Miami’s The Marlin Hotel, once a hangout for Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams and Aerosmith, unveiled its new look interior on January 20. Built in 1939 and once favoured by celebrities, gone is the Caribbean-hip vibe that British fashion designer Barbara Hulanicki bought to the Marlin when it was owned by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, and the spare style that replaced it after Blackwell sold the hotel in 2004.
MRK Investments, which bought the Marlin last spring for $9.5 million, has bought an updated Deco style to the lobby that recalls the hotel’s 1939 birth and a dragon theme to the new Asian-inspired restaurant. The existing 14 rooms have been refashioned and are now dominated with wooden floors and neutral tones. A further 18 suites will be added in the year ahead, built into spaces that once held offices, Blackwell’s penthouse, and the famed South Beach Studios where Aerosmith and others recorded.
That musical past won’t disappear altogether, said hotel manager Flor Rivas. Memorabilia will adorn the hallway that once led to the studio.
“We don’t want to forget about that history or leave it the past,” Rivas said.
The Marlin Hotel is located at 1200 Collins Avenue on Miami Beach.
THE MARLIN HOTEL GETS NEW LOOK
