Future Waldorf Astoria seeks delay on pool deck and outdoor music plans opposed by Roney neighbors

The owner of the former W South Beach at 2201 Collins Ave., which is being converted into the Waldorf Astoria Miami Beach, has asked the city’s Planning Board to push its decision on outdoor entertainment, pool deck hours and special events from Nov. 3 to December. The request comes as residents of the Roney Palace condominium next door fight the plans over noise.

In an Oct. 12 letter, Akerman LLP, writing for owner 2201 Collins Propco LLC, said the hotel needs time to revise its application and meet with the abutting neighbors. The item and the postponement request are both on the board’s Nov. 3 agenda. The board’s next meeting after that is Dec. 8.

What the hotel wants

On Oct. 6 the board approved the hotel’s new layout of bars and restaurants but held off on how the outdoor spaces would operate, according to the planning staff report and a letter from the Roney’s lawyer. The plans would:

• Raise the pool deck’s occupancy limit from 525 to 1,370 people. The pool deck would close at 10 p.m., but hotel events and special-event permits could run until 2 a.m.
• Add an open-air beach restaurant at the property’s northeast corner, with 224 seats, room for 478 people and ambient outdoor music until 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and until midnight Thursday through Saturday.
• Replace the former WALL nightclub with a members-only lounge open from 10 a.m. to 5 a.m.
• Turn the former Mr. Chow space into a steakhouse run by Major Food Group.

Across six venues, total occupancy would rise by 1,740 people to 3,882, the staff report says. Planning staff said they generally support the project, including closing the nightclub, but raised concerns about the added activity in the rear yard. They recommended holding off on the outdoor entertainment.

The neighbors’ objection

A sound consultant hired by the city to review the hotel’s noise study concluded that music, especially bass, is likely to be audible at the Roney Palace, 2301 Collins Ave. Modeled levels at the condo’s facade exceed the background noise there, the reviewer found. The Roney’s association filed petitions from unit owners. In an Oct. 10 letter, its lawyer, Kent Harrison Robbins, asked that the board’s written order approve no outdoor entertainment at any venue and keep the 525-person pool limit until the board acts again.

The board also required building staff or security on 22nd and 23rd streets around the clock to keep cars from lining up on the street, according to the letter.

Hilton, which will manage the hotel for owner Reuben Brothers, has said the 348-suite Waldorf Astoria will open in winter 2027 after a renovation.