Inside The Goodtime Hotel, Miami's Latest It Destination From David Grutman & Pharrell Williams

It's an exciting time to be in Miami right now—there's a new opening almost every weekend, and the hospitality industry is evolving like never before. At the helm of the rapid expansion sit David Grutman, the renowned owner of Groot Hospitality—known for iconic, celeb-loved restaurants like Papi Steak and Komodo, and Pharrell Williams. In 2018, the dynamic duo opened Swan in the heart of the Miami Design District, immediately becoming Miami's hot spot drawing crowds of both locals and tourists to experience the unique dining destination. Their latest endeavor? The Goodtime Hotel. 

The first collaborative lifestyle hotel brand from the hospitality mavens, The Goodtime Hotel, officially opened its doors in April on South Beach, redefining what it means to have a good time. Since the opening, everyone who's anyone has made an appearance, from Kim Kardashian and Victoria Beckham on opening night to famed DJs like Black Coffee—and many more to come—to fill the 30,000 square foot pool-club and the hotel's restaurant, Strawberry Moon. Fusing Miami's modern culture and energy with mid-century Caribbean and Central American resort town feel like Havana and Acapulco in their throwback days, the restaurant offers classic Mediterranean dishes and a full array of specialty cocktails for lunch and dinner, inside or poolside. Our menu must-tries: the Moon Bread, Branzino, and the Instagram-worth cocktail Purple Reign. 

"There are a lot of things that make The Goodtime Hotel unique. Believe it or not, even our pool color is one-of-a-kind. It's so hard to get permits for a pink pool in Miami Beach! But our designer, Ken Fulk, figured it out," says Grutman. "The whole hotel is an oasis — there's nothing else like it in Miami."

The 266-room property, stretching over nearly 100,000 square feet of public space, promises an escapist atmosphere through creating a vibrant oasis for guests to remember, which is exactly what Grutman imagined when building the brand: "My first hotel needed to break the mold. I wanted to provide the 360-degree Groot Hospitality experience that our other venues are known for, but I also wanted to add more. This is about providing a getaway within a town that's already known as a vacation spot. When you arrive at the hotel and walk through our doors, it becomes a full-on experience. When you're at the Goodtime, we want you to feel like your worries and anxieties have been left outside. I am proud to have worked closely with Pharrell, Michael [Fascitelli], Eric [Birnbaum] of Imperial Companies, and Ken Fulk on bringing this hotel to life."

The Art Deco-inspired space embodies the nostalgia of old Miami through the retro color palette of pale pinks and greens, hand-painted hothouse murals, and Deco plasterwork, yet is also designed for the modern traveler. The Goodtime Hotel is a mood. The property promotes an active, balanced lifestyle through its gym and onsite workouts like the recent hosting of Off-White's activewear collection launch, "OFF ACTIVE," with Haleigh Rosa at the pool, while also providing a laidback, relaxed feel all within a tropical oasis. Guests can also take full advantage of the new, remote lifestyle through working in The Library, a sociable meeting ground within the hotel. 

"We want The Goodtime Hotel to impart a feeling of both revitalization and that rare, exciting thrill that takes over when you discover something special," reveals Pharrell Williams. "It's that adrenaline-fueled sensation of entering a whole new setting and a whole new mindset. This place will provide a natural good time, for all who come through."

[Photos by Alice Gao courtesy Goodtime Hotel]