sbe's Sam Nazarian Bottles Up His Hospitality Recipe for Everyday Living in Miami’s Edgewater

For more than two decades, Sam Nazarian has helped shape the global language of lifestyle hospitality. From iconic hotel brands like SLS, Mondrian, and Delano to billions of dollars in branded residential sales across Miami, Dubai, Latin America, and Europe, his portfolio has consistently blurred the lines between where people stay, live, and connect. Now, with the launch of HQ Residences, Nazarian believes the next chapter of lifestyle living has arrived, and it’s being written in Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood.

HQ Residences marks the first residential expression of the HQ brand, a concept Nazarian and longtime partner Marc Anthony have been quietly developing over the last several years. While the project carries all the hallmarks of luxury design, forward architecture, curated amenities, and celebrity-backed partnerships, Nazarian is quick to point out that HQ is intentionally built for a new generation of buyers.

“We really wanted to create something for the next 20 years,” he says. “A product that’s authentic to millennial and Gen Z buyers, people who identify deeply with hospitality brands but want something more approachable, more integrated, and more community driven.”

A New Definition of Accessible Luxury

At its core, HQ Residences challenges a growing trend in Miami ultra luxury hospitality-branded towers that feel increasingly out of reach for younger professionals and families. With residences priced roughly between $900,000 and $1.5 million, HQ positions itself as a luxury product without the intimidation factor.

“Accessibility matters,” Nazarian explains. “We’re building a high-end product, but at a price point that allows people actually to live in it, not just invest in it.”

Unlike condo hotel models or short-term rental-heavy developments, HQ Residences is designed entirely for owners. That distinction, Nazarian believes, fundamentally changes the energy of a building.

“You’re living with people who are invested in the community,” he says. “That creates a completely different experience.”

Wellness, Longevity, and the ‘Software’ of Living

One of HQ Residences’ most defining elements is its emphasis on wellness and longevity, not as buzzwords, but as a fully integrated lifestyle system. Partnering with wellness visionary Cade Sirhan, co-founder of The Well, Nazarian and his team have positioned the building’s most premium real estate, the top floors, as a hub for health, human performance, and recovery.

“We didn’t hide the amenities on top of a parking podium,” he notes. “We put them where they belong, at the top of the building.”

Residents gain access not only to in-building wellness programming but also to a broader ecosystem that includes diagnostics, preventative medicine, and optimization services through partnerships like Fountain Life and Tony Robbins’ wellness platforms. The idea, Nazarian explains, is to look at wellness holistically.

“It’s not just cold plunges or red light therapy,” he says. “It’s diagnostics, data, optimization, and personalization. A 360-degree view of your health.”

This emphasis on what Nazarian calls the “software” of living, how a building operates, evolves, and serves its residents over time, is a recurring theme.

“People don’t just want beautiful hardware anymore,” he says. “They want to know how it performs for their life.”

Food, Culture, and Personality at the Forefront

Hospitality has always been about more than rooms and amenities for Nazarian; it’s about personality. At HQ Residences, that philosophy comes to life through integrated food and beverage concepts, including Toma, the global Latin-inspired brand he co-founded with Sofia Vergara.

“Food is lifestyle,” Nazarian says simply. “It’s how people connect.”

The building will also feature a rooftop speakeasy curated by Marc Anthony, bringing cultural energy and authenticity into the residential experience. For Nazarian, these aren’t celebrity endorsements, they’re creative partnerships.

“Putting a name on a building is easy,” he says. “But bringing real personality, real involvement, that’s what makes the difference.”

Why Edgewater and Why Now

Choosing Edgewater as HQ Residences’ flagship location was no accident. Nazarian sees the neighborhood as the natural evolution of downtown and Brickell, one that offers waterfront living without the congestion and intensity of Miami’s densest corridors.

“Edgewater reminds me a lot of Coconut Grove,” he says. “It has history, walkability, and authenticity. It’s connected to everything: Design District, Wynwood, Brickell, but still feels like a neighborhood.”

With Miami continuing to attract global attention ahead of major events like FIFA and beyond, Nazarian believes Edgewater is poised for long term growth.

“It’s one of the last places where you can still get incredible bay views and a real sense of community,” he adds.

Building the Future of Lifestyle Residential

HQ Residences may be the first of its kind, but it won’t be the last. Nazarian confirms that additional HQ residential projects and even branded multifamily concepts are already in discussion.

“The world has changed,” he says. “You don’t need to be in the same four cities anymore to build a global brand. What matters is finding great partners, delivering real value, and understanding how people actually want to live.”

After 25 years in hospitality and real estate, Nazarian remains focused on curiosity, collaboration, and connection, the same principles he believes the next generation must embrace.

“You have to be around the people who excite you,” he says. “Bring something to the table. Hospitality, at the end of the day, is still about human connection.”

With HQ Residences, that connection is no longer just a stay, it’s a way of life.