Review: Edition Miami Beach

WHAT’S IT LIKE The porte cochere in front is staffed by an all-white-clad bellmen team who greet guests with a genuine smile as they arrive and swing open the large glass doors. This historic building, originally the Hotel Seville, still bears the original hallmarks of its heyday, in part because historical regulations mandate that few things can be changed.

As a result, the soaring lobby ceilings, original marble columns, and white and gold hues of the public areas create a clean and welcoming space. The reception desk is as plain as can be, in fact the entire lobby is free of distracting signs, advertisements, glitzy artwork, and noisy distractions. Instead, tunes compiled by a local musician and a soothing signature scent from Le Labo fill the lobby.

Upon check-in, staffers share access to the hotel’s own app that provides suggestions on things to do and see in Miami Beach, which as a separate city from Miami, is filled with shopping, dining and art activities including a modern art museum and symphony. DINING Potted plants create a veritable forest-like atmosphere surrounding the lobby lounge, which heats up in the evening hours with elegantly dressed visitors imbibing craft cocktails with friends.

Similar to other Edition properties, a billiards table in the lobby encourages guests to get competitive if they like.

Market at Edition provides all-day dining with five live cooking stations including a charcuterie and grill area plus a dessert station with soft-serve ice cream (kids receive a voucher for free ice cream when they check in).

Food is fairly priced here, and it is not uncommon to see as many locals as guests dining on the delicious cuisine morning to night. The kale salad with parmesan dressing is a highlight. Matador Bar is famed around town for its Spanish theme and exotic cocktail menu.

Nabbing a seat here is tough unless you arrive early, and seats by the bar are most popular to watch the mixologists work their magic. Outdoor seating is available, as well.

Matador Grill has a fabled past hosting the likes of Frank Sinatra decades ago. Today, it is abuzz at dinnertime with the city’s glitterati sipping expensive wine and hopping from table to table for an air kiss. Poolside salads and sandwiches are popular as are cocktails from the bar.

AMENITIES This hotel has an ace in its pocket: the thumping night club that lures the area’s hippest night owls. Lines can be long, and getting in requires the right attire and swagger. For those that prefer to play rather than schmooze, a bowling alley with psychedelic lighting and ice skating rink (yes, winter does come to Miami Beach) sit across from the club area.

Two swimming pools with padded lounge chairs and a private alcove along the beach with lounge chairs and umbrellas await Edition guests.

One level below the lobby awaits a fully equipped fitness center with the latest equipment and a spa featuring numerous treatment rooms, a boutique stocked with the number-one selling products of each category, and changing areas with steam room and relaxation areas.

ROOMS Following the all-white pattern of public areas and staff uniforms, guest rooms are equally minimalist with walls of brushed wood and tile floors covered in area rugs.

Determining the room’s centerpiece can be tough: is it the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the beach, pool, or Miami Beach skyline or the oversized beds with thick duvets, gigantic pillows, and pillowtop mattress? Desks line one wall with clean desks featuring free wireless Internet. Chaises longues are ideally located by the windows so that guests can lounge with a magazine or work with a view.

Tiny, yet powerful stereos and alarm clocks, sit bedside as do speaker phones and bottled water delivered at turndown. Open-plan bathrooms have sliding doors to increase privacy and come with full-length and makeup mirrors. The vanities are kept barren in an effort to continue the design ethos with stacks of towels and tissues hidden beneath the counter. Scented toiletries and loofah scrubs are in the giant shower areas. Closets house safes and minibars although coffeemakers are missing.

A separate building houses several suites including a few duplex units with their own balconies and plunge pools. CONCLUSION This hotel, part of the Marriott family, is swanky, yet unpretentious, and welcoming, yet not mainstream. It is the kind of hotel that well-heeled guests turn to when they want something youthful and energetic without being over the top. The happy staff and beachfront locale insure that that happens with every stay.