OKO Group and Access Industries announced today a joint venture to develop and build an Aman hotel and Aman-branded residences on Miami Beach, on the site of the former Versailles Hotel, in two buildings at 3425 Collins Ave. 

The Miami project will be Aman’s latest urban development in the United States, joining Aman New York, a hotel with residences under construction in Manhattan’s iconic Crown Building and scheduled to open in Q4 2020. Aman also operates Amangani in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Amangiri, a hotel and resort in Canyon Point, Utah. Aman is led by Chairman and CEO Vladislav Doronin, whose Miami-based OKO Group will develop the Miami project in partnership with Access Industries. 

The Aman Miami project will be a major economic catalyst for the area. The Collins Avenue site is in the iconic Faena District, a prime four-block stretch of Miami Beach that Access Industries turned into a vibrant cultural neighborhood. The more than 1 million-square-foot mixed-use district features top-flight residences, the Faena Hotel Miami Beach, innovative and immersive entertainment, shopping at the Bazaar, restaurants and the Forum, an arts venue. Since opening in 2015, the District has become the epicenter of Miami Beach activity. 

“My strategy for Aman places focus on expanding the urban destinations for the brand after success with similar projects such as Aman Tokyo. As a major global hub, Miami always has been a key location, particularly since I founded OKO Group and already have a number of developments in the thriving city of Miami,” Doronin said. “The Miami and Aman lifestyles are highly compatible. Both are energetic, easy-going and embrace the outdoors. I have been looking for the perfect location for many years, and I am thrilled to find it and to partner with Access Industries.”

Access Industries, founded by American industrialist and philanthropist Len Blavatnik, owns a diverse portfolio of over 6 million square feet across iconic hotels and other commercial and residential properties in the United States, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean.

“Transformational neighborhood investment is a hallmark of Access Industries’ real estate strategy.  The Faena District is now a renowned hospitality and lifestyle destination, and positively contributes to Miami Beach. Versailles expands this mission even further, and we are thrilled to find a partner who shares Len’s insight. OKO and Aman are the ideal partners to develop Versailles and complete the vision for the Faena District,” said Jonah Sonnenborn, managing director and head of real estate at Access Industries. 

OKO Group’s Miami portfolio also includes luxury waterfront residential towers; Missoni Baia and Una Residences; and 830 Brickell, Miami’s first new office skyscraper in over a decade