Mandarin Oriental breaks ground on Brickell Key after $1.7bn residence sales
The two-tower KPF design anchors Swire Properties' long-term vision for Brickell Key.
Mandarin Oriental has broken ground on Mandarin Oriental, Miami and The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Miami, marking the brand's return to Brickell Key. Leadership from Mandarin Oriental and Swire Properties joined project partners and guests for the ceremonial shovel-in-ground event on the waterfront island.
The two-tower scheme is designed by architecture practice KPF and continues the group's shared history on Brickell Key with Swire Properties. Residential sales have already surpassed $1.7 billion, including record-setting transactions and pricing, before the hotel has opened.
Laurent Kleitman, Mandarin Oriental's chief executive, said the group has grown its global portfolio while raising its ambitions. "We are creating hotels that are not only exceptional places to stay, but destinations, bringing together outstanding dining, wellness, culture and programming," he said.
He said the Miami development will embody that evolution, building on the brand's longstanding connection to Brickell Key while introducing a new expression of it. Swire Properties is developing The Residences, whose sales have carried the scheme past that $1.7 billion mark and are the engine of the project.
Tim Blackburn, chief executive of Swire Properties, described the groundbreaking as another important milestone in the developer's long-term vision for the island. He credited the project's differentiated value to its prime waterfront location, the team's track record, the global brand and its design partners.
The ceremony drew culinary talent from across Mandarin Oriental's portfolio for one evening. Pizza Omakase-inspired creations came from Tokyo, Mediterranean flavours from Costa Navarino, signature desserts from Bangkok, and cocktails showcasing talent from Shenzhen and Vienna.
Miami joins a generation of hotels, residences and mixed-use destinations that the group says are shaped by their locations and by a broader ambition for the guest experience. Mandarin Oriental, Mallorca and Mandarin Oriental, Vienna open in 2026, with Rome and Cortina following in 2027.
Those openings mark a period of growth for the group's portfolio, and Miami adds its growing expertise in hospitality-led residential living to the city. The scheme combines service, design and curated lifestyle experiences within a single destination on Brickell Key.
The brand's residences business now spans 16 Mandarin Oriental Residences in operation, with a pipeline of 20 new residences set to open by 2031. Announced projects include Kanai in Riviera Maya, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico and West Palm Beach, which together with Miami form the next wave of its push into hospitality-led residential living.
Mandarin Oriental is no stranger to the city, and its return rebuilds a name Miami already knows. The group's portfolio stretches from Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, where it manages the landmark with eight restaurants and two temperature-controlled pools, to properties in London, Manhattan and Singapore.
We have covered the brand across its global footprint, from London's grand-hotel spa standard to Paris, where its private suites anchor our guide to the capital's best spas. The Miami opening extends that familiar wellness and service language to a warmer climate and a residential product.
What the two towers hold
The KPF design supplies the architectural vision for the destination, which Mandarin Oriental describes as redefining luxury hospitality, residential living and lifestyle experiences in Miami. The group has not yet published room counts or an opening date for the hotel portion.
What the group has said is that Miami is part of a portfolio being reshaped around dining, wellness, culture and programming rather than accommodation alone. That shift is the through-line of Kleitman's remarks and of every opening the brand has announced through 2027.
Blackburn framed the sales momentum as proof the project stands apart in South Florida's competitive luxury market, where a waterfront position and a recognised hotel brand decide whether a scheme clears or stalls.
The record-setting transactions and pricing have not been broken down by unit, and neither company has said when the hotel or the residences will welcome their first guests and owners. The brand calls the scheme a long-term commitment to residents and travellers alike.
Kleitman positioned the development as an expression of a brand transformed, with the group's recent years spent raising what its hotels offer beyond a place to sleep. Miami is the test of that proposition in a market the brand knows.
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Images: Mandarin Oriental
