Hospitality Pro David Grutman on Miami, Traveling, and Tennis

Any way you spin it, David Grutman is taking a big ‘ole slice out of life.

The native Floridian is known as “Mr. Miami” for his vibe-y and buzzy hospitality and culinary creations as well as his seemingly endless and genuine connections. On a given day, he can be spotted grabbing dinner with Tom Brady, hanging with family friends David and Victoria Beckham and cheering on Lionel Messi at Inter Miami games.

He’s the founder of Groot Hospitality, with his mainstay creations including Miami Beach’s hottest nightclub, LIV at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, The Goodtime Hotel (which he brought to life with Pharrell Williams) and place-to-be restaurants like Gekkō (which he created with Bad Bunny), Papi Steak, Komodo and Casadonna.

However, as much as Grutman loves the 305, the expansion of his business endeavors has led to more time on the road in recent times. He tells Travel + Leisure that his favorite places to travel for business are Las Vegas and Dallas. 

“It has gone from a city that I didn’t necessarily love for leisure travel, but I get its appeal,” he told T+L of Las Vegas. “Now that I have four businesses [there], I just see how competitive that market is. It gets me so excited to go there. Most people and say, ‘Oh, two days and that’s it.’ I could be there for two or more weeks now because I love the business of Las Vegas.”

In April 2023, Groot Hospitality opened a Dallas outpost of Komodo. And, between late 2023 and early 2024, the company opened Komodo, Papi Steak, LIV and LIV Beach within the new, 3,600-plus room Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

But when it comes to traveling for fun, the father of two often makes it a family affair along with fellow nightlife guru and friend Noah Tepperberg, the co-CEO of TAO Group, recalling recent trip that both families took to Corsica.

“We chartered a catamaran… it was a Sunreef 80-foot catamaran, and we ultimately ended up staying at Domaine de Murtoli,” Grutman recalled. “There were three restaurants, and I was so blown away by all of them. I have never had a more incredible experience in terms of culinary and atmosphere-wise.”

Other favorite destinations for Grutman include Alula, Saudi Arabia, Florence, Italy and a special spot in the Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport — the Air France La Première Lounge with a menu by multi-Michelin-starred chef, Alain Ducasse.

“It’s my favorite restaurant in all of Paris… they have this chicken they roll over and carve in front of you and these bowtie noodles with truffle and ham,” he said.” I go just for the experience… it’s insane.” 

Reflecting on a recent Florence trip in which he stayed at the Florence Four Seasons, he says, “I usually go, see the Duomo and get out. This time around, I was at the Florence Four Seasons for four days… I don’t even know if I saw the Duomo because I loved that property so much.”

What makes a perfect vacation if you ask him? “Family, luxury, and aesthetic all together.”

“With my two daughters, I just want to make sure they are going to be entertained and enjoy the experience. And I want to be able to relax, too,” he said.

And when it comes to keeping a healthy lifestyle amid his travels and whirlwind ventures in the nightlife industry, Grutman tells T+L that he tries to stay as disciplined as possible, with his passion for tennis, giving him a boost.

“I really try, at this point, to calculate when I am going to have a meal, fall asleep and, as soon as I land, I hit a tennis court with my Prince tennis racquets,” he said. “I always have the hotel concierge book me a court and trainer every day I travel. I try my best to book a trainer for the weight room. But, with my racquets with me, I at least I know I’m getting my cardio in.”

Grutman is about as big of a tennis fan as it gets and has closely collaborated with Prince since 2019. He is now the creative director and co-owner of the brand.

“For me, I love stuff that jars memories of when I was a child,” he said. “When I was in middle school and high school, I loved watching Andre Agassi and that whole rock ‘n roll tennis era. And Prince to me was such a big part of that. Everyone to me was playing with Prince and that was the renegade brand. It wasn’t stuffy, it was fun. To be able to reboot Prince, remember its heritage and bring it to today has been awesome.”

As the adage goes, there is no place like home and that rings true for Grutman. His favorite spots to dine include the Miami Slice pizza shop and the cozy Boia De Italian restaurant. On coming home to Magic City, he says with joy, “the greatest part about living in Miami is you are always excited to come home.”