Pharrell Williams and David Grutman Team Up Again for Bahamas Resort

Few names inspire instant recognition in the world of Florida hospitality quite like David Grutman. Known as the king of

Pharrell David Grutman

Few names inspire instant recognition in the world of Florida hospitality quite like David Grutman. Known as the king of Miami nightlife and an expert at the top of the hospitality industry, Grutman is the genius nightlife hitmaker behind places like LIV and Story. Another place with Grutman’s name behind it is the Goodtime Hotel in Miami – a collaborative effort that came to life with the help of singer, producer, and entrepreneur Pharrell Williams.

Williams has a habit of turning everything he touches to gold just like Grutman, and the dream-team collaboration netted a hotel that has quickly become one of the most sought-after accommodations in Miami. They also worked together to create Swan, one of the most stylish restaurants in the coastal city. Now, the power pair is teaming up again for a new resort – and it sounds amazing. 

Pharrell + Grutman, Together Again

Pharrell David Grutman

Hearing that Grutman and Williams are working together again is like hearing Simon and Garfunkel have reunited: it’s legendary. They both bring enormous talent to bear, and their varied skill sets have combined to create what could be the blueprint of tomorrow’s Miami. 

In the meantime, they’re working on something new, and it’s happening in the Bahamas. On Atlantis Paradise Island, Grutman and Williams will be launching a brand-new resort: Somewhere Else. CNN reports, “Slated to open in January of 2024, Somewhere Else will house approximately 400 rooms and suites, multiple restaurants and bars, and bungalows with recording studios — with an emphasis on indoor-outdoor flows with lush, freeform landscaping.

Williams, in a joint exclusive interview with Grutman, said that the concept of ‘tropical modernism’ is being reimagined for this new space, hinting at a more contemporary feel. ‘Often, when talking about tropical aesthetics, there’s this harkening back to another time,’ Williams said. ‘It’s like, ‘man, let’s let that time be.’ We’re going for the future here.’”

Shawn Sullivan, partner at The Rockwell Group, leads the design and envisions a fluid sight line, with cascading pools and a heavily landscaped garden entrance, beckoning guests into a polychrome interior decor scheme. The goal is to take away a lot of the rigidity of the current area and let nature guide their hands when bringing the buildings and design elements to life. 

This is the power duo’s most ambitious undertaking, but they have the know-how and resources to make it incredible. It’s impossible to fully imagine just how extraordinary the property will be: they excel at the tiny touches that help create atmosphere and vibe, tiny details that you can only appreciate up close. With just under two years to go until guests can check in, we’re counting down the days. 

Goodtime Hotel Was a Huge Success

Pharrell David Grutman

This endeavor is coming quickly on the heels of their last success. Goodtime Hotel opened to great fanfare in Miami in April of 2021. Celebrities like Timbaland, Alesso, DJ Ruckus, Anitta, Chris Rock, Cuba Gooding Jr and others stopped by to celebrate the new hotel’s opening.

And once they got inside, they were rewarded for joining the opening event: it’s beautiful inside. From floor to ceiling, every touch in the hotel has been chosen to portray a relaxing, zen-like atmosphere that provides an oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of Miami. There’s a touch of irony in the fact that Grutman has helped craft some of the greatest bustle in the city with his award-winning nightlife hotspots, and he also provides the remedy in Goodtime.

CELEB reported on the opening, “[For Pharrell] … the hotel was about offering visitors a way to dive headlong into the invigorating nightlife of Miami and the electric world around them, while maintaining that soul-refreshing escape you’d get from your own private island. ‘We want The Goodtime Hotel to impart a feeling of both revitalization and that rare, exciting thrill that takes over when you discover something special,’ says Pharrell Williams. ‘It’s that adrenaline-fueled sensation of entering a whole new setting and a whole new mindset. This place will provide a natural good time, for all who come through.’

When you sweep through the doors and take in the perfectly appointed lobby, your joy has just begun; you can also enjoy the 45,000 square-foot retail space, or lounge next to the 30,000 square foot pool deck to indulge in treats from Strawberry Moon. Created with signature Grutman style, Strawberry Moon serves Mediterranean-style cuisine with specialty cocktails.”

In less than a year, the hotel is already the place to see and be seen in Miami. 

Atlantis: Paradise Island

Pharrell David Grutman

Known for its brilliant, coral pink towers and marine attraction venues, Atlantis Paradise Island is paradise – contrived and crafted to be perfect. While Grutman and Williams are building on Atlantis, they want to do something a little different. 

Per CNN, “‘We want to do this one differently than what you’re used to from Pharrell and I,’ Grutman said, (Both of their current venues, Swan and The Goodtime Hotel, are tropical in feel — yet they retain notable throwback elements and airs of kitsch and nostalgia.)

‘We’re really going for an emphasis on the outdoors, and experiences that you can have on the grounds of the property, whether in a fun-filled sense or in finding a quiet corner to relax,’ he continued. ‘What we’re not going to have is a nightclub, for example.’”

Part of the new property is anchored by The Beach, an instantly recognizable tower with pink accents. The first hotel built on Atlantis Paradise Island, The Beach is getting a redo from the floor to the ceiling, inside and out. This will help reshape the new outdoor-in approach that the team is imagining, turning the heavily contrived and crafted Atlantis Paradise Island area into a more organic and natural-feeling destination.

It’s a step back from the rigid and itinerary-full vacationing of the ’80’s and ’90’s. Instead of being swept from one experience to the next, a relaxed and organic-feeling destination will allow guests to exist and relax in the moment – and moments are something the Grutman/Williams team excels at creating. 

Somewhere Else is less than two years from opening and we’re wondering: is it too early to start a countdown clock? 

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