The Goodtime Hotel Aims to Be a Good Time for Locals and Visitors Alike

Hospitality entrepreneur David Grutman’s latest business venture is a new Miami Beach hotel that’s a guaranteed good time.

The Goodtime Hotel, which opened along Washington Avenue and Sixth Street in mid-April, is Grutman’s first foray into a hotel with business partner — and singer-songwriter — Pharrell Williams. Much like its namesake, Grutman and Williams aim for guests to enjoy a quintessential Miami experience.

"Everyone has their own energy, and we wanted to give you a space where you can recharge and let loose,” Grtuman tells New Times via email. “The point is to come here and be a part of it. This is where you can come and genuinely have a good time."

Before becoming a hotelier, the Groot Hospitality founder saw his fortunes rise in Miami Beach's nightlife scene, operating LIV at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and Story, which opened in the former Opium Garden space. Later, Grutman expanded his portfolio opening a string of restaurants that feature the nightlife flourishes he'd become known for, including Komodo, Swan, and Papi Steak. The opening of Goodtime Hotel feels like the logical next step for the 46-year-old.

Grutman admits the project has been “in the works for some time, so I’m happy we are finally able to welcome guests.”
Although the hotel's white exterior is nondescript, once you step inside, you’re transported to a pastel-colored world that’s mainly covered in pink — lots and lots of pink.

Large, overarching monstera leaf sculptures frame the poolside at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Strawberry Moon. Golden palms double as light fixtures throughout the library area. The overall color scheme of the Goodtime Hotel — a soft, creamy palette of mostly light pink and mint green — mixed with the wooden and wicker furniture and plenty of flora throughout the interior and exterior, is stunning. The aesthetic is art deco meets Golden Girls. Blanche Devereaux and her three best friends would certainly approve.

Grutman has a knack for business with a Miami flair. In fact, he’s so good at his job, he even teaches classes on entrepreneurship at Florida International University. His projects always seem to encompass elements of the Magic City that appeal to locals and visitors alike.
Guest rooms are adorned with custom bedding and drapes, leopard-print benches — and a pink rotary-dial phone. The 266-room facility includes a 30,000-square-foot restaurant and pool club called Strawberry Moon, retail options, a gym (complete with Peloton equipment), and a library.

“My first hotel needed to break the mold,” Grutman stated in the hotel's press announcement. “I wanted to provide the 360-degree Groot Hospitality experience that our other venues are known for, but I also wanted to add more. This is about providing a getaway within a town that’s already known as a vacation spot. When you arrive at the hotel and walk through our doors, it becomes a full-on adventure. When you’re at the Goodtime Hotel, we want you to feel like your worries and anxieties have been left outside. I am proud to have worked closely with Pharrell to bring that vision to life.”

Grutman and Williams first joined forces in November 2018 for the opening of Swan and Bar Bevy in the Design District.
“We wanted to create a product that is unique to the Miami Beach hospitality scene,” Grutman elaborates in his email. The Goodtime Hotel, he adds, promotes a lifestyle that encourages relaxation with a tropical oasis backdrop.

Ken Fulk designed the hotel with lead architect Morris Adjmi. Raymond Jungles (a fitting name for a landscape architect) handled the vegetation. The final product, which spans a full block in Miami Beach between Sixth and Seventh Streets, was developed by Michael D. Fascitelli and Eric Birnbaum of Imperial Companies.

“Miami is my home,” Grutman says. “It felt natural to open a hotel here.”

The Goodtime plans to incorporate new programming offerings for guests and locals alike. No word on whether Grutman and Williams intend to open additional Goodtime Hotel locations.

The Goodtime Hotel. 601 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 786-687-0234; thegoodtimehotel.com.