The Betsy Hotel South Beach, Miami
The Betsy Hotel, situated on Ocean Drive, is a landmark that feels more like a cultural foundation than a typical resort. Originally opened in 1942 as The Betsy Ross, the hotel is unique for being the area’s sole surviving example of Florida-Georgian architecture. Designed by architect L. Murray Dixon, it famously served as a sanctuary for soldiers during World War II before evolving into the stylish retreat it is today.
A defining feature of the property is its “orb,” a sculptural skybridge that connects the historic hotel building to its adjacent Art Deco wing. Beyond its striking architecture, the hotel is deeply committed to the arts. It hosts a renowned writer’s room—a nod to the literary salons of the 1940s—and features a “Poetry Rail” outside that showcases verses by notable writers etched into steel.
The interior design blends timeless elegance with whimsical touches, featuring terrazzo floors, Italian chandeliers, and custom touches curated by the owners. Guests can enjoy daily sunrise yoga on the rooftop or relax at the serene courtyard pool.
For those looking to explore, the hotel is perfectly positioned in the heart of the Art Deco Historic District. You are just steps away from the soft sands of Lummus Park Beach, while cultural hotspots like The Wolfsonian-FIU museum and the vibrant shopping of Lincoln Road are only a short walk or drive away. It is an ideal base for experiencing the sophisticated side of South Beach.
Expert reviews
“One of South Beach’s finest hotels, the Betsy has a classy vibe with excellent service and first-rate amenities. The historic gem has two wings, with rooms set in either a colonial style or an art-deco aesthetic.”
“An art deco treasure elegantly refurbished and totally retro-chic, The Betsy sits directly on world-famous Ocean Drive and delivers the full-throttle South Beach experience with style, pizzazz and cultural twist—the Betsy offers cultural programs year-round such as poetry readings, live jazz, and art shows.”
Featured as Fodor’s Choice in Miami.
“The Betsy — South Beach stands out on the skyline of Ocean Drive. Located in the Art Deco district, about a half a block from the northern end of the strip, the hotel has reigned as a landmark for more than seven decades.”
“A rare colonial-style building in the heart of the Art Deco District on Ocean Drive, The Betsy is a stylish boutique hotel with a cultural mission, regularly hosting jazz evenings and literary events. In addition, it boasts a beautiful rooftop garden, two pools and a wide array of dining options.”
What guests liked
- Rooftop pool
- Friendly staff
- Free Wifi
- Top location
- Comfortable beds
- South Beach
Location
Recent guest reviews
18 March 2026
Well run, comfortable hotel in the best location.
Individual, comfortable, great helpful staff, superb location with great beach facilities.
Two buildings combined which meant two lifts to reach room, but hardly that complicated once mastered.
12 March 2026
Loved this place, hopefully we get to return one day soon
Loved it
The location was really good.
Loved the decor.
The staff were lovely
Absolutely everything is was first class
10 March 2026
very satisfied stay
room, roof top pool, location, hotel atmosphere are all very nice
8 March 2026
Ideal location, dog friendly, charming
Dog friendly (even though I don’t have one), location and unique
There were 2 lifts not working the whole time we were there
6 March 2026
The Betsy nails it again! Thank you all!!
Another amazing stay at The Betsy!
This was our eighth stay over the past 15 years, and The Betsy was as wonderful as ever. It remains the best luxury hotel we have experienced in South Beach.
What truly makes this hotel exceptional is the staff. After visiting for so many years, we have noticed that many of the team members remain the same, which says a great deal about the owners and management. Christopher, the front desk manager who checked us in, is fantastic! Friendly, welcoming, and incredibly approachable. He is exactly the kind of person you want greeting guests on arrival. His colleagues at the front desk and bell staff; Fritz, George, and Angel were equally competent, attentive, and kind.
We dined for lunch and dinner each day at the hotel’s restaurant, LT. The food and wait staff were outstanding. Last year we noticed a slight dip in the quality of the food, but this year it was better than ever. It seems the chef may have changed, because every meal was excellent.
We are so grateful to have a hotel like The Betsy to return to year after year, and we are already looking forward to our next visit. Well done to the wonderful owners and the incredible staff who make this place so special.
It would be great if they could up date their TV’s to Smart TV’s so guest can stream.
6 March 2026
Great Location in Miami Beach at a Unique, Classy Hotel
Great location and pretty hotel. Enjoyed the rooftop pool though it does not have a view of the beach.
The room was incredibly small for the price - $3K for3 nights. There was barely room to navigate around. If it weren’t for that, I enjoyed the stay.
5 March 2026
Great stay on South Beach, great hotel and location. Beach and food were sublime.
The location was fabulous, and the service, quality and comfort of the stay really good. The food we excellent too.
Room was a bit small er than we imagined, but we were only there a few nights so it didn't matter really.
21 February 2026
5th time even better than the 1st!
My 5th stay at The Betsy with my wife! Always a great time. See you soon!
20 February 2026
One night not long enough
Great atmosphere & beautiful hotel . Our Room was really small but otherwise lovely ..
Location & style
16 February 2026
Excellent stay. Would definitely go back. The hotel needs to spend to get the building back to what it should be.
Location
The hotel needs to be refurbished.
4 February 2026
We had a great stay. We really enjoyed our time at the Betsy
Location
Staff
Bars and roof top pool
Size of the room as small.
2 February 2026
Nice enough hotel and well located. Not a super luxurious 5star if that is what you are after
Good location
Service was nice
Quirky and unique
Rooms could have been bigger with less clutter - so you have more storage space
Some of the property looked a bit worn in parts
28 January 2026
One of the best hotels I have stayed in
Fantastic location and the grandest hotel on South Beach. A very special time with friends and family to celebrate a big birthday.
23 January 2026
Amazing girls weekend getaway!
Amazing location!! Staff goes above and beyond. The restaurant food was excellent. Surprise snacks at the pool and delicious challah. Charming ambiance!
Full size beds. Little things like no hooks in bathroom and leaky toilet.
12 January 2026
Lovely place with extremely friendly and helpful staff
Very cute, old style but well kept. Loved the rooftop pool and the library, all the art, the orb, and the lobby with live music
The air conditioning in the room was very noisy
8 January 2026
the best hotel in South Beach miami
the hotel is overall first class, location is perfect, the services and facilities are great and Fritzner on the front desk is a real superstar, nothing is too much trouble for him. without any doubt i will be back.
8 January 2026
Excellence in hospitality and service
The were incredibly helpful to us. Chris and Fritzner in particular were brilliant at helping us check in and solve the query we had.
They couldn’t do any more for us and made our stay very comfortable.
The architecture. Two pools. Reception room with piano
9 December 2025
Peaceful safe homey and clean as can be beautiful libraries 🥰🥰
It was Amazingly the staff was amazing thee ambiance was amazing
More towels and blankets
7 December 2025
Amazing location but over priced for room quality
Position and bar and restaurant area and ambience
The room was not as luxurious as I’d imagine fit the cost and smelt damp due old style air con unit plus pool
Area small and not luxurious - no turn down service
4 December 2025
Expensive for what we got
The room
Breakfast very expensive for what you get
Coffee really bad
21 November 2025
Would stay again.
Historic hotel with great service and friendly helpful staff.
Nothing.
21 November 2025
Excellent hotel with a very professional staff.
Excellent hotel with a very professional and friendly staff. Great location and a good atmosphere.
We will definitely come back to this hotel.
No toilet brush. 🤣
2 November 2025
We stayed for 3 nights and had the most wonderful time, the hotel will ruin you for other hotel stays in the future
Beautiful building and wonderful team of people
23 October 2025
Good for a short stay
Beautiful lobby bar and restaurant
Pool areas
19 October 2025
Amazing stay and friendly staff
The situation and the decorations
Rooms quite small
16 October 2025
Can’t wait onto yo back
Great location staff and dog friendly
Internal balconies
16 October 2025
Our stay at the Betsy Hotel was an ideal vacation experience.
In our opinion, the Betsy hotel has the best location on Ocean Dr.
The room was pleasant, well-lit, and quiet. The staff was great and very professional. Juan, in particular, was very helpful and friendly.
Perhaps you should ban people from playing ball in the pool. That’s the only suggestion I have. Everything else is excellent.
4 October 2025
Thoroughly enjoyed the stay. Very helpful staff
Great location, wonderful staff and nice room
1 October 2025
Cosy homey stay
Amazing hotel! Beautiful interior and great vibe. Staff very friendly. Especially Juan. It feels like a home and you don’t want to leave the hotel at night. Live music in the weekends. Nice pools.
Upstairs is a bit of a maze. All menus are including service, which is nice but it’s seems pricey so you need to know.
26 September 2025
Perfect in Every Aspect.
This is our third year at The Betsy. We fly in from Chile for the week.
The property itself is gorgeous - the design, the artwork and the quirky maze like layout.
The food is incredible (plus they have a great gym if you want to work off the calories!).
But, it always comes down to the service and staff - impeccable - year after year.
We can’t recommend The Betsy Enough - we’ll be back next year!
NA
11 September 2025
Great location and nice hotel with fab food.
We loved the location and the overall vibe. The decor and layout of the bar and lounge was great to relax and enjoy a casual lunch. The food was also fantastic.
Unfortunately we didn’t have hot water for 2 days in our bathroom, in our two rooms. That was very inconvenient and not comfortable. We had to pack up and move rooms. And we felt like we were the issue. Not good.
10 September 2025
Exceptional customer service
We had a flight delay which meant we couldn’t make our original booked date, although we didn’t have free cancellation. I messaged customer service to ask if they would change the date to our new arrival night, which they did without question. I have had other hotels simply ignore the request and keep the money so I very much appreciate their customer service. Hotel was also lovely decor and very comfortable, and quiet despite being on ocean drive. Definitely stay again!
Nothing, lovely property
Hotel facilities
Food & Drink
- - Restaurant
- - Bar
- - Breakfast in the room
- - Snack bar
- - Special diet menus (on request)
- - Kids' meals (additional charge)
- - Wine/champagne (additional charge)
- - Fruits (additional charge)
- - Coffee house on site
General
- - Room service
- - Non-smoking rooms
- - Facilities for disabled guests
- - Family rooms
- - Lift
- - Safety deposit box
- - Car hire
- - Heating
- - Allergy-free room
- - Non-smoking throughout
- - Air conditioning
- - Designated smoking area
- - Shared lounge/TV area
- - Pet basket
- - Pet bowls
Business facilities
- - Meeting/banquet facilities (additional charge)
- - Fax/photocopying (additional charge)
Reception services
- - 24-hour front desk
- - Express check-in/check-out
- - Tour desk
- - Luggage storage
- - ATM/cash machine on site
- - Concierge service
Activities
- - Fitness centre
- - Golf course (within 3 km) (additional charge)
- - Fishing (additional charge)
- - Solarium
- - Massage (additional charge)
- - Windsurfing (additional charge)
- - Cycling
- - Snorkelling (additional charge)
- - Beachfront
- - Evening entertainment
- - Beauty services
- - Facial treatments
- - Make-up services
- - Hair treatments
- - Manicure
- - Pedicure
- - Body treatments
- - Body scrub
- - Body wrap
- - Spa facilities
- - Spa lounge/relaxation area
- - Foot bath
- - Spa/wellness packages
- - Fitness
- - Yoga classes
- - Beach
- - Temporary art galleries
- - Walking tours
- - Happy hour (additional charge)
- - Tour or class about local culture
- - Live music/performance
- - Bicycle rental (additional charge)
Outdoors
- - Terrace
- - Outdoor pool
- - Sun terrace
- - Outdoor pool (all year)
- - Outdoor furniture
Entertainment & family services
- - Babysitting/child services (additional charge)
- - Board games/puzzles
Cleaning services
- - Dry cleaning (additional charge)
- - Ironing service (additional charge)
- - Daily housekeeping
Parking
- - Parking garage
- - Accessible parking
Pool and wellness
- - Rooftop pool
- - Infinity pool
- - Pool with view
- - Heated pool
- - Pool bar
- - Shallow end
- - Sun loungers or beach chairs
- - Sun umbrellas
- - Swimming pool
Miscellaneous
- - 24-hour security
- - Key card access
- - Security alarm
- - Smoke alarms
- - CCTV in common areas
- - CCTV outside property
- - Fire extinguishers
- - Breakfast takeaway containers
- - Delivered food is securely covered
- - Access to health care professionals
- - Thermometers for guests provided by property
- - Face masks for guests available

More photos

3 April 2026
Vibrant hotel in vibrant Miami