1 Hotel South Beach
Takeaway - if you like sceney hotels with big rooms, lively food and beverage outlets, attentive service throughout the property, good pools, gym, and excellent location on the beach, this is for you. This is a hotel we intend to return to and believe it is worth the market rate.
Check in and lobby - Lobby was full, with lounge and bar busy with people working, drinking, etc. Check in was efficient, with elevators and property layout explained.
Room - I had a rather large two queen layout with a chair, desk, and views of the pool. Nice minibar with a lot of good options. Bathroom design was great, with a strong shower pressure.
Gym - They have a very large gym called Anatomy - more like a local gym than just a typical hotel gym. It had exercise classes, trainers, etc. Gyms are increasingly important for these kinds of resorts, and they invested heavily in it
Pool - They had at leas three pools I saw - a rooftop pool, a center pool (which is where most of the families seemed to hang out) and a "cabana pool," which seemed to be for adults. I unfortunately couldn't use the pool as I was busy, but by 8 AM or so guests started to filter out to the pool chairs and cabanas. There seemed to be a ton of staff available to help out at all times. The number of pools seemed to provide all the options you need. Big bar by the center pool churned out drinks and food for everyone.
Beach - Probably my favorite part of the stay. Walked out to the beach, immediately set up with chairs, towels, etc by staff members. There was pretty frequent attending my hotel staff in terms of ordering food and drinks. The beach itself was full every day with sunbathers / swimmers, all of whom seemed pretty happy. I was served a great daiquiri and Mahi Mahi Caesar salad on the beach for lunch.
Bars and Restaurants - Obviously several options here. The main bars we spent time at were the lobby bar (which both had an actual bar and lounge service provided to seats in the lobby) and "Watr," which is the rooftop bar. In many ays, Watr is the focal point of the resort - a huge rooftop where you can get very expansive views of Miami Beach. Both bars were very packed basically all day, with the top bar in particular attracting a constant stream of good looking people. Food service was OK when we had lunch up there, drink service in the evening was a bit quicker. But overall the drinks, pool, people, views, etc make it a very fun experience being up thee. The lobby bar was also cool, with nice drink specials, serviceable food, etc. There was a breakfast option (Habitat) that serves a standard resort buffet (at $70+), but I didn't sample it. They also service dinner. There is also an STK on premise. One knock may be there is no "fine dining" option for dinner, but not sure how many people go for those anyway.
Spa, Kids Club, etc. These were all available - I didn't check them out as I wasn't using them, but you can find feedback online.
Beach Club - there is I think a "beach club" party most weekend days and nights, with DJs, drinks, brunch, etc. I didn't go, but many may enjoy.
Meeting rooms / event space - they have good outdoor and indoor space for meetings, if people need them.
Is it luxury? Don't really know or care. It is a large hotel, with over 400 rooms. There are smaller, quieter options that many posters may prefer more. However, I think the service was pretty good for the size of the property, and what you are really paying for here are the location, pools, weather, drinks, gym, and the people watching. The hotel really delivered on all of that. I was there for part work and part play - colleagues, friends, etc all remarked on how much they loved the place and how they can't wait to return. I intend to return ASAP.