HotelChatter

Miami Hotel Mambo / SLS Hotels / Hotel Openings / SBE / Sam Nazarian / Philippe Starck / Hotel Bathrooms / → All Tags

Showering at SLS South Beach Will Make You Pretty in Pink

Where: 1701 Collins Avenue [map], Miami Beach, FL, United States, 33139

With the opening of The SLS Hotel at South Beach coming up in April, we're officially in stalking mode.

Don't worry, we're not creeping around the construction site, a bunch of roses and unrequited love notes in hand. But we are checking out the hotel's website and Facebook page religiously, anxiously awaiting any new crumb of a detail or sneak peek of what's to come in one of the most anticipated hotels of the year.

This week, our devotion was rewarded: look at the pretty-in-pink renderings of the guest bathrooms that were just posted!

more ›

Hotel Renovations / SLS Hotels / Viva Vegas / Las Vegas Hotels / Sam Nazarian / → All Tags

The Old Sahara Las Vegas Gets Approval to Turn Into a Trendy SLS Hotel

It looks like things are moving forward now at a rapid pace with SLS Hotels. After yesterday's surprise announcement that the SLS South Beach will open in April of next year, we now learn that SLS Las Vegas aka The Sahara has just gotten its massive casino-renovations approved by Clark County. Las Vegas Review-Journal reports:

According to the plan, the existing room towers, the Tunis, Tangiers and Alexandria, will be renovated. The roller coaster will be dismantled and a 2,830-square-foot beer garden will be constructed. The number of hotel rooms will be decreased from 1,700 to 1,622.

Retail, tenant and restaurant spaces will be added, and the casino floor will be renovated. A 21,000-square-foot nightclub will be built, and 41,000 square feet of meeting and convention space will be added with a new pool deck area.

more ›

Hotel Openings / Hotel News / SLS Hotels / Jose Andres / Lenny Kravitz / Philippe Starck / SBE / Sam Nazarian / Katsuya / → All Tags

'Something Lovely's Starting': SLS South Beach Will Finally Open in April 2012

Where: 1701 Collins Avenue [map], Miami Beach, FL, United States, 33139

It's finally official--the long awaited SLS South Beach will open in April 2012! This will mark the second SLS Hotel to open after the flagship one in Los Angeles and hotelier Sam Nazarian is pulling out all the stops, combining pretty much all of his restaurant and nightclub hotspots under one roof.

First off, the hotel will feature room designs from SLS hotel designer Philippe Starck. While we only have that above rendering to go on, the rooms still retain the airy and effervescent quality of the SLS in LA but this looks a little, how do we say this?--cozier?

There are no "floating" glass beds and cramped low ceilings, although there will be oversized chaise lounges and the beds do look as if they are levitating ever so slightly. Starck is also doing something a little unusual behind the bed with curtains that feature a painted-on bedroom scheme. Same goes for the "armoire" that "holds" the TV opposite the bed (we saw this in another smaller rendering.) Oh and don't forget to look up, because there's a mirror on the ceiling!

more ›

Loyalty Program News / Loyalty Programs / SBE / SLS Hotels / Hotel Restaurants / → All Tags

SLS Hotels Now Have a Loyalty Program, sbePREFERRED

If you love the staying the night at the SLS Hotel or The Redbury and dining on sushi at Katsuya and are totally going to the Hyde Lounge when it opens at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, then you should probably sign up for the brand-new sbe loyalty program called, sbePREFFERED FRIENDS.

Being a preferred friend will not only help you earn rewards for your sbe dedication across hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and even spas but it will also get you access to the Global Concierge, which offers "lifestyle experiences worldwide."

Here's a bit on how it works:

more ›

Miami Hotel Mambo / Hotel Salons / SLS Hotels / Sally Hershberger / → All Tags

Forget The Big-Name Restos, Sally Hershberger's Coming to SLS South Beach

Where: 1701 Collins Avenue [map], Miami Beach, FL, United States, 33139

UPDATE: Despite getting our news from a solid source a little while back, it appears that the plans were not finalized or have changed. After we published this story, we heard from the publicity team repping SLS, who said that our info was inaccurate and Hershberger won't be moving into SLS at South Beach, after all. Insert sad face here.

Ladies, this may be almost as exciting as the news that Lenny Kravitz would be working his hotel sex magic on The SLS Hotel at South Beach. Almost.

Along with those big-name chefs from the SBE Group--Jose Andres, Master Sushi Chef Katsuya Uechi blah blah blah--one more big name will be joining this hotel when it finally opens in 2012: messy-cool hairdresser du jour Sally Hershberger. Finally, Miami may leave the flatirons and Brazilian treatments alone for just a minute and give choppy, piecey, total rock stair 'dos or big, sexy beach waves a try instead.

more ›

SLS Hotels / Lenny Kravitz / Miami Hotel Mambo / Hotel News / → All Tags

Lenny Kravitz to Work His Hotel Sex Magic on The SLS South Beach

Where: 1701 Collins Avenue [map], Miami Beach, FL, United States, 33139

We didn't think it was possible but the hotel scene in South Beach is going to get a whole lot sexier next spring. SLS Hotel South Beach has just announced that Lenny Kravitz is designing some suites for them.

SBE, the parent company of SLS Hotels and run by nightlife man Sam Nazarian, has put Lenny's Kravitz Design Inc. in charge of creating an exclusive bungalow and penthouse suite at the hotel. The bungalow suite will be one of 10 that will surround the pool area and we expect it to be nothing less than the sexiest of sexy suites. But will you make us pancakes in the morning, Lenny? That remains to be seen.

The rest of the hotel's interiors will, of course, be designed by Philippe Starck who has a special arrangement with SLS Hotels. But Philippe is more than down to share the design spotlight with Lenny calling him,

"a weapon of massive construction. He is an explosion of all talents, an unlimited boiling bucket of culture, a daily firework, a tireless explorer. Lenny is incredibly alive. Lenny is a friend."

Awww, Philippe has a man crush!

more ›

Hotel Closings / VegasChatter / SLS Hotels / → All Tags

So Much For Combining The Old With The New at the SLS Las Vegas

Where: 2535 Las Vegas Boulevard [map], Las Vegas, NV, United States, 89109

When we heard back in March that the run-down Sahara Las Vegas would close its doors for good in May to make way, someday, for the new SLS Hotel from hotelier/club king Sam Nazarian, we had hoped that they would find a way to integrate some of the Sahara's legendary Vegas history (Rat Pack! Elvis!) into the SLS.

But after following our sibling VegasChatter's tweets from the Sahara Liquidation Sale going on today, we realize not much, if anything, of the Sahara will remain. After all, the Sahara sign is for sale for $4,500 and the Sahara doorhandles have already been sold for $250 a pair as have the Elvis photos and it seems like all the camel lamps have been snapped up by now.

It's a sad day in Vegas today. And when the SLS Las Vegas opens (if it ever opens), there better not be any of those mass-produced old glamour shots of stars from the 50s hanging on the walls and which are so popular in trendy boutique hotels today (as well as Bed, Bath & Beyond) because um, we might lose it.

Follow @VegasChatter for live-tweets and photos from the Sahara Liquidation Sale!

Hotel Closings / Viva Vegas / SLS Hotels / Sam Nazarian / → All Tags

Viva Las Vegas A Little Bit Less Now The Sahara Has Closed

Where: 2535 Las Vegas Blvd S [map], Las Vegas, NV, United States, 89109

Elvis has left the building, along with everyone else.

It is finished. After 59 years, half the canon of musical greats and god knows however many 6lb burritos, the Sahara Las Vegas is closed.

The last guests checked out of the hotel at midday, and the doors were shut at 2pm. According to the soon-to-be-defunct website, the Sahara is recommending Circus Circus as its preferred alternative (a poisoned chalice if ever there was one).

more ›

Hotel Hype / Manhattan Hotels / SBE Hotels / SLS Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags

The Redbury in Hollywood is Heading to New York

It looks like The Redbury Hotel in Hollywood is doing well enough to strike out for New York.

A while back, Eater LA reported that the hotel from Sam Nazarian's SBE group would be heading to Soho. Indeed a recent press release from SBE mentions the New York expansion.

The details are sparse but we hope they can find a way to export those awesome giant suites to NYC. That would be huge, in so many ways.

In other SBE news, the SLS South Beach still won't open until March 2012 but they've already hired a general manager. But it's two steps forward and one step back as the Sahara Las Vegas, which is owned by SBE, is still closing on May 16.

Hotel Restaurants / Los Angeles Hotels / SLS Hotels / Beverly Hills Hotels / → All Tags

Hotel Restaurants You'd Actually Eat In: Bazaar at the SLS Beverly Hills

Where: 465 S. La Cienega Blvd. [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90048

The reputation of hotel restaurants as sad, overpriced affairs is quickly falling away as some talented chefs make the eateries destinations of their own. This week, HotelChatter contributor Katherine is taking us to some of the best hotel restaurants in the world.

It's true that molecular gastronomy has become something of a joke. A total joke, in fact. it's a buzzword for culinary frippery; something instantly mocked by the judges on Top Chef (poor, misguided Marcel).

But, when in the hands of a master, it can be a thing of beauty. Jose Andres, originally of Spain, is one of a handful of Ferran Adria acolytes still inventing and garnering respect in the field - though he'll ask you not to use the "molecular gastronomy" handle around him. And although his latest outposts are in Vegas (he opened Jaleo and China Poblano at the Cosmopolitan in December), one of his most extravagant restaurants is The Bazaar, in the SLS Beverly Hills.

more ›

Hotel Closings / Viva Vegas / Hotel News / SLS Hotels / Sam Nazarian / → All Tags

No More $1 Rooms as The Sahara Las Vegas Will Close in May

After circling the drain for several years, even closing most of its rooms during slower times, the Sahara Las Vegas will close for good on May 16. The LA Times reports:

Chief Executive Sam Nazarian, the Los Angeles nightclub impresario who purchased the Moroccan-themed casino in 2007 and vowed to restore its hipness, said in a statement that running the property was "no longer economically viable." While the statement said Nazarian's company was mulling options for the 59-year-old resort, "including a complete renovation and repositioning," it gave no details or timeframe for such plans.

For now, any guests with reservations after May 16 will probably be shuffled off to an MGM property, according to VegasChatter.

more ›

Grammy Hotels / Celebrity Scoop / Los Angeles Hotels / Nicki Minaj / Rihanna / Beyonce / Lady Gaga / SLS Hotels / → All Tags

Celebs Spent Time Hotel Hopping For the Grammys Last Night

J-Hud gets warmed up at the Beverly Hilton before her Aretha tribute.

Last night's Grammys gave us some great performances—Lady Gaga—and some missteps—Xtina almost falling on her face. Of course, it also means there was tons of hotel action, since the music industry swarmed Los Angeles for the awards ceremony and the bashes that come along with it.

· Celebs came out for Clive Davis and the Recording Academy's Pre-Grammy Gala at the Beverly Hilton. Cee Lo Green—before donning his peacock suit—R. Kelly, Glee's Matthew Morrison and Jennifer Hudson performed, while peeps like Katy Perry, John Mayer and Miley Cyrus also attended, according to MTV.

more ›