After closing to undergo a $1 billion renovation and sorta confusing us with their official operating status, the ritzy, iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach has officially set their "soft" reopening date for October 18th.
During the soft opening period, guests can score rates starting at $239 a night. The official grand opening bash is happening on November 14th, coinciding with the Victoria's Secret fashion show (happening on site).
The revamped hotel will debut with a 40,000 square foot spa, two brand new towers, 11 (eleven!) restaurants and lounges, three nightlife spots and a "dramatic oceanfront pool-scape featuring 'walls of water' intermingled with a free-form, Lapidus-influenced pool." And they'd best make good on their promise to feature iMacs in the rooms...
Presidential hopeful Barack Obama recently spent a night at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach which we had no idea was even open!
Currently the hotel is still under-going it's billion-dollar makeover and will officially debut in September, to be followed shortly thereafter by the sexy ladies of Victoria's Secret.
Yet even though the hotel's reps are saying the opening is not until the fall, guests can actually book rooms in the Tower Suites and the Serranto Tower with rates starting at $212 a night.
We're guessing Obama ponied up the $853 nightly rate for a 2BR suite with an ocean view. Or at least his campaign did.
As for the cute kid, he's being referred to as one of "America's young future leaders." Is that a boatload of pressure or what?
Hey there, insensitive environment-destroying hotel guest: ever stop to consider how many trees have been sacrificed for all those paper hotel room conveniences you take for granted?
You know, things like your room service menu, the phone book and the newspaper that seems to appear outside your door magically every morning even if you wake up at the ungodliest of hours?
Well, Fontainebleau Resort considered it and has announced the introduction of the first 'paperless hotel room.' The details:
Simple and intuitive options for booking and pre-planning will be offered online at Fontainebleau.com, interactive programming will be available throughout the resort, and the highlight of the program - a personal iMac in every guest room assisting guests in customizing their vacation; inspiring them to share memories; encouraging personal expression and creating immediate actionable guest feedback.
The Cipriani Ocean Resort and Club Residences in South Beach, the snooty-chic 209-room beach resort and private condo development, seems to still be on track for completion in mid-2009.
The 24-month construction project (which involves the restoration and revamp of the old Saxony property) will feature crazy Miami city and ocean views and some pretty baller amenities when all is said and done:
600 feet of pristine beachfront, a spa, fitness center, outdoor bar and grill, beach cabana food and beverage service, three swimming pools, a signature world famous Cipriani restaurant and as well as a grand ballroom.
We can't imagine room rates will be easily stomached by those of us whose idea of a splurge is buying a shirt from Banana Republic instead of Forever21, but the website already has some fairly stunning photos of the resort that make us long to be the rich WASP-y type or the overprivileged hyper-trendy type. We'd bet Blair Waldorf would book a room here in a red hot second.
Check out a rendering of the exterior after the jump.
CBS has announced the oh-so-popular Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will return to the TV lineup for the Fall, this time broadcasting from the recently redone Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach.
Victoria's Secret Supermodel Heidi Klum, along with Adriana Lima, Marisa Miller, Miranda Kerr and a bevy of other Victoria's Secret Angels, will star in this holiday infused lingerie runway show, which will also include musical performances, red carpet interviews, model profiles and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the world's most celebrated fashion show.
The Fontainebleau should look just as pretty as the supermodels considering it is in the midst of a $1 billion facelift. The iconic resort which hit the Miami Beach scene in the 1950s will now include two new towers (Chateau and Versailles), 11 restaurants and lounges, a 40,000-sq.ft. bi-level spa, and an oceanfront "poolscape" featuring several pools.
The hotel will reopen sometime in September with room rates starting at $239 a night.
The Sixty Sixty Resort Residences at Miami Beach used to be a Holiday Inn, and now that it's got this (we think) slightly confusing name, they've had a bit of a remodeling but still aren't quite the best thing in town, according to recent guests.
Some of the complaints post-renovations include the fact the original (old and thin) doors are still on some rooms, the pool water smelt bad, and that the room size is still somewhat below average, especially for a place calling itself a resort.
But as for the good side: there are beautiful views to be had, it's often possible to pick up a pretty cheap price for the Sixty Sixty, and as one guest pointed out, if you're vacationing in Miami you probably don't need to spend too much of the day inside your hotel room--there's other stuff to do.
The bathrooms and kitchenettes seem to have done well out of the renovations and that's a definite plus point. Basically, a decent stay if you get a reasonable price. One person got a room for $89 on Hotwire. And heck, it's Miami Beach, so it can't be all wrong.
How 'bout that: The New York Times must've cast an eye or two on our coverage of Miami Hotels. (Thanks for reading, Pinch!) This week, writer Mary Billard checked intoThe Fontainebleau Suites. So how did Mary enjoy staying in the Suites while the rest of the hotel is under renovation? Eh:
This is the anti-South Beach. Short on celebrities, hot bodies and buzz. Instead, people with a few extra pounds, as well as families. On the plus side, no pulsing bass from a sound system outside your window at night, a hazard at chic hotels with nighttime lounge areas by the pool.
The rest of the review lacks about as much pizzaz as the hotel does. (Though the Times does manage to sneak in a reference to Scarface, which is--yawn--de rigeur in any travel article about Miami Beach.) We're not ones to brag, but if you want the full scoop on the hotel, check out our Miami Beach Hotel Guide.
Think we are on a bit of an Art Basel kick? Well here is more.
A man on the scene, who we can verify has spent quite a deal of time in Miami hotel rooms has this to say about where you might want to stay for Art Basel:
Since Art Basel takes place at Washington & 17th, each and every hotel in South Beach is walkable and viable. For those counting pennies, I really like an affordable new hotel on the wrong side of Collins Ave at 39th called Circa 39. It's the poor man's Delano.
There is a good chance you will be hearing more from our Miami tipster, all in due time.
Of course at this late date you are going to need to call and pray to god for a cancellation, most Miami hotels are booked solid.
Anyone else have any last minute Art Basel hotel tips--do tell.
0 Comments - Add Yours
by Jenna
