Key International unveils $15M renovation for Marriott Stanton South Beach

The Marriott Stanton South Beach is in the midst of a yearlong, $15 million renovation, owner Diego Ardid told The Real Deal. 

Ardid, co-president of Key International, said the first restaurant, Lolos Surf Cantina reopened last month and the second, a Japanese restaurant called Azabu, is slated to open around May. Plan Do See, a hospitality company based in Japan, is operating both restaurants, which span 2,850 square feet and 4,000 square feet, respectively.

The revamp follows a roughly $10 million renovation of the Marriott Stanton’s guest rooms in 2014. Key International bought the historic property at 161 Ocean Drive in the late 1990s for $3.8 million and completed the 224-room hotel in 2000. The last phase of this latest renovation will include a “beach club experience,” which Ardid said will include a casual restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“The idea was to make it very attractive to all of the locals in the area, like a neighborhood spot,” he said, adding that the company hasn’t determined whether it will be a membership service.

Key International will add a spa to the hotel, as well as a modern barista counter and new case goods and artwork to the current Starbucks that’s onsite. Last year, improper renovations to the Starbucks were halted when residents noticed interior work was underway without a permit, the Miami Herald reported at the time. The original structure, built in 1939, was designed by Anton Skislewicz.

NFC will operate the 1,500-square-foot spa, which will offer massages, facial and body treatments, manicure and pedicures, a hair salon and wellness programs, according to a press release.

The hotel owner is financing the project with its own equity, Ardid said.

Key International, based in Miami, focuses on hospitality real estate but is also developing the Harbour, a luxury condo project in North Miami. The family-owned company owns the Eden Roc in Miami Beach and hotels in Gainesville, Savannah and St. Augustine.

In July, Key International paid about $10 million for a beachfront site in Fort Lauderdale, where it plans to build a 10-story hotel. Ardid said a flag for that project has not yet been announced.