Last summer, we passed by this building--the site of the perpetually-delayed Cipriani Miami--every day. And it was a dead zone. Nothing happening. Which led us to believe the fancy-pants project was dead in the water.

Not so! A Miami tipster sent us this shot snapped this week, along with word that construction was afoot. At last! But. It may not be a Cipriani.

It turns out that the ill-fated Cipriani development was taken over by Argentine hotelier Alan Faena--yes, of the hip Faena Hotel in Buenos Aires. And here's what he has in store for the site...

]]> MsRebecca 2012-01-18T09:14:54-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/10/28/113651/33 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/ciprianimiamidead.jpg" class="top"><p> In following up again on some more <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/9/28/122250/956/hotels/The_Shortlist_of_Shiny_New_Hotels_Coming_to_Miami">shiny new hotels</a> coming to <b>Miami Beach</b>, man about town Gregg Rory Holland ambled by the old <b>Saxony Hotel</b> at 32nd and Collins which was supposed to be redeveloped into the glamorous Saxony Hotel and Tower Residences but which got shelved and then was rescued by Cipriani restaurants who wanted to turn it into the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Cipriani+Miami/local/1247"><b>Cipriani Ocean Resort and Residences</b></a>. The opening date? Summer 2010.<p> Um, yeah. That never happened. And we're not sure it ever will, judging from the recent photos <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/greggrory/sets/72157627967208782">Gregg snapped</a>.<p>Construction seems to have stalled and as we reported last month, the <a href="http://www.ciprianimiami.com">website</a> is now defunct. There's also a lame <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cipriani-Ocean-Resort-South-Beach-Miami/106928382664879">Facebook page</a> juliana 2011-10-28T16:15:57-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/9/28/122250/956

The forecast for 2012 in Miami? Hot as hell with a deluge of new and newly renovated hotels. In fact, there's been so much Miami Hotel Mambo-ing going on of late that we're getting dizzy. To help us all keep things straight, we created this Shortlist of Shiny New Hotels Coming to Miami.

We'll return to this in the coming months to give you updates on each hotel's progress--and, as always, if you have the scoop on these or any other new hotels in the works, please do share!

Here's what's on deck for Miami Beach and beyond:

]]> MsRebecca 2011-09-28T13:04:39-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/9/19/22918/3247

We already told you that the work on the much-hyped Cipriani Miami had stalled. When we drove past the construction site in May, it looked like a sad, hollow shell. Guess what? It still does. (We drove past it again yesterday but were unable to snap a picture from I-95--road safety and all that...)

But further north on Collins Ave, the construction fairies have been hard at work on the St. Regis Resort & Residences, and this picture from Miamism makes us think that the super-posh property may just make its planned July 1, 2012 opening date.

]]> MsRebecca 2010-09-20T09:09:52-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/6/25/11920/4413 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/CiprianiMIA.jpg" class="top"><p> So yesterday we consulted the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/6/24/104211/996/hotels/Dear_Magic_Hotel_Opening_8_Ball_Will_The_Cipriani_South_Beach_Open_This_Summer_">Magic Hotel Opening 8 Ball</a> and asked if the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Cipriani+Miami/local/1247"><b>Cipriani Miami</b></a> would open this summer. Well, we didn't need to shake the ball for an answer as we had heard from one of our own that the current state of the building is that of an <b>empty shell.</b><p>Now, another tipster on the scene in Miami confirmed that there is absolutely NO ACTION going on with Cipriani Miami: <blockquote><p>Yes, It looks like construction has stopped. They put in windows in about 4 or 5 of the floors. But it is still a shell that they have basically stripped. A woman in sales said <b>all will be done by the end of juliana 2010-06-25T11:24:04-05:00 25.8072880 -80.123305 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/