Chic Change

Wow! A classic beachfront hotel in Miami gets a smart new look

BY PAUL RUBIO

South Beach, that Miami bastion of Art Deco and trendsetting haute living, has officially welcomed the highly anticipated James Royal Palm, owned by KSL Capital Partners and managed by Denihan Hospitality Group. With the debut of SoBe's new "It" hotel, the next chapter of Art Deco redux is quickly unfolding along the storied shoreline. The $42 million, 393-room project is an impressive reinvention of the 1939 Royal Palm Hotel and its younger sister buildings, at 15th and Collins streets in the heart of all the action.

Following in the footsteps of its two wildly popular hotels in Chicago and New York City, the James' third outpost underscores both the brand's "form and function" mantra, where style and comfort work hand in hand, and its goal of reflecting location in design, with a bespoke residential twist. To achieve these formidable aspirations, the James turned to acclaimed interior designer Lauren Rottet of Rottet Studio in Houston. Through her vision and the studio's specially curated art collection, "An Ocean Apart," the hotel pays homage to Miami's melting pot of American, Latin American, and European cultures.

From $359. 888-526-3778; jameshotels.com/miami