Seminars and company events
The Betsy Hotel can host a board meeting for 40, a day of sessions across several rooms, or a reception of up to 600 guests in its open-air Atrium. The hotel stands at 1440 Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, on the quieter end of the Art Deco strip, across the street from the beach.
Nine event spaces are listed on the official site, from the 350-square-foot Boardroom to the 3,000-square-foot Atrium. The Boardroom and the Library each take 40 people and suit executive sessions or a working dinner. The Gallery, on the ground floor, holds 200 for presentations or a launch. For a company retreat the hotel can be booked in its entirety. Requests go to the sales team through a proposal form, and an event calendar shows what is already planned.
The hotel runs an arts program with live music, poetry readings and rotating exhibitions, which can give a company event a cultural thread, and sunrise yoga sessions fit well into a morning agenda.
Weddings and receptions
Ceremonies and receptions take place on the Skyline Penthouse terrace, in the Atrium, the B Bar, on the Rooftop Pool Deck or on the Ocean Front Deck. Beach ceremonies are possible with a City of Miami Beach permit, and the hotel rents white folding chairs and a small table for the officiant. A block of rooms can be held for guests, and events of 50 guests or more receive a complimentary suite for the night of the event.
Rooms and capacities
Atrium: 3,000 square feet, up to 600 guests, open-air and can be tented. Ocean Front Deck: 3,750 square feet on the roof of the Dixon Wing, up to 200, with ocean views. Rooftop Pool Deck: 3,412 square feet, up to 250. LT Steak & Seafood: 1,998 square feet, up to 220. Gallery: 1,184 square feet, up to 200. Skyline Deck: 1,481 square feet on the roof of the Art Deco Wing, up to 180. B Bar: 1,100 square feet, up to 100. Library: 414 square feet, up to 40. Boardroom: 350 square feet, up to 40.
Accommodation
Rooms range from Classic King and Classic Double rooms to balcony rooms, suites, a Royal Ocean View Suite and the Skyline Penthouse. Guests have two pools at their disposal.
Catering
LT Steak & Seafood caters every event, and outside food and drink are not allowed. Menus are tailored to the event, and the catering department handles allergies as well as vegan, gluten-free and kosher requests. Drinks are bought through the hotel unless corkage is agreed in advance. Other outlets include The Alley, the Carlton Room Café, La Ventanita and the Piano Bar, which can host a welcome drink or a late-night gathering.
History and setting
The hotel occupies two wings: the Colonial Revival building on Ocean Drive, designed by L. Murray Dixon and opened in 1942, and an Art Deco wing behind it. It is family owned. The Library, lined with bookshelves, nods to the hotel's literary program.
Getting there
Miami International Airport is about 20 km west by road, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport about 45 km north. Miami Beach has no rail station; the nearest long-distance trains stop in downtown Miami and at Miami Central.
