When it first opened, National Hotel was one of the largest and most impressive hotels in the area. Its patrons were the wealthy and social elite – jetsetters who came from New York, Chicago, New England, and as far as London and Paris to sit by the hotel's amazing infinity pool or walk along the sands of its untouched beachfront. This reputation of style and serenity continued through the optimistic post-war era, when GIs that had been stationed in Miami Beach for training, now returned to the sunny tropical playground to enjoy some well-deserved relaxation.

In the 1950s and 1960s, National Hotel featured prominently in the burgeoning arts and entertainment scene that was flocking to Miami Beach. Celebrities like Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Ella Fitzgerald and even The Beatles made regular appearances up and down the historic Ocean Drive hotel district and the Collins Avenue beachfront hotel area. It is a tradition that continued through the Art Deco revival of the late 1980s and early 1990s – a time when the film and fashion industry began to take notice of South Beach and, in particular, classic Art Deco hotels like National Hotel Miami Beach. Now, home to celebrities from movies, music, sports and high society, Collins Avenue is as glamorous as ever, with properties like National Hotel serving as a landmark that connects past, present and future.