The new Loews Coral Gables Hotel in Miami, which opened Nov 3, is the second Loews property in South Florida, the other being the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, which started the South Beach renaissance more than 20 years ago.
But the Loews connection to South Florida goes as far back as December 1956, Robert and Laurence Tisch, owners of the Loews Hotel company, opened the Americana in what was then the quiet north Miami Beach enclave of Bal Harbour. In 1980, the property became the Sheraton Bal Harbour, and in 2007, it was was renovated to become the luxury St. Regis Resort & Residences.
As he helped open the Loews Coral Gables, Loews Hotel CEO Jonanthan Tisch, son of Robert Tisch, shared his memories of working at the Americana.
“When I was seven years old I was standing on a box checking in people… without a computer,’’ said Tisch, now 69.
Located just four blocks from Coral Gables’ famed Miracle Mile shopping and dining district, Loews Coral Gables features spa, fitness center, pool and four restaurants and lounges, along with 30,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting space that includes a 9,000 square foot ballroom – the largest in the city.
“Coral Gables is a market in itself,’’ Tisch said. “It’s a community that is proud. And now one that we can call ‘home’ is exciting.’’
The seven-acre, multi-use project has been more than 10 years in the making by Agave Holdings, a group that includes the family behind the Jose Cuervo spirits business. The Plaza Coral Gables is the city’s largest (and most ambitious) project in 20 years. Constructed on land that was once lined with crumbling homes, low-rise office buildings and old warehouses, The Plaza Coral Gables is expected to transform Coral Gables into a premier South Florida destination, with the Loews Coral Gables acting as its luxury hotel.