Visiting Miami on a budget? European hotel chain opens in downtown Miami’s Worldcenter

Rebecca San Juan
·2 min read
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A European hotel chain with 42 properties around the world has arrived in Miami, offering budget stays in a rapidly changing downtown.

Netherlands-based citizenM Hotels opened at Miami Worldcenter at 700 NE Second Ave. early this month, after its local debut in Brickell in November.

The 11-story hotel is part of Worldcenter’s 27-acre, $4 billion residential and commercial complex. The hotel has 351 rooms — averaging 150 square feet — with overnight rates starting at $179, below the Miami-Dade average of $310 a night. Besides the rooms, it has a bar and rooftop pool.

The hospitality brand has another location slated to open next year in South Beach at 1212 Lincoln Road, said Ernest Lee, chief growth officer for citizenM Hotels.

The citizenM hotel has 351 rooms, ranging between 140 square feet and 150 square feet. This room faces the Miami-Dade Arena, formerly the FTX Arena.
The citizenM hotel has 351 rooms, ranging between 140 square feet and 150 square feet. This room faces the Miami-Dade Arena, formerly the FTX Arena.

Started in early 2016, Worldcenter is the nation’s second-largest urban development after New York’s Hudson Yards 28-acre project. It is steps away from several entertainment and cultural venues, as well as the Brightline train station. It is one of the many developments built or under construction in Miami-Dade’s urban core.

“We are firm believers in these transformational projects that offer work, living and play,” Lee of citizenM said. “We are bullish on transit-oriented projects and its potential to change how markets move.”

The hotel has a bar, several gathering spaces and a rooftop pool.
The hotel has a bar, several gathering spaces and a rooftop pool.

The European hospitality firm has hotels under development in Dallas, Paris, Dublin and Rome. The Miami Worldcenter site is the chain’s 30th hotel.

“We have been interested in Miami as a very relevant city and market for us,” Lee said. “One, it is the business and cultural capital as the gateway of most of Latin America. Second, it has this combination of tourism and culture and now it has a tech scene.”

This is the citizenM Miami Worldcenter rooftop pool and deck, overlooking the Freedom Tower, a national historic landmark.
This is the citizenM Miami Worldcenter rooftop pool and deck, overlooking the Freedom Tower, a national historic landmark.

citizenM offers loyal customers memberships. For $12 a month, a membership offers discounted stays, guaranteed availability, room upgrades when possible and access to special programs.

The Miami hotel will make Worldcenter more accessible to a wider range of visitors, said Nitin Motwani, managing partner of Miami Worldcenter Associates, master developer of the vast complex.

“We always wanted Miami Worldcenter to be a place that was inviting to all,” Motwani said.

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Another hotel is also in the works there. Legacy Hotel & Residences, slated to open next year, will have 210 hotel rooms and 310 condos, catering to the luxury traveler with a bigger budget.