Mandarin Oriental has officially broken ground on its return to Miami: a two-tower project on Brickell Key that will house the Mandarin Oriental, Miami hotel and The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Miami. The ceremony brought together executives from Mandarin Oriental and Swire Properties, along with project partners, marking the start of a development the brand says will reshape luxury hospitality on the waterfront.
The design comes from architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), and the project continues a long partnership between Mandarin Oriental and developer Swire Properties, who share a history on Brickell Key. Swire's chief executive Tim Blackburn pointed to the prime waterfront location and brand recognition as drivers of what he calls a differentiated offering in South Florida's crowded luxury market.
The numbers backing that confidence are striking. Residential sales for the project have already topped $1.7 billion, including record-setting transactions and pricing. Mandarin Oriental is leaning hard into this hospitality-led residences model globally: it currently runs 16 branded residence projects, with 20 more planned to open by 2031 — including locations in Riviera Maya's Kanai, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico and West Palm Beach.
Group chief executive Laurent Kleitman framed Miami as part of a wider transformation, with the brand aiming to build destinations rather than just hotels — pairing rooms with standout dining, wellness and cultural programming. The pipeline backs that up: Mandarin Oriental, Mallorca and Vienna open in 2026, followed by Rome and Cortina in 2027.
The groundbreaking event itself was a showcase of that global reach, with chefs and bartenders flown in from across the portfolio — pizza omakase-inspired dishes from Tokyo, Mediterranean plates from Costa Navarino, desserts from Bangkok, and cocktails from Shenzhen and Vienna.
For travellers, the practical takeaway is timing. Miami won't have a Mandarin Oriental again for a few years, so the current play is either booking the brand's newer European openings or watching the Miami project take shape on Brickell Key — already one of the city's most polished pockets, connected to Brickell by a short bridge and home to shops, restaurants and waterfront walks. When it opens, expect the hotel to anchor the island's luxury scene alongside the residences, with the kind of dining and spa programming the brand has been building its recent reputation on.
