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Kayak jumps into hotel business in Miami Beach

Travel search engine Kayak in April will open its first branded hotel, the Kayak Miami Beach. It will rebrand the former Life House property, which has been closed due to COVID-19 for about a year. Life House will continue to manage the 52-room hotel as part of a partnership with Kayak.

According to Kayak CEO Steve Hafner, Kayak is looking for other properties, from Los Angeles to Berlin, for future hotel locations. The company, part of online travel giant Booking Holdings, is also exploring a location in the Boston area to offer short-term rental accommodation.

The Miami Beach hotel at 2216 Park Ave. is housed in a landmark 1934 Art Deco building off the Collins Canal, just steps from the beach. Kayak will use the property as a design lab to test and refine software innovations in the accommodation space.

“We created Kayak to compare prices from hundreds of travel sites.  We now want our app to help with the hotel guest experience too,” said Kayak CEO Steve Hafner.  “Kayak Miami Beach is our design lab for accommodation innovations – and a great place to stay.”

“Collaborating with Kayak accelerates our mission to make travel more meaningful and accessible for a wide array of discerning travelers,” said Rami Zeidan, founder and CEO of Life House. “Together with Kayak we’re able to create a perfect hotel experience for modern travelers who are seeking locally-rooted, intuitive hotel experiences at accessible prices.”

Kayak's Steve Hafner (l.) with Life House's Rami Zeidan
Kayak’s Steve Hafner (l.) with Life House’s Rami Zeidan

To start, the Kayak app will provide 24/7 access to hotel staff and support, notifications of on-property events, room-ready alerts, housekeeping requests and more. The tech amenities are designed to make stays ultra-personalized and with as much (or as little) human interaction as guests prefer. Kiosks in the lobby, for example, will provide an expedited check-in experience (with a goal of a 60 second check-in) or guests can use their Kayak app.

In-room connected TVs will offer unique on-demand content, including yoga classes by local favorite Green Monkey Yoga, in addition to access to streaming services for movies, TV shows, and music. Scannable QR codes will allow guests to contact house managers as well as view a digital guestbook with hotel details and recommendations of things to do during their stay.

“Over time, we want the Kayak app to help our users plan and manage every aspect of their stays,” Hafner said. “The big hotel chains have been working on this tech for years and we look forward to leveling the playing field for independent hotels.” 

Meanwhile, the hotel’s back-end software being developed in partnership with Life House can also help independent hotels leverage the Kayak app and capitalize on the latest advances to help make property management seamless, such as cloud-based property management systems, wireless lock and access controls and sophisticated distribution channel management.

Co-working space at the Kayak Miami Beach
Co-working space at the Kayak Miami Beach

The hotel’s design draws inspiration from the local Streamline Moderne architecture and features bold Deco-esque patterning with aviation themed silhouettes in a nod to Kayak’s expertise in flights. An eclectic collection of late 1970s-era Andy Sweet photographs depicting life in Miami Beach are juxtaposed with geometric paintings and tile murals throughout public spaces and guest rooms. Kayak Miami Beach’s interior design elements are rendered in layers of earth tones with warm burnt orange (a subtle salute to the travel brand’s iconic orange logo), dusty greys and jewel blues to deliver a contemporary, yet homey environment.

The rooftop features spacious terraced suites adjacent to private, guests-only sunbathing stations and a plunge pool overlooking the Collins Canal. A wrap-around rooftop houses the on-property modern Middle Eastern bar and restaurant concept, Layla. Reservations for Layla will be available exclusively on OpenTable (Kayak’s sister brand) starting today.

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