West Palm Beach has long played second fiddle to its far more glamorous sister, Palm Beach, on the other side of the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida. The divide was clear: the wealthy came to stay and play in Palm Beach, while those who weren’t quite so well off stayed in West Palm, which also served as the service city to its wealthier sibling.

That said, I’ve always been fond of West Palm, which has been on the ascendency for at least two decades with developments like Cityplace, Rosemary Square, Clematis Street, a bevy of good restaurants and well-preserved neighborhoods like Flamingo Park and El Cid, with their tree-lined streets lined with vintage Spanish Mission and Mediterranean style homes. It was always more down to earth, more dress down casual, a place with wonderful weather and perhaps a slight inferiority complex. But what West Palm really seemed to lack was a good hotel, a place that could rival a few of the properties in Palm Beach.

It may have found it with the recent opening of The Ben, an Autograph Collection Hotel. It is West Palm’s first waterfront hotel, and while that waterfront is the Intracoastal and not the Atlantic Ocean, it is still something to talk about.

The Ben is a 208-room, new-build boutique hotel. The inspiration was the Ben Trovato Estate, one of West Palm Beach’s original homes, where Florida author Byrd Spilman Dewey entertained the likes of Woodrow Wilson and the Vanderbilts. She called her 1892 Victorian home Ben Trovato, which was derived from the Italian phrase “Se non è vero, è ben trovato,” which loosely translates to “Even if it isn’t true, it’s well-invented.”

That’s a phrase that could be applied to the life stories of some of the colorful characters in neighboring Palm Beach. In the case of the new hotel, The Ben seems to have been similarly well-invented, channeling Dewey as the hotel’s muse. She’s referenced throughout the hotel, and there are whimsical collaged portraits and lots of welcome texture in the rooms and public spaces. This is not a white minimalist box of a property. The architecture, interiors and landscaping are all by Coral Gables architecture firm EoA. There are welcome warm browns and beiges for contrast, rich fabrics, and mid-century inspired lamps. There is wood and there is greenery in this sophisticated mash-up of coastal Florida design.

The heart of the hotel is a living-room style lobby lounge and there’s a 24-hour state-of-the-art fitness center. While all rooms offer Turkish linen bedding and La Bottega bathroom amenities, pony up for a water view room or suite on the hotel’s East Side, which offer expansive views of the Intracoastal Waterway.

The rooftop pool deck, with its private cabanas and an outdoor fire pit, and the alfresco restaurant and bar, Spruzzo, one of the hotel’s two restaurants, have a mid-century look that would not be out of place in the set of The Irishman. The views of the Palm Harbor Marina and the Intracoastal are what the city always needed. Cocktails aside, Sunset/Sunrise Yoga on the Rooftop is what will please some guests.

Proper Grit is the hotel’s signature restaurant, under Executive Chef Andre Sattler. It’s been imagined as a Florida Chophouse, which translates to a menu featuring a bone-in pork chop, whole Florida lobster, and tableside-carved Tomahawk steak for two, while main plates include an eight-ounce Wagyu burger, pan-seared scallops, and grilled cauliflower steak. It serves daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as weekend brunch with both indoor and outdoor seating, a  communal-style table for those who wish to socialize and private nooks for those who prefer a t tête-à-tête meal.

So at long last, there’s a place in West Palm Beach to nurse a cocktail, nibble some fresh South Florida seafood and enjoy a breeze from the Intracoastal Waterway. It’s worth celebrating.

Visit The Ben for more information.