buffs probably already know the hotel because it was designed by architect Igor Polevitsky and later updated by Morris Lapidus. It originally opened in 1940.
Expect free Wi-Fi, and access to vintage car rentals. The hotel also has a spa that uses Natura Bisse and Dr. Hevia products.
Wyndham since last year has been trying to assemble a collection of higher-end properties under the Wyndham Grand Hotels and Resorts brand. Other locations include New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Shanghai, Doha, and Berlin.
Wyndham’s overall network skews to the lower end with budget chains such as Super 8, Travelodge and Howard Johnson. In 2012, Wyndham’s then-CEO told me that the company planned to update the Howard Johnson chain.
Readers: How often do you stay in Wyndham hotels? Why?
