This Art Deco Gem Was Reborn As South Beach’s Latest Boutique Luxury Hotel

An Art Deco upgrade in Miami’s hottest hood.

Jared Paul Stern

Apr 1, 2024

In late 2021 the latest transformation of an Art Deco-era Miami masterpiece was unveiled in the form of the Gabriel South Beach, which immediately drew critics’ and guests’ bows of approval for its design, sea views, scintillating food and drinks, formidable art collection, and glass-bottomed rooftop pool.

The chic five-story hotel, part of the acclaimed Curio Collection, is located on storied Ocean Drive, just a stone’s throw from the beach and the Atlantic waves. Created by legendary architect Henry Hohauser, it was originally the Park Central Hotel in the late 1930s before falling into disrepair.

In 2022 the newly opened hotel earned a mention in Time magazine’s World’s Greatest Places issue, highlighting “50 extraordinary travel destinations worldwide,” of which Miami was one. The Gabriel was tapped as the city’s newest hotspot.

Travel + Leisure also honored the Gabriel on its 2022 list of the best hotel pools in Florida for its Instagram-worthy rooftop spot. And baseball legend Alex Rodriguez was one of the investors in the group which saw the project initially come to fruition.

The hotel says this rebirth was carefully curated to pay proper respect to the property’s history: “Emerging from an extensive renewal project to reimagine its essence in a contemporary expression, we’ve paid homage to yesteryear while writing the next chapter of our historic hotel in South Beach. “

From top to bottom, in its vertical 132-room configuration, the Gabriel South Beach stands out among many of the Art Deco District’s many gems, built from 1919-1939. Some call it Nautical Deco, for all its ocean-liner-like piping, open-air design, treatment corner windows, and what the Gabriel’s general manager Nicholas Siracusa calls “21st century re-imagination.”

There are four different buildings at the Gabriel, among them the oldest, the Park Central; the Imperial, the Heathcote, and the Floridita, the later boasting aforementioned peek-a-boo pool. Ogle from below, though swimming toward its edge is a view to swoon. The Park Central’s focal point is its courtyard patio and pool. Mojito or pina colada, optional.

Upon entering, the lobby is dominated by a color-explosive, urban-gritty, 30-foot-tall mural, created by a French-born L.A. transplant Mr. Brainwash. It jumps out of its medium-cool minimalistic setting. The mural is a dramatic sampler of the hotel’s two revolving-art galleries, often emphasizing African-American art. On that note, the hotel provides shuttles to the world-renowned Wynwood corridor, home of Miami’s annual Art Basel winter spectacle.

Miami being home to adventurous cuisine–from fresh seafood to Cuban local and nouveau Caribbean–the Gabriel this year is focusing on a food and beverage program, says Siracusa, within their three restaurants: That’s Amore, Alma Cubana, both brand new, and Meet Dalia, an established fan favorite.

Open for all meals, Dalia, helmed by master chef Patrick Ochs, includes a raw bar, indigenous shellfish and the bounty of fins (grouper, snapper, swordfish, mako) from the Atlantic and Gulf. It’s the focal point of the hotel lobby. The Art Deco horseshoe bar is the bee’s knees. So are Dalia’s Mediterranean salads and meze plates served with wood-fired pita.

Standout dishes include a surf and turf entrée done on a wood-fire grill comprised of an 8-oz. filet mignon with a 7-oz. lobster tail, served with creamy mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus; a whole deboned Branzino; and a truffle pizza with wild mushroom, caramelized onion, mozzarella, and truffle pecorino.

The rooms all have an airy tropical vibe, with palm-fronded wall murals and nautically-inspired carpets over wood floors and tiles, from standards to oceanfront loft suites with terraces. All have mini bars, local-brand snacks, and Illy Espresso machines. Beds are low-rise and modern.

If the beach isn’t your thing, the Gabriel is in a luxury boutique hub, along with all those cha-cha-cha nightclubs. Versace’s old villa, the legendary Joe’s Stone Crab, the News Café, and the fascinating Wolfsonian museum of vintage Americana toasters and Russian propaganda posters, are all within strolling distance.

“Our location on Ocean Drive is our strongest selling point,” Siracusa tells us. “Just a few steps away from the property is the beach, which guests travel from far places just to see. We’re also located directly across from Muscle Beach and within proximity to various Miami Beach hotspots and cultural institutions.”

He adds that, “We are known for our luxury lifestyle clientele. Being located right on the buzzing Ocean Drive, we strive to curate upscale programming and deliver an elevated experience through our hospitality. The Gabriel South Beach embodies the chic flair of Miami’s Art Deco District through immersive atmospheres and blends midcentury modernism with quintessential Floridian style, creating an oasis-like vibe.”