Construction is moving along nicely on the W South Beach as the hotel "topped off" their building on June 12. Although it's still been a long wait for us hotel geeks.
The 419-unit condo-hotel will open now in Spring 2009 with views of the Altantic Ocean from every room, a Bliss Spa and Mr. Chow and Serafina restaurants.
There will also be two infinity pools for guests to splash around in as well as beachfront access. One pool will feature poolside bungalows with flat-screen TVs and the fullest extent of W's Whenever/Whatever service. We bet the neighboring Gansevoort South (literally right next door) is just a teeny bit nervous for when this hotel opens.
By the way, the hotel's website is a must-see for its video of what strolling through the hotel and its grounds will be like. And also what life as a gorgeous supermodel is like as well.
Yesterday, our cold hard cynical self could not/would not believe that a new hot hotel like the The Gansevoort Southwould ever offer rooms for $99 a night in addition to discounts at its new Philippe restaurant and its Cutler Salon.
But OMG, it's totally real!
A hotel's rep got back to us with this:
There are a limited number of basic rooms in the $99 room category, so when those run out the next available rate is $195. Guests can call the hotel and mention the $99 deal and book it that way and will be notified of the next best rate if all of the $99 rooms have been sold.
Keep reading for more low-down on how to get the deal.
The Gansevoort South has been open for nearly three months now but an email just arrived in our inbox announcing $99 room rates (based on availability of course) as a way to celebrate the hotel's opening and the opening of the Philippe Chow restaurant and the Cutler Hair Salon.
Aside from the low off-season rate, the hotel is also offering guests 15 percent off when dining at Philippe and 25 percent off Cutler services during its first month open.
However, don't be so quick to book just yet. The email itself was a little blurry, so we're still not sure if this is actually an honest promotion or if the Gansevoort is a victim of some clever spam. Plus, $99 even for Miami in the off-season is as serious steal.
We did look for those low rates this summer but managed to only find a steady rate of $195 in July for a deluxe double. August increased to about $235.
We have an email in to the hotel to determine exactly if this is a real deal or not and if it's legit, how to go about and get a $99 room rate. So Stay Tuned!
Surely not to be outdone by the Raleigh Hotel which is hosting Miami's Swimwear Fashion Week, The Standard Miami was the setting for a W Magazine photo shoot entitled "Summer Camp" by Bruce Weber featuring hot designers and models like Kate Moss, Daria Werbowy and Lara Stone.
The Standard website is even promoting the photo shoot where the girls roll around on Standard beds, lounge on a stack of pool chairs, parade around half-naked near a massage table, and other very interesting poses.
Let's just say there's a lot of (artistic) boobies and butt...you know, just your average summer camp experience.
The word "Aquabooty" may make you giggle, but name of the party the name is as unforgettable as the Aquabooty experience. Called the "quasi-underground traveling club night" of Miami, the organization is known for its kickass dance music, high-energy guest DJ's and cool attitude.
On every third Saturday this summer, Aquabooty will be at the Raleigh Hotel partying by the pool (bring your swimsuit and your Aqua-boobies!), then they'll be moving up to a smaller soiree in a penthouse when the sun goes down.
We're hearing all sorts of whispers that the hot Miami Beach restaurant, Social at the Sagamore Hotel is closing down.
The Jeffrey Chodorow restaurant opened inside the hotel nearly two years ago and promptly became a hot spot for the young, rich and fabulous in Miami.
But the grapevine is rumbling about differences yet again with the Sagamore's owner Martin Taplin, who also feuded with Thompson Hotels when they were managing the hotel. There's also been some rumblings on Chowhound that the restaurant has not been doing well as of late and that they have already let go several staffers.
Supposedly, breakfast and lunch service have been closed. Indeed when we tried OpenTable.com to make a lunch reservation, we were unable to do so. Dinner service is still on but we're hearing that it won't be for much longer, like less than a month.
Andre Balazs's South Beach property will host the opening show of IMG Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, which is all about swimwear, on July 17. Interestingly, the fashion line that will walk down the runway is Diesel.
So why is that interesting? Because the Diesel company actually owns The Pelican Hotel, also in South Beach on Ocean Drive. Indeed the president and founder of Diesel waxes on about how he loves Miami but with no mention of his company's hotel. He tells WWD:
Miami is one of my favorite cities in the world," said Diesel president and founder Renzo Rosso. "I've always been drawn to South Beach's vibrant energy and cultural richness."
But perhaps it was a logistical thing. The Raleigh, already proven to successfully host a fashion show, will be the host for the entire week, showing 16 designers in nightly fashion shows in poolside tents. Modelizer Hotelier Andre Balazs no doubt will be on hand to observe the latest trends in swimwear.
We're already anxiously awaiting the Mondrian South Beach (which should have opened in May but now has been moved to December 2008) and now we have one more thing to salivate over: the 4,000-square-foot Agua Spa.
While an Agua already exists at fellow Miami hotel Delano, this one will up the ante with new signature treatments, like the "Heavenly Hangover" package and the "Travelers Retreat," as well as an exclusive skincare line by Sjal and separate Agua product line by Korres.
0 Comments - Add Yours
by juliana
