Leadership Talks: Brickell Key Maile

Brickell Key is the love of my life. People often struggle to grasp how I could have such an earnest affection for this beautiful man-made island, but it has had a life-changing influence on me. Maybe because ever since its humble beginnings, this bustling oasis has prompted a significant shift in the Miami landscape.

In the late 1970s, Swire Properties had the brilliant vision to transform the 44-acre site off the coast of Miami mainland, formally known as Claughton Island, into what is now known as Brickell Key. Two decades later, Swire had already completed four residential projects and two office buildings on the island, creating Miami’s newest thriving community on Brickell Key. My love affair with Brickell Key began in 1994, as Swire Properties initiated the sales of One Tequesta Point. I immediately recognized the intrinsic value of the property, and I was elated when the agency I worked for was selected to lead the project’s sales. My first collaboration with Swire Properties came at an exhilarating time in my life; I gave birth to my daughter a mere four days after delivering the successful sellout of One Tequesta Point. This moment changed my career trajectory as I subsequently joined Swire Properties’ residential sales team and never looked back.

By the late 1990s, Swire Properties was riding high on the Brickell Key wave with several highly successful developments in the works, including Courvoisier Courts and Two Tequesta Point. At the time, Miami was in its heyday with an influx of newcomers, specifically from Latin American and Caribbean countries, and everyone was clamoring for a Brickell Key residence. Its central location was highly coveted, along with its unparalleled shopping and cultural offerings, not to mention its jaw-dropping ocean and bay views.

Swire Properties excels at listening and understanding the market’s needs, and this adeptness has always been executed brilliantly on Brickell Key. The astute understanding of people’s desires led to the creation of products that perfectly matched the demands of the time. The island evolved to have something for everyone—whether you were part of a large family, seeking a second home, considering investments, or searching for top-notch hotels. In the early 2000s, Courts Brickell Key marked a transition to fully furnished, turn-key properties, while the inception of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel catered to the surging demand for luxurious hospitality options. Swire Properties has always remained ahead of the curve in terms of delivering highly-amenitized developments, and the Carbonell and Asia residences were one of the first to introduce unique features like racquetball courts, dedicated outdoor spaces, and wellness facilities. Brickell Key was so popular that residents didn’t want to leave, prompting Swire Properties to provide quality amenities within the island itself, establishing community spaces like the Village Green and the iconic public Baywalk, which remain beloved to this day. However, if residents do feel the desire to venture away from the Key, they are only moments away from the cosmopolitan center of downtown Brickell, including all the luxurious shopping, dining, and entertainment offerings of Swire Properties’ Brickell City Centre.

Looking ahead, I am thrilled to see the culmination of Brickell Key with The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Miami, a branded residences and hospitality destination that is bound to be a defining landmark on the Miami skyline. The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Miami, will mark an exciting new chapter for the Island as the final development of the most desirable property with unbelievable amenities and out-of-this-world views.

I have loved every minute of my 29-year-long tenure at Swire Properties, and it has been an honor to watch Brickell Key transform from a collection of residential buildings into a vibrant community only moments from the urban core and into one of the most desired places to live in Miami.

— Maile Aguila, Senior Vice President of Residential Sales

Maile Aguila–Senior Advisor for The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Miami