Setting the trend for communal sleeping, emerging boutique hotel brand Life House will be unveiling its third property in Miami in February, with another four US locations to follow in the first half of 2020. Emily Eastman reports
When Life House entered the scene in December 2018, it said it was targeting “mature millennials” with cheaper – yet extremely stylish – boutique hotel stays. It’s a vision that Life House has continued to draw on with its forthcoming South of Fifth Miami property.
Situated on a short distance from the ocean but far from the noise of South Beach tourists, Life House South of Fifth Miami describes itself as “an eclectic yet curated beach cottage”. Contained within a renovated 1930s Tudor-style home, the property has all the hallmarks of a classic beach retreat – but with a twist.
In line with its objective of attracting older Gen Ys in their thirties, Life House has designed rooms specifically with adult groups and families in mind. The Quad Rooms feature Life House’s proprietary bunk beds, which include proper stairs, full-size mattresses, privacy curtains and individual power outlets.
The design narrative of the hotel is that of an artisan’s eclectic beach house. Whitewashed wood plank walls surround communal spaces. Splashes of colour, art and and texture give the space a homely feel, and offer a welcome retreat from the busy streets of Miami.
Inside, guests can select from a creative food and drinks menu at Pretty Swell cafe. Options include fresh-pressed juices, a beetroot lentil burger, kebab tacos and papaya bibimbap. Cocktails incorporate locally sourced herbs and fruits charred on-site.
Other lifestyle amenities from the Life House brand include the Entry Garden lounge, which has plants from a local nursery, Flex co-working spaces, a pop-up retail space, and rooms with luxury Diptyque scents, Le Labo toiletries, Marshall speakers and Revival linens.
The first Life House hotel was a 33-room property in Little Havana, also in Miami. Speaking to The Points Guy, co-founder and CEO Rami Zeidan said at the time: “People do not have to choose between the experience they want and what they can afford. We are catering not only to those that can’t afford luxury hotels, but to those who want a luxury experience that [resonates], but don’t want to feel like they overpaid for it.”
Booking a Bohemian Quad room at Life House Little Havana with four bunks for four people, for example, costs about US$300 including tax, which equates to just US$75 per person. Overall, rooms average US$149 a night.
The next openings will be in Denver, in May 2020; Miami Beach and Bushwick in Brooklyn – also in the spring; and Nantucket in the summer.
The Life House Lower Highlands hotel in Denver will have more bunk bed rooms than traditional rooms, including a bunk bed room for eight people. “It’s another sign of our push to make group travel more meaningful and more accessible,” a Life House spokesperson tells Globetrender.
