Hotel AKA Brickell has unveiled the results of an extensive transformation led by Gabellini Sheppard Associates.
After acquiring the 201-key property in 2021, AKA invested $16 million into its redesign, with Gabellini Sheppard at the helm of the reimagination of its lobby, lounge and restaurant.
Previously, the hotel’s lobby could be found on the 25th floor. Now, a new outdoor greeting area welcomes guests into a ground floor lobby lined with light-oak wood-panelled walls and reflected by satin bronze mirrors.
After check-in, guests ascend to the newly-designed 25th floor, a lounge that channels the energy of a floating living room, with views of the Miami skyline accompanied by lush tropical greenery. Expansive windows wrap around almost the entire floor, bringing in Miami’s warmth and natural daylight, while custom patterned stone ebbs and flows across the floors, reminiscent of relaxing waves.
“AKA’s continuous journey is what inspires me every day and one of the most significant milestones of that journey is with what we envisioned and evolved at Hotel AKA Brickell,” said Larry Korman, CEO of AKA. “We transformed a very corporate design, reimagined it with what AKA is known for, and brought life to the property by adding an atmosphere AKA guests expect. We made sure that in every new space, guests could feel the calm.”
Michael Gabellini, Partner at Gabellini Sheppard, adds: “We were so excited to work with AKA as we have a very similar aesthetic and design philosophy including incorporating sustainable design principles. Both Larry and I were able to take our collaborative approaches and infuse so much of what we both envisioned for Hotel AKA Brickell.”
A key element of the hotel’s redesign has been the debut of Adrift Mare, a restaurant and bar by Michelin-starred Chef David Myers. Set in an 11-storey atrium with views of Brickell and Biscayne Bay, the restaurant houses a custom installation of more than 100 lanterns suspended from its ceiling. The venue also features a private dining room, where cove lighting inside gold and silver-leafed clouds floats overhead.
Other amenities at Hotel AKA Brickell include a rooftop with a pool and adjacent Sky Bar + Grill, a fitness centre, spa and open-air event space known as the Sky Lawn.
