Thompson Miami Beach Area Managing Director Brett Orlando, along with Niki Leondakis, CEO of Commune Hotels & Resorts, the international hotel
management company that counts Thompson Hotels within its portfolio, as well as Commune Hotels & Resorts Chairman/Geolo Capital Founding Partner & Director John Pritzker, introduced community leaders to Thompson Miami Beach with a festive ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, November 21.
Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau President & CEO William D. Talbert III and Vice-Mayor Joy Malakoff welcomed Miami’s first Thompson hotel to the community with a few remarks, and Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Jerry Libbin, and Commissioner Deede Weithorn were also on hand for the community celebration.
Nearly 100 guests were greeted with fresh pressed watermelon, dragon fruit juices and mimosas as they entered the main lobby of the new 380-room beachfront resort located at 4041 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach. Vintage cars were parked in the hotel’s front drive and models clad in 1950s inspired attire brought Thompson Miami Beach’s mid-century-inspired design to life as they moved throughout the property. Immediately following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the hotel’s culinary partner and celebrated chef Michelle Bernstein hosted a light breakfast in her new Floridian brasserie, Seagrape while a live Cuban band filled the room with spirited music. Other Thompson Miami Beach collaborators who joined the celebration included Wynwood’s Junior & Hatter master stylists Andrea Battista and Mario Silvestri and nightlife impresarios Karim Masri and Nicola Siervo of KNR Hospitality Group. At the close of the event, hotel team members invited guests on guided tours of the property.
