Meliá Residences Miami, Brickell: The Condo-Hotel Buyer's Guide (Pre-Construction 2026)

Brickell has quietly become one of the most active branded-residence markets in the country — St. Regis, Cipriani, Baccarat, SLS, SiRo. Most of those are ultra-luxury towers with multimillion-dollar entry points. Meliá Residences Miami is aiming at a very different buyer.

Meliá Residences Miami is an 8-story, 110-residence condo-hotel rising in the heart of Brickell as Meliá Hotels International's first branded residence in the United States — a milestone for the 65-year-old Spanish hospitality group. It is a fully furnished, turnkey building of studios, junior suites, and one-bedrooms delivered move-in ready, with a professionally managed short-term rental program operated under the Meliá name. In other words, this is a hospitality-first, investor-friendly product — not a trophy-home tower.

The angle here is the opposite of a St. Regis or a Cipriani. Instead of large primary residences and a members-club amenity deck, Meliá is a compact, hotel-operated building designed so an owner can buy a furnished unit, hand it to the Meliá management team, and let it run as short-term rental inventory when they are not using it. For the right buyer, that is the entire pitch.

View the Meliá Residences Miami building page

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Project Snapshot

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The Brand: Meliá Comes to the U.S. (Read This First)

The single most important thing to understand about this project is what kind of building it is. Meliá Residences Miami is a condo-hotel, not a residential-only luxury tower.

Meliá Hotels International is a Spanish hospitality company founded in Mallorca in 1956, operating roughly 400 hotels across nearly 40 countries under brands including Meliá, Gran Meliá, Paradisus, and INNSiDE. Miami Brickell is its first branded-residence project in the United States — a deliberate entry point into the American condo-hotel market rather than a legacy luxury flag.

That framing matters because it drives everything about the product:

• Units are small and efficient — studios, junior suites, and one-bedrooms, not multi-bedroom trophy homes.
• Everything is furnished and turnkey — you are buying a finished, move-in-ready hospitality unit, not a raw shell you build out.
• The economics are rental-first — the building is designed around a Meliá-managed program that puts your unit into hotel-style short-term inventory when you are not using it.

If you are comparing Meliá to St. Regis, Cipriani, or the top luxury Brickell towers, you are comparing two different asset classes. This is closer to SiRo Brickell — another hospitality-branded, rental-friendly Brickell condo-hotel — than to a bayfront mansion in the sky.

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The Design Team

Public sources credit the project's design and interiors to a Miami-based team rather than a marquee starchitect:

• Architecture: attributed to DTI Architects and to Concepto Taller de Arquitectura across different sources — the naming is not fully consistent in public materials.
• Interior design: Adriana Hoyos Design Studio is credited with the residential interiors and amenity spaces, with Concepto also cited for the rooms.

The design brief is hospitality-driven: efficient, fully furnished units with wellness touches (the developer has referenced features like circadian lighting and grounding mattress pads), aimed at short-stay comfort and easy operation rather than bespoke customization. The building is also pursuing LEED Silver certification.

Because the architecture/interiors credits vary between sources, confirm the final design team directly with the sales gallery if that detail matters to your decision.

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Location: Inland, Walkable Brickell

Meliá Residences sits at 1120 SW 3rd Avenue (some listings cite 1136 SW 3rd Ave), on the inland, transit-adjacent side of Brickell rather than the bayfront. That is a natural fit for a short-term-rental building — proximity to the restaurants, offices, and transit that drive weekday and weekend demand.

The trade-off versus a bayfront tower is straightforward: you give up direct water frontage and views in exchange for a walkable, amenity-rich, transit-connected location — exactly the profile that performs for nightly and weekly rentals. For an investor-oriented condo-hotel, that is arguably the better address.

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The Residences

All units are delivered fully furnished and move-in ready — a defining feature of the building. Rather than the large multi-bedroom layouts of Brickell's trophy towers, Meliá is built around compact, efficient hospitality units.

Floor Plan Mix (approximate)

• Studios: from roughly 321 sq ft
• Junior suites: mid-size layouts between studios and one-bedrooms
• One-bedrooms: from roughly 540 sq ft
• Overall residence sizes are reported in the ~490–675 sq ft range across types

Each residence comes furnished and equipped for hospitality use — developer materials reference contemporary furnishings and large smart TVs — so a unit can go into the rental program on day one without a buildout.

The Rental Program (the investor angle)

This is the feature that sets Meliá apart from a standard Brickell condo. Owners can enroll their unit in a professionally managed, hotel-style short-term rental program operated under the Meliá brand. In practice that means the operator handles bookings, guest services, housekeeping, and turnover, and the owner shares in the revenue — a hands-off way to own income-producing Brickell real estate under a recognized hospitality name.

As with any condo-hotel program, the specific revenue split, management fees, owner-usage limits, and reserve requirements are contractual and materially affect your returns. Get the actual program agreement and model it before you contract — do not underwrite off a headline yield.

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Amenities: A Hotel Operating Model

Because Meliá operates the building as a branded hospitality property, amenities and services lean hotel rather than residential-club. Published and expected amenities include:

• Rooftop panoramic jacuzzi and outdoor terraces
• Pool / pool deck and social lounges
• Wellness center with fitness facilities and a massage / relaxation space
• Restaurant and bar with an outdoor terrace
• 24/7 concierge and security
• Daily housekeeping and room service (hospitality-style)
• Valet parking and shuttle transportation
• Business center / coworking areas
• Wellness-oriented in-room touches (circadian lighting, grounding mattress pads)

The value here is operational: full-service hotel amenities and staff, folded into a building you can own a piece of. That service layer is also what makes the short-term rental program viable at scale.

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The Developer Team

• Urban Network Capital Group (UNCG) — the Miami-based developer leading the project, headed by Robert Thorne. UNCG has focused on hospitality-driven and branded-residence development.
• Concepto Capital Group — a development partner referenced alongside UNCG.
• Meliá Hotels International — the brand operator, bringing its hospitality standards and management platform. This is Meliá's first U.S. branded residence.
• T&G Constructors — the general contractor.

For a condo-hotel, the operator's track record matters as much as the developer's, because the operator runs the building — and your rental income — for years after delivery. Meliá's global hotel operating history is a meaningful part of the underwriting here. As always with newer developer names, verify the team's delivery record and the operator agreement before committing.

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Construction Status & Timeline

The building topped off structurally in May 2026, with an expected opening in 2027. As with any pre-construction purchase, confirm the specific closing timeline tied to your unit — it drives your deposit schedule and the date your rental income can begin.

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Pricing Reality

• Entry pricing has been reported from roughly $600,000 for the smallest furnished units.
• Pricing scales up through junior suites and one-bedrooms and by floor and exposure.
• Because units are furnished and turnkey, the sticker price bundles the furniture package — factor that in when comparing to an unfurnished Brickell condo on a per-square-foot basis.

Published pre-construction pricing is a snapshot, not a quote. Availability, furniture packages, and developer incentives shift with each release, and the best current pricing rarely matches what circulates on aggregator sites. Confirm live numbers through the sales gallery and your buyer's agent.

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Who This Building Is For

1. The Hands-Off Brickell Investor

You want income-producing Brickell real estate without managing it yourself. A furnished unit in a Meliá-run short-term rental program lets you own the asset while the operator handles bookings, guests, and turnover. The rental economics are the whole reason to buy here.

2. The Lock-and-Leave Seasonal User

You want a small, furnished Brickell base you can use part of the year and rent the rest, under a hospitality brand that keeps it staffed and serviced. The studio and junior-suite layouts are the efficient way in.

3. The Entry-Point Branded-Residence Buyer

You like the idea of a branded residence but not the multimillion-dollar entry of St. Regis or Cipriani. Meliá's sub-$1M pricing is one of the more accessible ways into Brickell's branded-residence market.

If your goal is a large primary home with bay views and a private amenity deck, this is the wrong building — look at the top luxury Brickell towers instead. Meliá is a compact, rental-first, hospitality product.

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Cost of Ownership

A condo-hotel has a different cost structure than a standard condo. Beyond purchase price, budget for:

• HOA / hotel operating fees: Branded, fully serviced condo-hotels carry higher monthly costs than a standard condo, because you are funding hotel-level staffing and services. Model your specific unit's monthly assessment carefully.
• Rental program economics: The management company takes a share of rental revenue and charges program fees; owner-usage may be capped. These terms directly determine your net yield — read the operator agreement in full.
• Property taxes: Miami-Dade ad valorem taxes generally run ~1.6–2.0% of assessed value annually.
• Insurance: Condo HO-6 plus wind coverage; short-term-rental use can affect coverage and cost.
• Deposit schedule: Florida pre-construction typically stages deposits from contract through closing — understand exactly what is at risk and when.

For an income-oriented purchase, build a full pro forma — occupancy, average daily rate, the management split, HOA, taxes, and insurance — not just the headline yield. Condo-hotel returns are highly sensitive to the program terms.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Meliá Residences a hotel or a condo?

Both — it is a condo-hotel. You own your unit as real estate, and the building is operated as a Meliá-branded hospitality property with hotel-style services and an optional managed rental program.

Can I put my unit on Airbnb or rent it short-term?

Short-term rental is central to the concept. Owners can enroll in a professionally managed hotel-style rental program operated under the Meliá brand, which handles the bookings and operations. Confirm the exact program terms — including whether independent listing is permitted — in the condo and program documents.

How many units are there and how big are they?

Roughly 110 residences (sources cite 110–111) across ~8 stories — studios (from ~321 sq ft), junior suites, and one-bedrooms (from ~540 sq ft), generally in the ~490–675 sq ft range.

Are the residences furnished?

Yes. Every unit is delivered fully furnished and move-in ready, which is a defining feature and lets a unit enter the rental program without a buildout.

Who is the developer and operator?

Developer Urban Network Capital Group (UNCG) (with Concepto Capital Group), operated under the Meliá Hotels International brand — Meliá's first U.S. branded residence. T&G Constructors is the builder.

When will it be delivered?

The building topped off structurally in May 2026, with an expected opening in 2027. Confirm the closing date tied to your specific unit.

How much do units cost?

Reported pricing starts around $600,000 for the smallest furnished units and rises by type, floor, and exposure. The furniture package is bundled into the price.

What's the address?

1120 SW 3rd Avenue, Miami, FL 33130 — some listings cite 1136 SW 3rd Ave. Confirm the exact legal address in your contract.

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How to Buy at Meliá Residences Miami

A condo-hotel is as much an operating-business decision as a real-estate one. Before contracting:

1. Get the rental program agreement — the revenue split, management fees, owner-usage caps, and reserves determine your actual return. This is the single most important document.
2. See current inventory and pricing by unit type, floor, and exposure. Public numbers are rarely the live ones.
3. Compare head-to-head with Brickell's other hospitality and branded options — SiRo Brickell for another rental-friendly condo-hotel, the top luxury Brickell towers for the trophy end, and the broader Brickell neighborhood guide for context on where this fits.
4. Model the full pro forma — occupancy, ADR, the management split, HOA, taxes, and insurance — and understand your deposit at risk under Florida pre-construction law.

Visit the Meliá Residences Miami building page for current inventory, floor plans, and to schedule a private appointment with our team.

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This guide is for educational purposes. Pricing, availability, unit counts, and project specifications are drawn from the developer's and public sources' most recent materials and are subject to change without notice. Consult your real estate attorney and tax advisor before contracting on any pre-construction unit.