Marseilles Beachfront Hotel

A Ziggurat Tower Rising Nine Stories Above Collins Avenue

Robert Swartburg built a reputation on Miami Beach for towers that broke with the horizontal, low rise habit of most Art Deco hotels, and the Marseilles is his case in point. Completed in 1947 for Arkin Construction, it rises nine stories on a 3 bay concrete block frame, stepping back toward a ziggurat roofline with fluted vertical bands and rounded corner eyebrow windows. Swartburg would go on to design the Delano a few blocks south, and the family resemblance in the massing is easy to spot once you know to look for it. The building sits inside both the national Miami Beach Architectural District and the local Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue District.

Why It Works

We picked the Marseilles because it delivers something rare on this stretch of Collins Avenue: a genuinely tall, oceanfront Art Deco building with a named architect and a continuous ownership story. The Mandel family bought the hotel in 1978, extending a hospitality history that the family traces back to 1930, and their multi year renovation has kept the original facade details intact while modernizing the parts that needed it. That combination, heritage architecture paired with a family that has actually invested in it, is what separates a hotel worth recommending from one that simply has rooms to sell.

Why This Location

The Marseilles sits directly on the sand at 1741 Collins Avenue, within walking distance of Lincoln Road, the Miami Beach Convention Center, and the Art Deco Historic District around Ocean Drive. It is a location that works equally well for a beach focused stay or a trip built around the convention center and Lincoln Road's restaurants and shops, without requiring a car for either.

Fast Facts

• Price: Mid range for beachfront South Beach

• Vibe: 1947 Art Deco tower, nine stories, Robert Swartburg architecture

• Rooms: 112, including five oceanfront deluxe and eight junior suites

• Best For: Beachfront stays, convention travel, Art Deco architecture fans

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the ziggurat roofline and fluted corner windows

• Dining: Restaurant Gavroche, breakfast through late night, Collins Avenue porch seating

• Amenities: heated pool, dipping pool, poolside bar, Jacuzzi, direct beach access

• Attractions: Lincoln Road, Miami Beach Convention Center, Art Deco Historic District

The Pool Deck That Anchors a Stay Here

The 2015 renovation rebuilt the pool area around a 1,600 square foot heated pool and added a smaller dipping pool, a poolside cocktail bar, and an eighteen foot nest swing that seats four. Landscape architect Matthew Bukolt planted native silver buttonwood trees, coconut palms, and Brazilian walnut sun decks around it, giving the deck a tropical density that newer, more minimal pool designs on this strip tend to skip.

A Family-Run Hotel With Nearly Fifty Years of Continuity

Hotels on Collins Avenue change ownership often enough that continuity itself becomes a selling point. The Mandel family has owned the Marseilles since 1978 and brought hospitality experience that goes back to 1930, which shows in a renovation that updated the pool and rooms without stripping out the Swartburg facade that makes the building worth noticing in the first place.

Before You Book

Choose the Marseilles for the combination of real beachfront, a documented 1947 Art Deco tower by a notable architect, and a walkable position between Lincoln Road and the Art Deco Historic District. With 1,956 reviews behind a 7.7 rating, it has the track record of a hotel that delivers consistently rather than depending on a single renovated pool deck for its reputation. Book a room on the north side for a quieter stretch of beach, and request an oceanfront deluxe if the ziggurat view from the upper floors matters to you.