W South Beach Will Become The Waldorf Astoria Miami Beach
Back in the good ole’ SPG days, we spent several vacations at the W South Beach. For 20K-30K Starpoints (or way back when I used free resort nights to stay here), it was a solid value, though that was before all the kosher restaurants moved up from Miami Beach to Surfside.
I loved when my SPG Platinum status got us upgraded to the 2 level Mega Suite with a plunge pool:
I checked how many points are needed these days, and wow. We have come a long way from when Marriott had an award chart and capped the top rates at 60K ot 85K points…
The W South Beach was renovated during COVID, but it will close on August 18th for renovations, and when it reopens in winter 2027, it will be reflagged as the Waldorf Astoria Miami Beach.
The W brand has been an ugly stepchild since the Marriott acquisition, while the Waldorf brand continues to gain new premium properties.
The switch will be a win for many people, as Hilton offers more valuable free-night certificates that are valid at all Hilton hotels. Hilton also waives resort fees on award nights, something that Marriott doesn’t do.
What do you think of this hotel reflagging?
