Purobeach wants to dive into the Miami market

Purobeach in Palma de Mallorca and brothers Iñigo and Borja Alvarez de Estrada
Purobeach in Palma de Mallorca and brothers Iñigo and Borja Alvarez de Estrada

Purobeach, a luxury beach club with locations from Portugal to Dubai, is scouting sites in Miami-Dade County, with plans to open two hotel locations, The Real Deal has learned.

The upscale lifestyle concept features a relaxed setting with lounge chairs, food and drinks alongside a pool, as well as cabanas, spa and evening activities and retail offerings.

Purobeach is currently in negotiations with a downtown Miami hotel, and is looking for a second location in Miami Beach, company principals and brand franchisees Borja Alvarez de Estrada and his brother, Iñigo Alvarez de Estrada told TRD. The downtown site, which they are not yet ready to disclose, will be an “urban oasis,” and the beachside location an “oasis by the sea,”  Iñigo Alvarez de Estrada said.

“Many of our customers from Europe are coming here, and they want to experience what they have in Europe,” Borja Alvarez de Estrada said during a breakfast panel, “Hospitality Concepts: How to Entice Guests and Drive Revenue,” organized by the Greater Miami & the Beaches Hotel Association at 1 Hotel South Beach on Tuesday.

The Miami locations would be the first year-round sites for Purobeach, which will have 10 locations worldwide by the end of this year, including three in Spain, one each in Portugal, Italy, Romania, Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, and two that are opening this year in Egypt.

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“Miami Beach is a natural for our brand,” said Borja Alvarez de Estrada, who has lived in Miami for seven years. “Ever since we started in Palma de Mallorca we felt that it has always belonged in Miami.”

In five years, the plan is to have 20 locations worldwide, Iñigo Alvarez de Estrada told TRD. With a base in Miami, the focus will be on expanding in North and South America, said T.J. Sabo, Purobeach’s brand ambassador for the Americas. Cities under consideration in the United States include Los Angeles and New York, Borja Alvarez de Estrada said.

The company was founded in 2004, when CEO Beltran Alvarez de Estrada, the eldest brother, bought the brand and saw potential to expand globally, Borja Alvarez de Estrada said. The beach clubs generally target the 35 to 55 age crowd, and are not as loud as other beach clubs, he said.

The brothers thought that by now they would have found a site in Miami, but pinpointing the right location has been difficult, said Seth Gadinsky of H3 Hospitality, who is advising Purobeach. The beach is public property, and “hotels are reluctant to give up their pool,” said Gadinsky, who was also a panelist at the Tuesday event.

“We have been taking our time selecting an ideal location for Purobeach,” Borja Alvarez de Estrada said. “Fortunately, our location does not require us to operate on the beach, and hoteliers are awakening to the value of having an asset like Puro at their property.”