The Clevelander
Challenge
The Clevelander South Beach is known for its unapologetic energy: beachfront pool parties, DJs, bold visuals and a distinctly provocative brand personality. When the hotel decided to open a satellite location inside the newly built Marlins Park, the challenge was immediate and unconventional.
How do you translate a wild South Beach pool-party brand into a Major League Baseball stadium without losing the DNA that made it iconic?
The physical elements were ambitious: ground-level seating in left field, a full bar, DJ booth and even an on-site pool complete with platforms for the brand’s signature dancers. What was needed was a cohesive brand experience that felt unmistakably Clevelander, despite the radically different context.
My Role
Creative and brand implementation lead, responsible for ensuring brand consistency and experiential fidelity across the stadium location.
What I Led
Oversaw the translation of The Clevelander’s brand personality into a live sports environment
Helped adapt visual language, textures and materials to evoke South Beach within the stadium setting
Ensured bold color palettes, playful irreverence and risqué messaging remained central to the experience
Contributed to naming and descriptive language for food and beverage offerings to maintain tonal consistency
Acted as a steward of the brand’s tone and energy across multiple sensory touchpoints
The goal wasn’t subtlety. It was audacious authenticity. If it didn’t feel like South Beach, it didn’t belong.
Outcomes
Opened in 2012, The Clevelander at Marlins Park became one of the most talked-about stadium hospitality experiences in professional sports and an unmistakable extension of the South Beach original.
While the venue was ultimately closed ahead of the 2020 season as part of broader stadium changes, the project stands as an example of experiential brand translation at scale: successfully adapting a highly specific hospitality identity into a completely new physical and cultural environment.