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The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Brickell Key, one of the most iconic in Miami, will be demolished this Sunday through a controlled implosion scheduled for 8:30 AM. The operation will last approximately 20 seconds and will be the largest demolition of this kind in the city in over a decade.
The 23-story hotel -along with its adjacent parking structure- will collapse in on itself in less than half a minute, bringing an end to 26 years of history on the artificial island of Brickell Key in Biscayne Bay.
Ivy Fradin, representative of BG Group, the company in charge of the operation, explained to the local media WSVN the mechanism of the collapse: "The main tower will fall first, followed by the parking structure, in a sort of spiral towards itself."
The implosion was coordinated by Swire Properties, the owner of the building, along with BG Group, Controlled Demolition Inc., Moss Construction, and other engineering consultants, in collaboration with the City of Miami, after nearly two years of planning.
To ensure safety, Brickell Key will be closed to traffic from 7:00 AM until approximately 1:30 PM.
Residents within the exclusion zone—a perimeter of 240 meters around the hotel—must remain in their homes with doors and windows closed. Those who wish to leave the island must do so before 7:00 AM.
Barges were installed in the bay to intercept any debris that may fall into the water and minimize the environmental impact of the operation.
Lieutenant Pete Sanchez from Miami Fire-Rescue confirmed to Telemundo 51 the mobilization of emergency resources: "We are going to deploy eight units and we will also have our fireboat in the water, so in the event of a medical emergency where we need to transport a patient, we can use the boat if necessary to avoid delays in the transfer."
For his part, Michael Vega, spokesperson for the Miami Police, added that "there will be officers at every intersection, ensuring both safety and compliance with access restrictions."
Goodbye to a classic of luxury in Miami
The Mandarin Oriental opened its doors in November 2000 with 326 five-star rooms and was a benchmark for luxury hospitality in South Florida for a quarter of a century, hosting celebrities and serving as the venue for renowned restaurants like Azul and La Mar by Gastón Acurio.
The hotel closed permanently on May 31, 2025, sending off its 430 employees. Henry Bott, former president of Swire Properties, acknowledged that since 2023, occupancy rates and revenue per room had not shown an upward trend: "We are not fully capitalizing on the potential."
The iconic hotel gives way to an ambitious real estate project valued at one billion dollars that will transform the area's landscape with two luxury towers: The Residences at Mandarin Oriental.
The new development, presented by Mandarin Oriental, Swire Properties, and Fortune Development Sales, will include a collection of high-end residences, with prices ranging from 4.9 million to 100 million dollars.
By June of last year, the South Tower had sold 50% of its units, highlighting the strong interest in this new symbol of luxury in Miami.
Two towers, extreme luxury, and unparalleled comforts
The complex will cover 20,000 square meters, of which more than 9,300 square meters will be dedicated exclusively to high-end services: 11 swimming pools, wellness spaces with holistic treatments, meditation gardens, two gourmet restaurants, a private wine cellar, and golf simulators.
The South Tower will house 228 residences ranging from two to five bedrooms, with areas varying between 217 and 725 square meters.
The North Tower, for its part, will include 28 hotel residences and 66 private residences, in addition to the new Mandarin Oriental, Miami, which will be a flagship property for the brand in North America with 121 rooms.
The Mandarin Oriental, which has been synonymous with Asian elegance since its opening and a favored destination for celebrities, business leaders, and high-profile tourists, is giving way to an even more ambitious vision, driven by the real estate boom that Miami has experienced since the pandemic.
Miami, the epicenter of luxury real estate investment
Since 2020, the Brickell area and Miami-Dade County in general have become hotspots for the real estate market, attracting investors from around the world.
According to the Miami Association of Realtors, condominium prices have risen by 141% over the past 10 years, solidifying the city as the second largest housing market in the United States.
The new project in Brickell Key not only reinforces this trend, but also redefines the concept of urban luxury in the city, emphasizing a blend of contemporary architecture, exclusive services, and a clear international projection.
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