Art Basel Party Report: Inside Lenny Kravitz's Florida Room at the Delano Hotel

December 11, 2007 at 2:30 PM | by juliana | 2 Comments

Once again we have our Miami Beach insider/party animal Gregg to thank for this inside scoop on the newly opened Florida Room inside The Delano Hotel. The lounge is the first official nightclub from musician Lenny Kravitz and was host to the Agent Provacateur Art Basel party last week. Enjoy.

I got to the side entrance of Delano Hotel (on 17th Street) at 10 pm and had to wait 15 minutes until they were ready to open and let people in. Security was real tight. But it was a pleasure waiting because Granville the doorman (imported from NYC) is super nice and polite. He will kill you with kindness no matter how rude you are to him.

The Florida Room is very 1950's Cuban-style lounge. Lenny Kravitz's design firm did a really nice job. The uniforms are old school. The bartenders wear green jackets and the cocktail waitress's wear a white blouse (showing cleavage) and a black high waisted skirt. They also had girls dressed in Agent Provocateur corsets with 1950's hairdos and make-up greeting you into The Florida Room's entrance.

The entire staff was very nice and attentive the whole night. Especially the cocktail waitress Allie. She was my fave! They had an open bar of Pravda Vodka and champagne till 11 pm.

It was packed with local and big time celebs like Mark Tamis (Area Vice President Morgans Hotel Group), Ben Pundle (Nightlife and Entertainment Authority for Morgans Hotel Group), Michael Bay (Director), Russell Simmons and date (Entrepreneur, Co-founder of Def Jam & creator of Phat Farm), Mark Ecko (Fashion designer and entrepreneur), Alan Roth (Entrepreneur & Publisher), Tracy Morning (NBA player Alonozo Morning's wife) and Spencer Tunick (Photographer).

Apparently Paris Hiltn made some appearance towards the end at 3 am. Everyone was treated to performances by a male and female lounge singer with a piano player (the piano is see through).

The highlight of the night was a burlesque performer. She had two acts. One was a strip tease and the other was with a bottle of Absinthe (The Green Fairy), a magic trick with a black snake and fire eating. Everyone in the lounge was in awe.

Delano has totally needed a lounge like this since day one. I can't wait for the New Year's party at The Florida Room! PS - They still have a room in the basement with gym equipment and treadmills.

Saturday I headed over to The Florida Room with a group of friends. Mr. Granville welcomed us and we went right in. We got a table in the corner next to the piano and did shots of Absinthe. Saw lots of local celebs...Ben Pundle (Nightlife and Entertainment Authority for Morgans Hotel Group), Zack Bush (Party Promoter), Lance Bursten (President of Krieger Watch), Jose Ortiz (Principal for Supermarket Creative Agency and Ocean Drive Magazine Contributing Editor) and Ingrid Carses (Party Promoter) and my fav cocktail waitress Allie.

Thanks again Gregg!

The Florida Room at the Delano Hotel.

The night started wonderfully with an incredible band that played beautiful Spanish pop music while upscale party goers talked and danced in all the ambience throughout night. The staff was friendly and the bartenders were quick to serve thier customers. In the basement of the Delano Hotel in the area named the Florida Room... myself, my brother and one of his friends had each orderd a round of drinks all placing them on one card which was held on tab at the bar. (Something you should never do in a former FSU country - leave a card for your tab or keep a tab at the bar. Always pay cash each time you receive a drink.)

Later that night when requesting our bill... we had been overcharged for ghost drinks that were not ordered by anyone in my small group of three people. When notifying the bartender of the mistake on the bill... he was quick to accuse me of being drunk and not knowing all that I had ordered. Three soft drinks does not make me drunk and as a specially trained government worker... I can still be aware of my surroundings while driving in a STRAIGHT LINE even if I had three strong drinks!

I can understand if the left bartender miscommunicates with the right bartender in what I ordered or if the bartender mistakenly places another customers order on my tab, however, after speaking with the manager on duty... he sided with his bartenders noting that "they have worked with him for a long time and he trusts them" AND "the manager [himself] would have to eat the costs if he were to correct the bill". So basically, he told me to eat the costs myself and freely pay for what someone else had ordered or agree to pay for the bartenders mistakes.

These kinds of incidents are more frequently done in mobster operated places of the former soviet union countries. I had never expected to see that happen here in the United States; my own homeland! I still like the Florida Rooms atmosphere and crowd but if I ever go there again... it will only be with a small group of two where cash will be king and the bartenders will go untipped.

July 6, 2009 at 9:09 PM

2 Comments

Return to » Art Basel Party Report: Inside Lenny Kravitz's Florida Room at the Delano Hotel

JetSetCD
HotelChatter Contributing Editor

Re: Art Basel Party Report: Inside Lenny Kravitz's
Looks like Spencer Tunick stayed around Miami after his Sagamore shoot (which my friend was in!).

December 13, 2007 at 12:58 PM

#Permalink

Steven Olivieri
HotelChatter Member

The Florida Room at the Delano Hotel.
Never in my life have I ever experienced a mob-like operation in the United States that so much resembles some of the high end lounges and clubs of Moscow, Russia or Kiev, Ukraine just to name a few geographically and world reknowned mob infested places.
The night started wonderfully with an incredible band that played beautiful Spanish pop music while upscale party goers talked and danced in all the ambience throughout night. The staff was friendly and the bartenders were quick to serve thier customers. In the basement of the Delano Hotel in the area named the Florida Room... myself, my brother and one of his friends had each orderd a round of drinks all placing them on one card which was held on tab at the bar. (Something you should never do in a former FSU country - leave a card for your tab or keep a tab at the bar. Always pay cash each time you receive a drink.)
Later that night when requesting our bill... we had been overcharged for ghost drinks that were not ordered by anyone in my small group of three people. When notifying the bartender of the mistake on the bill... he was quick to accuse me of being drunk and not knowing all that I had ordered. Three soft drinks does not make me drunk and as a specially trained government worker... I can still be aware of my surroundings while driving in a STRAIGHT LINE even if I had three strong drinks!
I can understand if the left bartender miscommunicates with the right bartender in what I ordered or if the bartender mistakenly places another customers order on my tab, however, after speaking with the manager on duty... he sided with his bartenders noting that "they have worked with him for a long time and he trusts them" AND "the manager [himself] would have to eat the costs if he were to correct the bill". So basically, he told me to eat the costs myself and freely pay for what someone else had ordered or agree to pay for the bartenders mistakes.
These kinds of incidents are more frequently done in mobster operated places of the former soviet union countries. I had never expected to see that happen here in the United States; my own homeland! I still like the Florida Rooms atmosphere and crowd but if I ever go there again... it will only be with a small group of two where cash will be king and the bartenders will go untipped.

July 6, 2009 at 9:09 PM

#Permalink

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