Boutique Art Deco Hotel in Miami Beach Could Expand
By Julia Echikson March 20, 2026 5:30 pm
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The owners of the boutique San Juan Hotel in Miami Beach want to expand the historic property by adding a five-story structure, according to an application to the City of Miami Beach.
The four-story, Art Deco hotel sits at 1680 Collins Avenue across the street from National, Delano and Sagamore oceanfront resorts. The 31,033-square-foot San Juan Hotel was originally built in 1948. Florida corporate state records list the hotel’s owner as entities tied to the Gilani family.
The expansion would rise on the western portion of the 0.4-acre site, facing James Avenue. The proposed plan would increase the number of rooms from 75 to 104 and expande the building’s footprint to 44,755 square feet. Of the existing 75 hotel rooms, 31 will be demolished and rebuilt, while 27 will be restored.
The historic facade will remain, too. The expansion is compatible with development and construction limits imposed by the Museum Historic Preservation District and the Miami Beach Architectural District, per the filing to the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board, which will hear the application April 14.
As part of the development plan, the neighboring liquor store would be redeveloped into restaurant space and a garden. (Attorney Michael Larkin of Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes, the lawyer representing the owners, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
If approved, the plan would be the latest hospitality redevelopment on the block. The owners of the Ritz-Carlton plan to add a 15-story condo tower. The Delano hotel is preparing to reopen this year after closing in 2020 for an extensive renovation.
Julia Echikson can be reached at jechikson@commercialobserver.com.
