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The Setai, Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida, United States · The Setai · Grand Luxury
The Setai keeps a restored 1938 Art Deco wing, the old Dempsey-Vanderbilt, at 2001 Collins Avenue, and rises behind it as a tower by Jean-Michel Gathy. One hundred twenty-five rooms share three pools held at different temperatures, and Jaya, the dining room, takes its name from interior designer Jaya Ibrahim. Forbes has rated the house Five-Star since 2014, AAA rates it Five Diamond, and Michelin has given it Two Keys.
- 156 rooms
- Opened 2004
- Neighborhood: South Beach
- Rooms from 500 sq ft (46 m²)
- Architect: Jean-Michel Gathy
- Interiors: Jaya Ibrahim
About The Setai, Miami Beach
- The original 1938 Dempsey-Vanderbilt building sits at the northern edge of the Art Deco Historic District, the first 20th-century neighborhood ever listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Jaya, the signature restaurant, is named for its designer Jaya Ibrahim, who also shaped the hotel's interiors.
- Entry-level rooms start at 500 sq ft (46 m²).
History
The history of The Setai's site begins in 1938, when the Dempsey-Vanderbilt Hotel was built at 2001 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach's Mid-Beach stretch, a few blocks north of the more famous Art Deco concentration around Ocean Drive. The building embodied the streamlined Moderne strain of Miami Beach's interwar architecture: white stucco, horizontal banding, the clean vertical emphasis characteristic of the era's resort construction. Through the mid-century the hotel served the mainstream of Miami Beach tourism, but by the later decades of the twentieth century, as the city's fortunes cycled through decline and revival, the original structure had lost much of its luster.
The project that created The Setai was conceived as a dramatic reinterpretation of the site: the original 1938 Dempsey-Vanderbilt building would be meticulously restored and integrated as the low-rise oceanfront wing of a new complex, while a soaring 40-story residential tower would rise behind it. The architects engaged Jean-Michel Gathy of the Belgian-Malaysian firm Denniston International — known for defining the aesthetic of Asian-influenced luxury through projects across Southeast Asia and the Middle East — to design a property that would draw on the sensibilities of the East: dark teak, bronze, volcanic stone, and layered indoor-outdoor spaces that felt calm rather than showy. The hotel opened in 2004.
The result was singular in Miami. Three temperature-graduated swimming pools stepped in sequence toward the beach, each maintained at a different temperature to suit the mood of the guest and the weather of the day. The suites in the restored Deco wing and the tower were furnished with Italian linens, rainfall showers, and the kind of quiet Asian formality that set The Setai apart from both the high-energy South Beach hotels to the south and the conventional resort properties nearby. Jaya at The Setai, the hotel's signature restaurant under chef Vijay Veena, offered a pan-Asian menu that quickly established itself as one of the most serious dining addresses in South Florida.
The property has held the AAA Five Diamond rating continuously and carries a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star designation, rare distinctions for a Miami property. The MICHELIN Guide awarded it Two Keys in 2025. The combination of genuine historic architecture, extraordinary pool environment, and Gathy's pan-Asian luxury aesthetic has made The Setai a category unto itself on the Miami Beach hotel landscape.
The setting
The Setai, Miami Beach stands at 2001 Collins Avenue in a restored 1936 Art Deco tower at the northern boundary of the South Beach Art Deco Historic District — the first 20th-century neighborhood placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The address sits within one of the most densely celebrated luxury hotel corridors in the Western Hemisphere. The Bass contemporary art museum is a three-minute walk; the Miami Beach Botanical Garden is eleven minutes on foot. The property's dual hotel-and-residence identity within a landmark Art Deco building grants it an architectural authenticity that purpose-built resorts on this strip cannot replicate.
Restaurants and bars
- Jaya — Restaurant · Pan-Asian · Chef Vijay Veena
- Ocean Grill — Poolside · Mediterranean
- Japón — Restaurant · Contemporary Japanese · Chef Vijayudu Veena
- Jo's Bar — Bar
Experiences
- Caviar & Champagne Brunch — Weekend brunch with caviar station, Peking Duck, seafood tower and live dessert display, paired with Louis Roederer Champagne.
- The Kyoto Room Experience — Private dining for up to 14 guests at Japón with a seven-course tasting menu.
- Temaki Night — Weekly Thursday evening of hand rolls at Japón with live Japanese calligraphy and rotating live Japanese entertainment.
- Sunset Hours at Jaya and Japón — Happy hour in the al fresco courtyard, Monday to Friday 5 PM to 7 PM.
- Flavors of India — Weekly Wednesday series spotlighting a different Indian region each month at Jaya and the courtyard.
- Asian Night Bazaar — Nightly performances in the Japón courtyard.
Amenities
- Three pools
- Beachfront
- Spa
- Fitness center
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Private beach
- Water sports
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- AAA Five Diamond (2026)
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
- Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards (2025)
- Florida's Leading Luxury Hotel 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
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