MIAMI—Downtown Miami’s newest mixed-use tower, Legacy Hotel & Residences, aims to be a model for how hotels can be designed to stay open and operational during future health pandemics. The tower has unveiled early details of a first-of-its-kind medical and wellness center that integrates seamlessly into the tower’s luxury lifestyle hotel. Called CH+P (Center for Health + Performance), the $60-million medical and wellness center will cater to what experts predict will be an increasingly health-conscious society.

In the planning stages for more than a year, the 100,000-sq.-ft. center is being developed by Dan Kodsi of RPC (Royal Palm Companies), who joined forces with healthcare expert Stephen Watson to bring CH+P to life. The two plan to make Legacy a safe refuge for its future hotel guests as well as for owners of the tower’s 274 branded vacation residences, which sit above the 256-room Legacy hotel.

Hotel Business spoke with Kodsi about the project and why now is the right time for it.

Why did you decide to launch a medical center in the hotel? Society is shifting to a more health and wellness-focused lifestyle. Wellness is one of the fastest growing segments in all of tourism today. We wanted to create a luxury lifestyle development that catered to the health-centric traveler by offering access to some of the most advanced health and wellness services available to keep you healthy.

The Center for Health + Performance is a wellness ecosystem focused on the total well-being of each individual, using lifestyle medicine which combines mental, physical and emotional health. Each hotel guest, resident and member is partnered with a healthcare advocate who works with them to create a custom wellness program that works toward their wellness goals.

One of our trophy features at the Center for Health + Performance is the advanced Diagnostics Room, which is a space with comprehensive, AI-led life-size screens that offers 15 tests that can track your health from every angle, including everything from bone density and lung capacity to gut health, and that just scratches the surface. It’s intended to put information back into the hands of patients. This will allow Legacy to serve as a wellness sanctuary where guests and residents can build on their medical history and develop healthier/preventative lifestyle practices. The center will also house a state-of-the-art surgery center for elective surgeries only, allowing guests to fix a back problem, a tooth issue, etc.

It’s a health club where guests, residents and members can have all their health history in one place (plus access to the spa and advanced training). There will also be a space for alternative and complementary medicine, eastern medicine, a CBD bar, herbal baristas, IV vitamins and even hormonal balancing.

What type of guests do you hope to attract with your facilities? We designed Legacy Hotel & Residences for the innovative and cosmopolitan traveler seeking a home away from home. Legacy fills the void for the traveler seeking a downtown hotel with resort-style amenities in the center of it all.

Legacy is also catering to a new wave of luxury consumers who will be increasingly invested in their health and wellness. As the hotel will be directly connected to the Center for Health + Performance, guests will receive access to everything that comes with it—teams of physicians and practitioners, an onsite lab, pharmacy, full-diagnostic center and rooms outfitted with medical gas and ventilator capabilities. This would allow the hotel to remain operational during future pandemics, ultimately becoming a refuge for travelers, owners and members, as well as a resource for the Miami community.

You began planning before the pandemic happened. Did this change any of your plans? Yes, we took new considerations as a result of the pandemic. We’re considering expanding the medical-grade features in the medical center, such as the air quality standards, touchless and facial recognition technology and automated disinfecting robots throughout the entire building, including the hotel and residences.

Do you plan on opening more of these facilities across the country? Yes, the idea is that there will be a number of Legacy projects throughout the U.S. and beyond with similar wellness and lifestyle amenities. We are one of the first developments to focus on preventative health and wellness, and we hope to expand this amenity across the country in the future.