These hotel game-changers are remaking Miami tourism
South Florida These hotel game-changers are remaking Miami tourism
Miami's hotel scene is buzzing with transformation and innovation.
The revitalized Shelborne in Miami Beach honors its 1940 roots with renovated rooms, original architectural elements, and a vibrant new lobby bar. In Coral Gables, the newly opened Loews Coral Gables Hotel offers modern luxury with a rooftop pool, wellness-focused amenities, and standout dining options like Americana Kitchen.
Miami International Airport is preparing for the opening of a connected Westin hotel in 2027, featuring a rooftop restaurant and wellness-focused spaces. Meanwhile, Key Biscayne's Ritz-Carlton and the Dream Hotel on the Miami River are embarking on major upgrades, with the latter adding nightclubs, restaurants, a marina, and a raw bar in partnership with Garcia's Seafood Grille & Fish Market.
The view of the ocean at the glamorous Acqualina Resort & Residences in Sunny Isles Beach, which was just named the best hotel in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
NO. 1: LUXURY WATERFRONT HOTELS NEAR MIAMI BEACH JUST NAMED THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY
Miami-area hotels take top spots. | Published February 6, 2024 | Read Full Story by Connie Ogle
The new MIA hotel will be connected by a pedestrian bridge to MIA's North Terminal, Concourse D, where American Airlines is.
NO. 2: A NEW HOTEL IS COMING TO THE MIAMI AIRPORT. WHEN IS IT OPENING AND WHERE WILL IT BE?
What to know about the addition to the terminal. | Published February 22, 2024 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante
NO. 3: HEAD TO MIAMI'S CORAL GABLES TO FIND ELEGANCE IN YOUR NEXT FLORIDA GETAWAY
Escape the hustle of Miami and discover the serene charm of Coral Gables. From luxurious stays to top dining spots, your perfect getaway awaits. | Published July 31, 2024 | Read Full Story by Angela Caraway-Carlton
The waterfront terrace at the Peruvian restaurant La Mar by Gastón Acurio at the Mandarin Oriental on Brickell Key in Miami.
NO. 4: THIS BRICKELL HOTEL IS BEING DEMOLISHED. HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ITS POPULAR RESTAURANT
The hotel will close May 31. | Published January 7, 2025 | Read Full Story by Connie Ogle
Rendering of planned Riverside Wharf Miami
NO. 5: IT WAS A SPOT TO PARTY ON THE MIAMI RIVER. NOW A HOTEL, CLUB AND RAW BAR ARE MOVING IN
See new renderings, learn of updated timeline for the new project. | Published February 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Vinod Sreeharsha
The Shelborne South Beach is undergoing an $85 million renovation. Above: The iconic Miami Modern-style hotel shown on Friday, March 28, 2014. By MARSHA HALPER
NO. 6: AN 85-YEAR-OLD HOTEL IN MIAMI BEACH JUST GOT A $100M UPGRADE. SEE WHAT'S NEW — AND OLD
'Our focus was on respecting the building's storied past.' | Published February 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Vinod Sreeharsha
The Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne opened in 2001. By Chuck Fadely
NO. 7: A MAJOR MIAMI HOTEL IS CLOSING FOR A $100M REMODEL THAT WILL LAY OFF HUNDREDS OF WORKERS
Here's the timeline for the changes to a signature resort. | Published March 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Vinod Sreeharsha
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
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Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
South Knoxville losing one of its most popular restaurants amid Sevier Avenue construction
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Los Angeles Times
34 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Want a Spider-Man-style kiss over a canyon? Call an elopement adventure photographer
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Mae changed the game — her elopement adventures took people wherever they wanted to go, giving them permission to have whatever kind of ceremony they desired. When she shot her first elopement in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, she was transformed. All the traditional wedding details were stripped away: There was no venue, no decor, no distracting crowd, no strict timeline. Just two people committing their lives to each other in nature, which she calls 'the most sacred of sanctuaries.' 'It was the first time I'd seen a couple where they were fully present in their eyes the entire day,' Mae says. 'It was the purest form of a wedding.' Other photographers followed in Mae's footsteps, especially after she began leading workshops on elopement adventures; the three other photographers I interviewed for this piece, Flynn, Traci Edwards and Karen Agurto, all took her courses. Elopement adventures remained a 'very niche' field until the COVID-19 pandemic, Flynn says. 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Los Angeles Times
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Venture capital investment is rising in Los Angeles — and not just for AI startups
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So it's a lot more exciting than it ever has been.' Los Angeles-area companies that received the most money in the first quarter include Torrance-based defense company Epirus with $250 million; and Thousand Oaks-based Latigo Biotherapeutics, which received $150 million, according to CB Insights. Latigo Biotherapeutics develops non-opioid pain treatments, while Epirus makes technology that helps defend against attacks from drone swarms. Economic consulting firm Econic Partners raised the most funding with $438 million, according to CB Insights, which relied on a report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Econic disputed the total, saying it raised nine figures in the first quarter, but the company declined to say how much. Masha Bucher, founder and general partner at Day One Ventures, said she views El Segundo as the most promising hub for 'deep tech' startups tackling complex issues, such as, helping humans live healthier and longer lives. Businesses in the L.A. area have access to a highly qualified workforce from aerospace and defense tech companies. The tech hub known as Silicon Beach also is close to the airport, making it easy for entrepreneurs to hop on a plane to raise funding in San Francisco. 'There is a power of community, and it's definitely like a power spot on the map,' Bucher said. The firm's investments include various AI startups and an eye-scanning crypto project backed by OpenAI's Sam Altman in which people verify they're human. Investors aren't interested in only AI, however. Culver City-based Whatnot raised $265 million, one of the biggest deals in the L.A. area this year. The live shopping app allows people to buy and sell items such as clothing and collectibles. Potential customers can ask questions about products in real-time, find deals and bid for products shown in live videos. Whatnot says it surpassed more than $3 billion in sales in 2024, and the company expects that figure to double this year. The startup, founded in 2019, says it isn't profitable yet, but the TikTok rival has shown investors it's growing fast. 'Live and social shopping has the potential to be an absolutely monstrous market,' Whatnot Chief Executive Grant LaFontaine said. The company has roughly 750 employees across the United States and Europe. The funding will help market Whatnot to attract more users and hire people to improve the shopping experience, he said. Like other businesses, Whatnot uses AI for customer service and to moderate content on the platform. 'I tend to be sort of a purist, which is that consumers don't care about AI. They care about problems being solved,' LaFontaine said. Businesses have been using AI long before the rising popularity of chatbots such as ChatGPT that can generate text, images and code. But the frenzy surrounding what's known as generative AI has meant that various industries are confronting how technology will disrupt the way they live and work. Not surprisingly, investor interest in AI drove much of the nation's venture capital commitments in the first quarter. San Francisco-based OpenAI secured the largest funding round of $40 billion, placing its valuation at $300 billion, according to CB Insights. 'There's a ton of opportunity to rewrite the playing field on which people do business in everything from across verticals, across industries,' said Jason Saltzman, head of insights for CB Insights. 'Everyone recognizes the promise, and ... no one wants to miss out on the promise.' Globally, $121 billion of venture capital was raised in the first quarter, with 20% of the deals received by AI companies — the highest amount ever, according to CB Insights. Nationally, $90.5 billion in venture capital was raised last quarter, with the bulk of the money going toward startups in Silicon Valley, which brought in $58.9 billion, the research firm said. San Francisco has experienced a surge in AI startups expanding or opening up offices, drawn to the city's swath of talent and the Bay Area's universities. AI leaders including OpenAI and Anthropic also are based there. OpenAI said it would use the money raised in the first quarter toward building its tools and investing in talent. 'People understand that this is a transformative technology,' said Chris Lehane, OpenAI's vice president of global affairs in an interview. 'It's going to permeate virtually every aspect of life.' Silicon Valley remains the far leader in venture capital AI investments, but other cities such as New York have attracted AI funding. There's also global competition from countries such as China. As legislators weigh whether to introduce laws that could regulate AI, some tech lobbying groups have raised concerns on how those bills could affect innovation in the state. Suster said he doesn't think venture capital dollars will leave California. 'The opportunity set is so great here,' Suster said. 'Do we occasionally get backwards-looking bills that try to overregulate how industry works in California? Of course, we do. We find ways to work around them.'
