33140 Travel Guide - Page 2
Miami Hotel Mambo / Hotel Construction / Faena Hotels / Cipriani Hotels / → All Tags
Is That Construction Noise Saying Ciao, Cipriani Miami?
Last summer, we passed by this building--the site of the perpetually-delayed Cipriani Miami--every day. And it was a dead zone. Nothing happening. Which led us to believe the fancy-pants project was dead in the water.
Not so! A Miami tipster sent us this shot snapped this week, along with word that construction was afoot. At last! But. It may not be a Cipriani.
It turns out that the ill-fated Cipriani development was taken over by Argentine hotelier Alan Faena--yes, of the hip Faena Hotel in Buenos Aires. And here's what he has in store for the site...
Miami Hotel Mambo / Hersha Hospitality / Hyatt Hotels / Courtyard By Marriott Hotels / South Beach Hotels / Hotel News / Siberia Hotels / → All Tags
Could a Hyatt Hotel Be Coming to South Beach?
Hersha Hospitality, the folks responsible for bringing Hyatt 48Lex and Hyatt Union Square to New York City, have just acquired a new property in Miami Beach--the Courtyard by Marriott Miami Beach Oceanfront. Hersha paid $95 million for the 263-room hotel and its adjacent beachfront which in its former life was known as the art deco hotel, Cadillac Hotel.
The full details of the purchase are here but Hersha does plan on building an additional 93-room all-suite oceanfront tower as well as more meeting space and a parking structure. The construction is expected begin next year and will finish in 2013.
All these fancy new upgrades have us wondering if Hersha will ditch the Courtyard by Marriott brand in favor of a Hyatt Hotel.
Hotel Hype / Miami Hotel Mambo / Cipriani Hotels / → All Tags
Can We Finally Call Cipriani Miami Dead in the Water?
In following up again on some more shiny new hotels coming to Miami Beach, man about town Gregg Rory Holland ambled by the old Saxony Hotel at 32nd and Collins which was supposed to be redeveloped into the glamorous Saxony Hotel and Tower Residences but which got shelved and then was rescued by Cipriani restaurants who wanted to turn it into the Cipriani Ocean Resort and Residences. The opening date? Summer 2010.
Um, yeah. That never happened. And we're not sure it ever will, judging from the recent photos Gregg snapped.
Construction seems to have stalled and as we reported last month, the website is now defunct. There's also a lame Facebook page with nothing of note on it and the Cipriani main site keeps saying the place will open in Summer 2010. Ay, ay, ay. Oh well, at least we know there's work happening on these hotels in town.
Anyone see any signs of life coming from Cipriani Miami? Let us know!
Edition Hotels / Miami Hotel Mambo / Marriott Hotel News / → All Tags
Finally, Work is Beginning on The Edition Miami Beach (Or Is It?)
Update, 10.28.11: A HotelChatter operative rode by the property today and reports: "There is a huge crane at work and they've torn down one entire side -- wall and windows etc. so yes, progress is afoot!"
Last month we gave you a nifty little guide to the Shiny New Hotels Coming to South Beach and on it we mentioned that Edition South Beach would be happening, someday, inside the old Seville Beach Resort.
The plan for Edition South Beach to rise from the ashes of the Seville were announced back in July 2010 but as of March of this year, there was still no work happening on the hotel, leading us to wonder if the timeline of three years of "significant renovations" would be pushed back even further.
But thanks to a tipster, we think we spy some movement. Check out the scaffolding going up along the exterior. Exciting! Update: Some neighborhood folks actually say that work hasn't been happening on the hotel for a while. So who knows what's really going on here. If you do, let us know!
Yet given that the Waikiki Edition recently crashed and burned and the only one out there now is all the way in Istanbul, we wonder how well will the next Editions fare?
Miami Hotel Mambo / Hotel Design / Hotel Spas / Renaissance Hotels / ELLE Spa / Hotel Toys / → All Tags
Yes, Those Unicorns Are Local
Look at that adorable critter! No, we're not talking about Aimee Teegarden of Friday Night Lights (although she's pretty darn cute, too). We mean the life-sized mama and baby unicorns who live at the new ELLE Spa at the Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach.
Now, we have to admit: we spent some time working in this spa for its launch, and no matter what kind of spa-stress was going on (yes, it happens), we were always charmed into a smile when we passed these guys. But beyond that, we had no idea who the unicorns belonged to, and why the hell they were hangin' out. So, we did some investigating and it turns out that, in fact, these unicorns are local.
Hotel Spas / Miami Hotels / Renaissance Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
Live Inside the Pages of Elle Magazine at Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach
Here's a first in the world of hospitality brand experiences: Elle magazine, an undisputed global fashion authority since the 60s, is launching its own branded spa inside the Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach. For once, you will actually be able to see all those impossible beauty tips and product mentions come to life.
And while you're putting yourself into the hands of experts for things like the "Elle Spa Signature Facial" or getting your nails done in the spa's salon (which, on this Wednesday morning in noisy, humid Brooklyn, sounds pretty good to us), you'll be right on the Eden Roc's Miami beachfront property.
Now, it's easy for a big name like Elle to throw its weight around—especially after last week's announcement that the Hearst Corporation had acquired almost all of the Elle titles for a whopping $1 billion—so we're going to take a minute and try to figure out if this is a true pamper experience worth your time, or just buzz.
Hotel Video Tours / Photo Gallery / Miami Hotel Mambo / Miami Hotels / → All Tags
Inside an Oceanfront Balcony Room at the Fontainebleau
Learning all about the Dwayne Wade Fantasy Camp on Friday got us thinking about the mega-playground that is the Fontainebleau, and reminded us that we took a tour of the guest rooms a little while back to share with you.
In case you're still looking for a Memorial Day weekend getaway, rooms like this are still available for $434.25 a night, thanks to a stay four nights, get the fourth night free promotion. (Standard rooms are $336.75 a night.)
Miami Hotel Mambo / Miami Heat / NBA Hotels / Insane Hotel Packages / → All Tags
How To Get a Room With Dwyane Wade at the Fontainebleau
Any Miami Heat fans out there still overcome with emotion after the team's triumph over the Celtics on Wednesday night? One player is hoping that adrenalin translates into a room booking--a $12,500 stay at the Fontainebleau. But don't worry, D-Wade is coming, too!
The star has announced the Dwyane Wade Fantasy Camp, giving fans the chance to sleepdribble with the man himself this August 18–21.
Miami Hotel Mambo / Hotel Parking / Hotel Valet / Lebron James / Bad Celebrity Behavior / → All Tags
Lebron's Mom Goes Nuts on a Valet Guy at The Fontainebleau
Maybe the LIV nightclub at The Fontainebleau should reconsider their $40 valet parking charge. How else to explain why Lebron James' mom Gloria went crazy on a parking attendant, resulting in her arrest for misdemeanor assault?
NBC Miami got their hands on the police report which said that the valet left her car running for 30 minutes while she talked with friends. When it became clear she wasn't getting in the car anytime soon, the valet turned off the SUV and returned the keys to the valet cashier. That's when Gloria unleashed her fury.
Miami Hotel Mambo / Hotel Openings / Boutique Hotels / → All Tags
What's This Red South Beach Hotel All About?
While we await some of the more high-profile new boutique hotels to open in Miami, we keep coming across others we've never heard of. Today's case in point: Red South Beach.
We can't actually remember where we saw this hotel advertised but it was enough to send us out into the wilds of the Internets to find answers. What we found was a boutique hotel that underwent a multi-million dollar renovation before opening in November.
The hotel is on Collins Ave in the 30 blocks--ie. up near The Palms Hotel and Spa--and seems to have had some growing pains, if the reviews and comments on its Facebook page are to be trusted.
Movie Set Hotels / Miami Hotel Mambo / Renaissance Hotels / → All Tags
The Eden Roc Used to Have a Thing for Mermaids (and Mobsters)
Like everyone and everything in the 80s, the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami did not look so hot, although it clearly thought it did. (It's ok. We all thought we were hot in the 80s especially with our Vuarnet t-shirts and perms.) However, their honeymoon suite back in 1988 was...ah...um...quite exceptional.
Thanks to countless movie channels provided by DirecTV, we were able to rewatch "Married to the Mob" with Anthony Modine and Michelle Pfeiffer about a Long Island mobster's wife trying to get out of "the family." She ends up helping out the FBI to catch the mob boss and in doing so, accompanies him on a trip down to Miami where they shack up at the Eden Roc in the honeymoon suite.
But we guffawed out loud (GOL?) when we saw the honeymoon suite that Michelle's character, Angela, and mobster Tony The Tiger check into.
Miami Hotel Mambo / South Beach Group / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
Want To Stay With Models and Ballerinas In South Beach? Meet Tradewinds
We love Miami, but staying in South Beach can be a pricey proposition thanks to those super-high room rates. One way to cut costs? Stay longer. And if you're going to do that, why not stay in a place where your neighbors might just be Wilhelmina Models or dancers with the Miami Ballet?
Welcome to Tradewinds, the new apartment-hotel project from the South Beach Group, which owns and runs some of the beach's most popular boutique hotels like the Catalina Hotel and Beach Club and the Jersey Shore cast's former home, the Metropole Hotel.
