The Elser Hotel & Residences

The Elser Hotel & Residences opened on November 17, 2022, inside a new 49-story tower at 398 Northeast 5th Street in Downtown Miami. Developed by Property Markets Group and Greybrook Realty Partners and managed by Highgate, the independent, all-suite property counts 646 units ranging from studios to three-bedroom layouts, most with floor-to-ceiling windows and views over Biscayne Bay.

The place

The hotel stands in the heart of Downtown Miami, a district that has spent the past decade adding residential towers and cultural venues to what was once primarily a daytime business core. The address puts guests within walking distance of Bayfront Park, the American Airlines Arena and the Adrienne Arsht Center, and a short ride from Brickell, Wynwood and South Beach. At 571 feet and 49 stories, the tower is a ground-up addition to the skyline rather than a conversion, and its height gives the majority of rooms and the rooftop level a clear line of sight over Biscayne Bay — a vantage that Downtown Miami, still filling in around its waterfront, does not yet offer everywhere.

The concept

The Elser is an independent, all-suite hotel designed by Sieger Suarez Architects, the Miami firm behind several of the city's residential and mixed-use towers, with interiors by Cotofana Designs and landscape architecture by EGS2 Corporation. Every one of its 646 units — studios through three-bedroom suites — is fitted with a full kitchen and washer-dryer, positioning the property for both short hotel stays and longer residential-style bookings under a single roof. That dual identity, part hotel and part branded residence, is now a familiar model in Miami's development pipeline, but the Elser's scale, 646 keys inside one tower, is unusually large for it. Amenities lean toward space and outdoor living rather than a conventional lobby-driven layout: a 19,000-square-foot sun deck with electric grills, a 10th-floor pool deck with a plunge pool, an event lawn, and a two-story, 10,200-square-foot fitness center. Guests also have access to a private beach club on South Beach, extending the property's reach beyond its Downtown footprint. The hotel targets a broad Downtown Miami audience — business travelers drawn by proximity to the Central Business District and Brickell, and leisure guests who want bay views and suite-sized space without a resort-district address.

Dining & wellness

ViceVersa, an Italian aperitivo bar in the lobby, has drawn recognition in the Michelin Guide for its cocktail list and small plates, and functions as the hotel's street-level dining anchor. On the rooftop, the Elser Bay Terrace is reserved for hotel guests and residents, pairing a seasonal menu and curated cocktails with unobstructed views over Biscayne Bay and the Downtown skyline. The 10th-floor pool deck, with its plunge pool and sun deck, and the two-story fitness center round out the wellness offer; a dedicated spa is not part of the current amenity set.