Branded Boutique Experience
New Hilton Aventura Miami Looks To Help Redefine Local Market
The affluent North Miami enclave of Aventura is resplendent with towering condo buildings and world-class, international shopping. Close to South Florida’s beaches, night life, golf courses and casinos, Aventura is a more subtle version of Miami’s fast-paced, neon-backlit lifestyle.
The new Hilton Aventura Miami—developed and owned by the Shaner Hotel Group—is looking to check each of those boxes. That is, while the 208-room, boutique property fits Aventura’s more subdued pace, it’s also poised to pick up the pace as a centerpiece of North Miami living.
Gary Steffen, Global Brand Head for Hilton Hotels & Resorts, noted the hotel represents an “extension of our commitment to innovation and an enhanced guest experience,” offering thoughtful amenities, inspiring accommodations and premier food and beverage options.
“I have no doubt that the team at Hilton Aventura Miami will set a gold standard for hospitality in the Miami area and beyond,” said Steffen.
“We are trying to take a Las Vegas or convention hotel—with all of those unique amenities—and put them in a 208-room boutique hotel,” said Hilton Aventura Miami General Manager Kai Fischer. “There is absolutely no reason why you can’t activate the senses in so many different areas, from a luxury mini-bar setup to having a pastry chef create [an offering] to help become a late-night dessert destination.”
With all that in place, the Hilton Aventura Miami is an example of the brand’s latest vision of a boutique hotel—colorful, service-oriented, and interactive.
“This concept has been in motion for five years,” said Fischer, who spent the past seven years as general manager of the Hilton Westchester in New York. “It’s really about taking all the best in those worlds and finding ways to activate the senses.
“We plan to create an ambiance that is welcoming to all by offering premium amenities for the discerning luxury traveler, as well as vibrant lifestyle amenities for those seeking to socialize and relax in an upscale, yet laid-back environment,” he said.
Guests see the hotel’s style right away through its oversized garage murals and the black-and-white lobby and in-room art canvases. Hilton Aventura Miami’s main reception of white marble flooring, leather lounge chairs and a modern glass fireplace frames the welcome. A standard guest room starts at 406 square feet, which is large by South Florida standards. Many of the guest rooms and suites have floor-to-ceiling windows and most provide views of South Florida.
The hotel’s heart is the seventh-floor lobby overlooking Aventura. This elevated deck—above the parking garage—includes the signature restaurant, Gala, as well as MuseBar, Hilton Executive Lounge, The Reserve, Library and an elevated pool deck with skyline views and private cabanas. It’s the pool deck and cabanas that Fischer expects to evolve into the focus of the Hilton Aventura’s nightlife.
Gala, the hotel’s signature restaurant, serves breakfast, as well as lunch and dinner. With its South American-inspired menu and communal settings, Gala is designed to reflect Miami’s love of fresh seafood and tapas. MuseBar offers specialty cocktails and light bites, while The Pool Bar has hand-crafted salads, sandwiches and other light bites, along with cocktails servicing the poolside cabanas by day and offering an after-dinner retreat by night.
Hilton Aventura Miami has Aventura’s second-largest event space, with more than 15,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space, a grand ballroom capable of accommodating up to 600 persons, six breakout rooms, the area’s only event-dedicated kitchen and on-site audio-visual services.
That kind of event space, coupled with the high-end Aventura Mall directly across the street, could potentially make Hilton Aventura Miami a preferred destination for group and convention business, as well as international travelers.
“Aventura’s culture is high end,” said Fischer. “This [Hilton Aventura Miami] is a continuation of that atmosphere. I see this becoming a destination within an oasis of the affluent and high net-worth of the community that supports it.
“But it’s also a destination for South American, Canadians and Europeans coming to the Aventura Mall. That’s really what our target audience is going to be,” he concluded.
