It seemed sudden when we first learned the news that Blue Door Fish was closing and a new restaurant would be opening in its place at the Delano Hotel. It still does, as the revamp has moved at Light Group-speed (heh) and Bianca opens her doors on Friday.

We actually loved the food at Blue Door Fish, so we're sad about that loss but excited to see what the Italian, farm-to-table, Slow Food-movement menu at Bianca actually tastes like.

]]> MsRebecca 2012-01-25T17:27:42-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/12/30/11255/180 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/454/gallery_301_image_2699.jpg" class="top"><p><i>It's what you've been waiting all year for--<a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/hotelchatter 2011 awards"><b>The 2011 HotelChatter Awards</b></a>! We'll be bringing you the best and worst of the year all day today and part of tomorrow. Agree or disagree with our picks? <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/12/30/11255/180/hotels/People_s_Choice_Award_Cosmopolitan_Las_Vegas#postform">Air your thoughts in the comments below</a>.</i><p>Despite a slew of juicy <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/12/29/945/67447/hotels/Best_Celeb_Performance_of_2011_Ashton_Kutcher_Wrecks_His_Marriage_at_the_Hard_Rock_">celebrity scoops</a> and noteworthy <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/12/29/92456/539">hotel openings</a>, it seems the one story line you guys just couldn't get enough of this year was in Las Vegas, at <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Cosmopolitan+Las+Vegas/local/1779"><b>The Cosmopolitan</b></a>. Might that have something to do with a particular <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/4/26/154923/594/hotels/The_Wrong_Amount_Of_Wrong_Barred_For_Life_From_The_Cosmopolitan_For_Being_Transgender">bathroom incident</a> that took place last spring in the lobby? Maaaaybe so. But, after three consecutive apologies from the hotel's PR team, we're willing to focus on HotelChatter 2011-12-30T15:00:01-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/12/22/11547/582 <![CDATA[<p> <img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/MondrianSoBeGirlRoom.jpg" class="top"><p> <i>The Mondrian's gal will be getting around soon.</i><p>Gosh, it's not even 2012 yet and we're already thinking ahead to 2014. That's because in addition to opening a hotel in London, <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/mondrian hotels"><b>Mondrian Hotels</b></a> is planning on opening <i>another</i> hotel abroad--in <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/istanbul hotels"><b>Istanbul</b></a>.<p>The press release put out yesterday by parent company <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/morgans hotel group"><b>Morgans Hotel Group</b></a> says that Mondrian, the whimsical and fanciful design brand, will open a 128-room room in Istanbul's Old City area. And the hotel group's new partners, <a href="http://www.vegaschatter.com/story/2011/11/17/17309/601/vegas-travel/Group_On_Group_Off_Morgans_Hotel_Group_to_Take_Over_the_Light_Group">The Light Group</a> will create original food and beverage options for the hotel. There will also be a spa, renovated from an existing historic Turkish bath. <p>Can't wait until 2014 to test juliana 2011-12-22T09:20:01-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/12/2/9846/69080 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/61268/seacontainers_mondrianlondon.jpg" class="top"><p><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/8/23/121320/610/hotels/Morgans_Hotel_Group_To_Install_The_Mondrian_Brand_in_London">Back in August</a>, we had all the deets on one of London's juiciest hotel announcements in a while: that <b>Morgans Hotel Group would be installing their fourth <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Mondrian%20Hotels"><b>Mondrian</b></a></b> on the South Bank of London's Thames River in <b>2014</b>. Counting Morgans' two other un-opened Mondrian hotels in the Bahamas and in Qatar, this would actually be their sixth. But hey, we'll count 'em when we see 'em. <p>In the meantime! Here's a little pep rally for what is sure to be a fab addition to London's growing arsenal of noteworthy places to stay: <p>#1: <b>It will be bigger than their last one in <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Mondrian+Soho/local/1557"><b>New York</b></a></b>. By about 100 rooms. This new property will have all the ASchechter 2011-12-02T09:11:05-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/11/21/142650/12 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/thedelanolobby.jpg" class="top"><p>We learned <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/10/11/121324/51/hotels/Closings_at_the_Delano_The_Dutch_at_W_South_Beach_and_a_Stupid_Thief_at_The_Fontainebleau">last month</a> that <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Delano+Hotel/local/16"><b>The Delano</b></a> in South Beach, one of HotelChatter's <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/1/4/04241/88030/hotels/How_to_Stay_at_The_10_Best_Hotels_in_Miami_for_Less_Big_Hint_Go_Offseason_">10 Best Hotels in Miami</a>, was getting a major makeover for its restaurant and bar scene but it turns out the refresh is actually extending up into the guestrooms as well. <p>Come January, guests will be able to use their smartphones as keys. Finally! Someone else aside from the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/5/24/93251/8416/hotels/IHG_s_New_Smartphone_Check_In_Eliminates_the_Need_for_a_Keycard">Holiday Inn</a> near O'Hare airport and a <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/11/2/14490/5522/hotels/Stockholm_s_Clarion_Hotel_is_Now_Testing_Keyless_Hotel_Rooms">random hotel in Sweden</a> is doing this! We're actually so excited about this new technology that we're thisclose to booking a room in January just so we can try it out.<p>Guestrooms at the Delano, like many of Morgans Hotel Group's other properties, will also juliana 2011-11-21T15:12:38-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/