As more New Yorkers pour into South Florida every year, their luxury lifestyle expectations are coming with them.
For decades, luxury resi amenities in Miami ended at cabana boys and turnkey fitness centers. Now, as the market matures, developers and property managers are learning that converting a storage room into a yoga studio no longer cuts it. TRD spoke with veteran NYC-based luxury lifestyle operator and consulting firm ELITE Amenity Management about the changing Miami resi market and how they’re bringing their Northeastern expertise to Dade County’s balmy shores.
Miami Luxury Resi Comes of Age
ELITE co-founders Andrew Meditz and Michael Zuchelli started in the New York amenities business nearly twenty years ago, back when amenities were an “afterthought” in even the swankiest condo tower.
“Now they’re at the forefront of development,” explains Meditz, who has seen NYC amenities evolve from sub-level pools and gyms to major architectural components that serve as anchors for huge projects.
While New Yorkers have become accustomed to bespoke amenities and white glove service over the last decade or so, Miami is only a little bit ahead of where NYC was when Meditz and Zuchelli got into the business.
“Right now, there are a lot of key fob access gyms,” says Meditz of the Miami amenities scene. “Some of the newer buildings have done the right thing when it comes to actually building out these spaces, but if you don’t have a company there whose job it is to activate those spaces, they’ll end up being seriously underutilized.”
Simply put, even having a beautiful amenities space isn’t enough if it lacks activations that bring your residents in. This is especially true when your clientele is people moving from high end buildings “on Park Avenue and Fifth Avenue” to Miami condos, following the finance companies migrating their headquarters to South Florida due to tax savings.
“They’re paying big money, from four to ten million dollars, for an apartment. They want to get that service,” emphasizes Zuchelli. “It’s up to us to try and have developers meet those expectations.”
Creating Communities With Amenities
With a critical mass of new luxury construction in the Miami area making it increasingly challenging for developers and building owners to set themselves apart from the competition, ELITE’s expertise is more critical than ever. As Meditz and Zuchelli learned while building their business in New York, successful luxury amenities are more than a marketing bullet point on a website; they’re the center of a community, adding value to residents’ lives on a daily basis when run properly.
Activating those spaces, whether that means hosting a tasting night in a building’s chef’s kitchen or scheduling paddleboard yoga classes in the swimming pool, is what really takes amenities to the next level. When managed by ELITE, amenities help developers sell units or retain renters by building a community among residents.
“People form friendships with other residents when they meet at events,” says Meditz. “Whether it’s a paint and sip night that brings together couples or a pet parade where the dog owners in the building meet, giving residents the opportunity to make friends with one another is invaluable.”
Bringing South Florida Amenities Up To Speed
When it comes to designing amenities from the ground up, “every building has different wants based on their tenants,” says Zuchelli. “So we’ll have a consulting meeting with a client to understand better what their demographics are, and how we would recommend an amenities space being built.”
Due to lengthy construction timelines, Zuchelli and Meditz have to stay on top of the latest trends in amenities. For example, they saw the recent obsession with pickleball coming from a mile away, while simultaneously steering clients away from dedicated spin studios during the height of the Soul Cycle moment because rooms full of bikes were, in Zuchelli’s prophetic words, “a real underutilization of your spend and the room itself.”
In addition to helping South Florida developers design luxury amenities starting during the earliest phases of planning, ELITE works with property owners in making the most of their existing amenities by integrating the ELITE app. For owners just dipping their toe into the amenity management world, this can be a helpful first step in building out a fully-fledged amenity environment.
Each building has its own homepage and discrete environment within the app, where residents have the ability to book services with ELITE certified fitness professionals like personal training and swim lessons. They’re also able to book other types of events hosted by ELITE, from social gatherings to on-demand classes with our ELITE trainers, mixologists, and go-to chefs.
“They can get their own custom lifestyle app and access services and events for a minimal additional cost,” says Zuchelli.”It’s a much more low-pressure way for a building to enhance their resident experience.”
That’s what ELITE did for Palau Sunset Harbor, a five-story Kobi Karp waterfront condo on Biscayne Bay. Instead of hiring a team of on-site staff to run their existing amenities spaces, the building’s management enlisted ELITE to integrate the app and activate their spaces with a wellness program including on site classes and massage therapy services.
“It’s a small spend,” says Zuchelli, “and it’s a really nice feature to add to your package when you’re promoting your building to prospective residents.”
The Next Phase of Miami Amenities
While ELITE helps multifamily developers and operators make the most of their amenities spaces, they’re also eyeing the expanding world of corporate wellness.
“In New York, the corporate wellness side of things has exploded,” explains Meditz. It follows that, as New York firms and their workforces relocate to South Florida, that clientele will expect the same on-site golf pro lessons and spa treatments to which they had access back in FiDi.
From activating existing spaces to designing from the ground-up for multifamily and office buildings, ELITE Amenity Management is bringing South Florida’s luxury amenities up to speed one yoga class at a time. Reach out today to learn more about their consulting and management services in New York or Miami.