Arlo Wynwood Hotel makes history as it opens in Miami's preeminent cultural district
MIAMI - A historic day for Wynwood as it was opening day for the first hotel to open in Miami's preeminent creative and cultural district, which is home to the largest concentration of street art in the world.
The hotel is Arlo Wynwood.
"We have a pool roof deck and it is a beautiful area. We call this area here on the third floor, Higher Ground, which is an indoor/ outdoor cocktail lounge, and then you've got the main dining restaurant MaryGold's," said Arlo's General Manager Jennifer Hiblum.
This 217-room, 9-story hotel honors what this neighborhood is all about.
"There's over 250 pieces of artwork in total but I would say that 80% of that is all from the Florida artists. It's so important to maintain what's here,' she explained.
Back in the 1990's Wynwood was filled with neglected clothing warehouses and factories before visionaries like Tony Goldman of Wynwood Walls and others changed all that.
"When Tony Goldman saw the warehouse walls, he thought they can be canvases and they thought, maybe we could start putting art on the walls," said Manny Gonzalez, Executive Director of the Wynwood Business Improvement District.
Wynwood has grown beyond imagination bringing in artsists, collectors, and tourists from around the globe.
CBS4's Lisa Petrillo asked Gonzalez what Arlo Wynwood means to the area.
"This is vindication that this neighborhood is maturing and maturing in a way that welcomes everybody," he said.
We visited a local business, The Museum of Graffiti, to get their take on what Arlo Wynwood means to them.
"Arlo did it right and understood what makes this neighborhood special," said Allison Freidin, co-founder of 'Museum of Graffiti".
As the first hotel in this business district, Arlo is like the icebreaker for this district and it is exactly what it needs," said Gonzalez.
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