Fontainebleau Miami Beach is adding a huge water park to its revamped outdoor pool area

Time Out

a day ago

Miami Beach's most iconic resort is about to make a big splash—literally.
The legendary Fontainebleau Miami Beach, forever synonymous with poolside glamour and celebrity swagger, is gearing up for a bold reinvention. The Fontainebleau will go family-friendly with a water park that will reimagine the outdoor deck to feature 11 waterslides (one will soar to a vertigo-inducing 120 feet), separate play zones for kids and adults, five new pools, two hot tubs and upgraded restaurant and bar spaces.
That massive water slide might be the headline grabber, but the overhaul is more than a water park. There will soon be cabanas with TVs and lockers, poolside bars and reimagined programming that blurs the line between beach chic and family entertainment. It's a strategic pivot. Miami Beach has long leaned into its 'party capital' rep, but community leaders are quietly nudging everyone toward a broader, more inclusive identity. Fontainebleau, with its heritage and heft, is leading that charge.
'This is a milestone moment for Fontainebleau Miami Beach and our vision for what a modern resort destination can be,' Jeffrey Soffer, chairman and CEO of Fontainebleau Development, said in a statement. 'With the addition of these new attractions and amenities, we are creating a fully integrated, large-scale family-focused experience unlike any other in the region.'
An application has been submitted to the Historic Preservation Board for the renovation.
The Fountainbleau will continue greeting guests and providing the same high level of hospitality we've come to expect during construction, which is set to kick off in early 2026 with a 2027 completion goal. Soon, South Beach will see a reinvigorated Fontainebleau, one that has evolved to meet the times. Picture a playground for both the kid who's discovering the thrill of a waterslide and the adult who's ordering mudslides at the cabana.
Designed by architect Morris Lapidus and first opened in 1954, the Fontainebleau is pure old-school Miami glamour. Sinatra crooned there, Elvis lounged there, the Kennedys vacationed there and films from Goldfinger to Scarface have included it. Its 'staircase to nowhere' is as famous as the ocean views. It's not just a hotel—it's a piece of Miami's glossy, star-studded history, still serving the drama decades later. The latest incarnation may take a couple of years to arrive, but when it does, Fontainebleau's poolscape could well reset expectations for families, sun-seekers, and the city itself.