The bottom line: The Ritz-Carlton South Beach operates 376 newly-renovated guest rooms and suites within the Morris Lapidus-designed historic 1953 DiLido Hotel. The property reopened in 2020 after a $90M+ renovation. Meg Sharpe oversaw the lobby, the Lapidus Bar, the restaurant, pool, club, and spa. Cristian Rubio from HBA reimagined the guest rooms and meeting spaces. Guest rooms feature a palette of ocean blue, warm gold, and rich coffee tones with meticulously-designed furnishings and custom millwork. Amenities include the Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge, a full-service spa, an elevated oceanfront pool, and three distinctive dining venues: Zaytinya, the Lapidus Bar, and the DiLido Beach Club.
The Ritz-Carlton South Beach is the principal Morris Lapidus-heritage Ritz-Carlton-branded South Beach property — 376 newly-renovated guest rooms and suites within the 1953 Lapidus-designed DiLido Hotel framework, reopened 2020 after a $90M+ renovation led by Meg Sharpe (lobby, bar, restaurant, pool, club, spa) and Cristian Rubio of HBA (guest rooms and meeting spaces). Three dining venues anchor the property: Zaytinya, the Lapidus Bar, and the DiLido Beach Club.
This piece is a 2026 configuration analysis of the property — the Morris Lapidus 1953 DiLido Hotel architectural heritage, the 376-newly-renovated-accommodation inventory, the 2020 $90M Meg Sharpe + Cristian Rubio renovation framework, the principal dining programme, and the position in the broader Miami Beach luxury hotel set.
The 1953 Morris Lapidus DiLido Hotel Heritage
The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach was designed by legendary architect Morris Lapidus and opened in 1953 as The DiLido Hotel. The principal Lapidus heritage:
Morris Lapidus: The principal Miami Beach mid-century architectural figure whose other principal projects include the Fontainebleau Miami Beach (1954) and the broader Lapidus-designed Miami Beach hotel anchors. Lapidus is one of the most-recognised mid-century American hospitality architects.
The 1953 DiLido Hotel: The original property opened as the DiLido Hotel — supporting the broader Lapidus-anchored mid-century Miami Beach hospitality framework. The DiLido heritage continues to operate through the contemporary DiLido Beach Club venue.
Preserved through 2020 renovation: The 2020 $90M+ renovation preserved the broader Morris Lapidus architectural heritage while modernising the broader accommodation and amenity programming.
The combined Lapidus heritage is one of the principal commercial differentiators of The Ritz-Carlton South Beach within the broader Miami Beach hotel set. Few peer South Beach hotels operate with comparable mid-century Lapidus architectural-heritage frameworks.
The 376-Newly-Renovated Configuration
The Ritz-Carlton South Beach operates 376 newly-renovated guest rooms and suites — supporting the principal property commercial framework. The room product features:
Cristian Rubio (HBA) interior design:
- Meticulously-designed furnishings
- Custom millwork
Colour palette:
- Ocean blue
- Warm gold
- Rich coffee tones
The combined room product celebrates Miami’s culture and reflects the broader contemporary refresh framework integrated within the broader 1953 Lapidus DiLido Hotel architectural context.
The 2020 $90M Renovation Framework
The Ritz-Carlton South Beach underwent a $90M+ renovation that reopened in 2020. The renovation framework:
Meg Sharpe’s contributions:
- The lobby
- The Lapidus Bar
- The restaurant programming
- The pool
- The club programming
- The spa
Cristian Rubio (HBA) contributions:
- The 376 guest rooms (reimagined)
- The meeting spaces (reimagined)
HBA (Hirsch Bedner Associates): The principal global luxury hospitality interior design practice — anchoring the broader Rubio-led guest-room and meeting-space programming.
The combined renovation framework supports the broader Lapidus-heritage-preserved contemporary commercial framework at The Ritz-Carlton South Beach.
The Principal Dining Programme
Three distinctive dining venues operate at the property:
Zaytinya: The principal restaurant — extending José Andrés’s Mediterranean / Middle Eastern dining concept (originally anchored at the Washington DC flagship) to the South Beach property. Zaytinya is one of the principal contemporary Mediterranean / Middle Eastern dining brands in the broader US restaurant set.
Lapidus Bar: The bar venue honouring the Morris Lapidus architectural heritage. The Lapidus Bar supports the broader Lapidus-anchored historical commercial framework at the property.
DiLido Beach Club: The beachfront dining venue maintaining the historic 1953 DiLido name. The DiLido Beach Club anchors the broader beachfront amenity framework and supports the original DiLido Hotel heritage commercial framing.
The combined three-venue dining programme is one of the more substantial dining-anchor frameworks in the broader Miami Beach Ritz-Carlton-anchored hotel set.
The Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge and Broader Amenities
The Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge: Supports the broader Ritz-Carlton brand-standard club-floor framework that distinguishes Ritz-Carlton properties globally. The Club Lounge provides distinctive guest amenity programming for Ritz-Carlton Club-level bookings.
Full-service spa: Supporting the broader wellness amenity framework.
Elevated oceanfront pool: The principal outdoor amenity venue — supporting the broader South Beach beachfront-resort amenity framework.
The Ritz-Carlton South Beach in the 2026 Miami Beach Luxury Hotel Set
In 2026, The Ritz-Carlton South Beach operates within the principal Miami Beach luxury hotel set with a distinctive Morris Lapidus-heritage Ritz-Carlton commercial position:
Miami Beach South Beach Ultra-Luxury Cluster:
- The Ritz-Carlton South Beach (Morris Lapidus 1953 DiLido Hotel heritage; 376 newly-renovated; Marriott Bonvoy)
- The Setai (Asian-inspired residential ultra-luxury)
- 1 Hotel South Beach (sustainability-anchored)
- The EDITION Miami Beach (Schrager / Marriott)
- Faena Hotel Miami Beach (Faena District ultra-luxury)
- Aman Miami Beach (2026 opening — preview piece available)
Mid-Beach Anchor:
- Fontainebleau Miami Beach (1,600 rooms / four towers; 1954 Lapidus; Soffer-Turnberry framework)
- Soho Beach House Miami (members’-club-anchored boutique-luxury)
Surfside / Sunny Isles Beach:
- Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club (Joseph Dirand-designed; Surfside)
- Acqualina (Mediterranean villa; Sunny Isles Beach)
The Ritz-Carlton South Beach’s structural advantages within this set are:
- The 1953 Morris Lapidus DiLido Hotel architectural heritage (the principal historic commercial differentiator)
- The 2020 $90M+ Meg Sharpe + Cristian Rubio (HBA) renovation framework
- The 376-newly-renovated-room inventory
- The Zaytinya / Lapidus Bar / DiLido Beach Club three-venue dining programme
- The Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge
- The full-service spa and elevated oceanfront pool
- The Ritz-Carlton brand within the broader Marriott Bonvoy luxury portfolio
- The Marriott Bonvoy loyalty integration
- The historic DiLido / contemporary Ritz-Carlton brand framework
For corporate travel managers building Miami Beach premium hotel programmes — particularly with South Beach geographic preferences, Ritz-Carlton brand preferences, Morris Lapidus historic-architecture priorities, Marriott Bonvoy loyalty alignment, or the broader oceanfront resort use case — The Ritz-Carlton South Beach is one of the principal recommendations. The property’s commercial position complements the broader South Beach ultra-luxury cluster (Setai, 1 Hotel, EDITION, Faena), the Mid-Beach Fontainebleau (the other principal Lapidus heritage anchor), and the broader Miami-area luxury hotel set across distinct brand and heritage-framework use cases.
Sources
Public reporting tracked for this analysis includes the Ritz-Carlton South Beach official Marriott page, the Hotel Management Ritz-Carlton South Beach renovation reopening coverage, the Elite Traveler Ritz-Carlton South Beach renovations coverage, and the Hotel Designs Ritz-Carlton South Beach reopening coverage.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the building heritage?
- The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach was designed by legendary architect Morris Lapidus and opened in 1953 as The DiLido Hotel. The 1953 DiLido Hotel framework anchors the broader Lapidus mid-century Miami Beach architectural heritage that also includes the Fontainebleau Miami Beach (1954) and other Lapidus-designed Miami Beach hotel anchors. The historic DiLido heritage is preserved across the broader property through the contemporary Lapidus Bar and broader Lapidus-anchored programming.
- How is the hotel configured?
- 376 newly-renovated guest rooms and suites — supporting the principal Ritz-Carlton South Beach commercial framework. The room product reflects Cristian Rubio (HBA)'s vision with meticulously-designed furnishings, custom millwork, and a palette of ocean blue, warm gold, and rich coffee tones celebrating Miami's culture.
- What was the 2020 $90M renovation?
- The property underwent a $90M+ renovation that reopened in 2020. Meg Sharpe oversaw the lobby, the Lapidus Bar, the restaurant, pool, club, and spa. Cristian Rubio from HBA (Hirsch Bedner Associates) reimagined the guest rooms and meeting spaces. The combined renovation framework preserved the broader Morris Lapidus architectural heritage while modernising the broader accommodation and amenity programming.
- What are the principal dining venues?
- Three distinctive dining venues operate at the property: Zaytinya (the principal restaurant — extending José Andrés's Mediterranean / Middle Eastern dining concept to the South Beach property); the Lapidus Bar (the bar venue honoring the Morris Lapidus architectural heritage); and the DiLido Beach Club (the beachfront dining venue maintaining the historic DiLido name). The combined dining programme supports the broader property commercial framework.
- What amenities anchor the property?
- The exclusive Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge, a full-service spa, an elevated oceanfront pool, and the three dining venues. The Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge supports the broader Ritz-Carlton brand-standard club-floor framework that distinguishes Ritz-Carlton properties globally. The full-service spa and elevated oceanfront pool support the broader South Beach beachfront-resort amenity framework.
- How does The Ritz-Carlton South Beach sit in the 2026 Miami Beach luxury hotel set?
- The Ritz-Carlton South Beach operates as the principal Morris Lapidus-heritage Ritz-Carlton-branded South Beach property — distinguishing it from the broader South Beach ultra-luxury cluster (The Setai, 1 Hotel South Beach, The EDITION Miami Beach, Faena Hotel Miami Beach) and the Mid-Beach Fontainebleau (the other principal Lapidus heritage anchor). The structural advantages are the 1953 Morris Lapidus DiLido Hotel architectural heritage, the 2020 $90M Meg Sharpe + Cristian Rubio renovation framework, the 376-newly-renovated-room inventory, the Zaytinya / Lapidus Bar / DiLido Beach Club dining programming, the Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge, and the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty integration.
