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mh SAGAMORE LOOKS INTO ICEBOX 01/08/2004
THE MIAMI HERALD
Copyright (c) 2004, The Miami Herald
DATE: Thursday, January 8, 2004 EDITION: Final
SECTION: Tropical Life PAGE: 10E LENGTH: 62 lines
ILLUSTRATION: photo: Robert Siegmann (n)
SOURCE/CREDIT LINE: BY VICTORIA PESCE ELLIOTT, vpe@aol.com
MEMO: HOT DISH
SAGAMORE LOOKS INTO ICEBOX
Robert Siegmann of South Beach's popular Icebox Cafe is ready to ink a
deal to open next month in the newly trendified Sagamore Hotel.
"Everybody is eager for it to happen, " says Siegmann, who has begun
planning menus for the hotel's pool bar, patio and room service that would be
similar to the Icebox's, with simple and hearty offerings such as Australian
lamb chops with warm roasted shallot vinaigrette and sesame-crusted snapper.
The neighborhood favorite off Lincoln Road is renowned for its decadent,
home-style desserts.
The space at the Sagamore is being designed by Patrick Kennedy, who has
done such hot spots as the Astor Hotel and The National. Sagamore owner Martin
Taplin confirmed that talks continue with New York's Lotus restaurant to take
over the main dining venue.
Also expect word of an Icebox opening in Fort Lauderdale later this year.
(Icebox, 1657 Michigan Ave. , Miami Beach; 305-538-8448. )
FOOD FEST
To kick off the much-anticipated South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which
takes place the first weekend of March, local organizers Lee Brian Schrager
and Terry Zarikian are co-hosting a media bash in Manhattan with Food & Wine
magazine at the hot new Marcus Samuelsson restaurant, Riingo, on Wednesday.
The event will feature food by the famed Ethiopian-born, Swedish-reared chef
as well as specialties from Miamians Robbin Haas (Chispa) , Michelle Bernstein
(Azul) and Phillippe Ruiz (Palm d'Or) .
Other festival participants expected are David Bouley, Rose Levy Beranbaum,
Anthony Bourdain, Tom Colicchio, Alain Ducasse, Todd English, Bobby Flay,
Andrea Immer, Drew Nieporent, Francois Payard, Eric Ripert, Douglas Rodriguez
and Aaron Sanchez. (sobewineandfoodfest.com or 305-348-9463. )
ARGENTINE 'CHOCOLATE'
A new eatery called Chocolate has taken over the space of the once-popular
Mexican El Fogon on Coral Way. Argentine owner Luis Vidal features plenty of
favorites from the pampa including parillada, blood sausages and sweetbreads
plus unusual specials such as elk, ostrich, quail and buffalo.
Then why the name? —All the other Argentine places have names like 'pampa'
and 'vacas' and 'tango' and we wanted something different, " says Vidal, a
veteran of Giacosa and Celeste.
The treat does make cameo appearances in such savory dishes as risotto with
prosciutto and chocolate and a salad with radicchio, endive, arugula, almonds,
strawberries and shaved chocolate in a citrus dressing. (2091 Coral Way,
Coral Gables; 305-858-9088)
GALLERIA GROWS
Hungry Broward shoppers will be glad to know a major renovation is underway
at the Galleria on Sunrise that will bring four restaurants to the area:
Capital Grille, a popular high-end steakhouse chain; Blue Martini, a
contemporary nightclub and lounge featuring live music; Seasons 52, a casually
sophisticated gxill and wine bar with seasonally inspired cuisine, and Red
Star Tavern, an old-fashioned bar with comfort food and a large selection of
beers. All will offer outdoor cafe seating.
. Victoria Pesce Elliott edits the Zagat Survey's South Florida edition. Tips
welcome at vpe@aol.com.
KEYWORDS:
TAG: 0401090076
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mh BOUTIQUE HOTELS UNDERGOING EVOLUTION' 04/12/2002
THE MIAMI HERALD
Copyright (c) 2002, The Miami Herald
DATE: Friday, April 12, 2002 EDITION: Final
SECTION: Business PAGE: 1C LENGTH: 110 lines
ILLUSTRATION: color photo: Eric Raffy (a) , Andrea Melotti (a) .
SOURCE/CREDIT LINE: By CARA BUCKLEY, cbuckley@herald.com
BOUTIQUE HOTELS UNDERGOING 'EVOLUTION'
On the face of it, Santiago Pozo could be any disgruntled hotel guest with
a laundry list of complaints. The room was too small, the rates too high, and
the service downright rude. "I couldn't hang my clothes, nobody helps you
with your suitcase, they're too cool to help, " Pozo, a Los Angeles-based film
producer, said of his stay at the Delano Hotel in South Beach.
A new batch of South Beach hoteliers are taking note, hoping to tap a
contingent of customers that may be dissatisfied with the chilly service and
cramped quarters that characterize South Beach's most famous - and most
successful - boutique hotels. They're also filling what they see as a niche:
affluent clients who want luxury, and elbow room, along with a boutique
hotel's visual delights.
"When Mrs. Schwartz is paying $400 to $500 a night, Mrs. Schwartz wants a
big closet to hang her clothes in and a big countertop to put her makeup, "
said Marty Taplin, owner of the newly opened Sagamore Hotel, which boasts more
than 300 modern art installations, paintings and sculptures. The hotel's
smallest room is 450 square feet.
At the Clinton Hotel on Washington Avenue, which is currently in the midst
of a $12 million overhaul, architect Eric Raffy takes pains to point outthe
rooms' ample counter space. Friendly service, he said, will be stressed.
"Hotels have gone through an evolution, " Raffy said. The hotel aims to open
in July. "We're going to be service-oriented. For guests now, that's very
important. "
Customer service never went out of style, but Ian Schrager's hotels - he
owns the Delano along with eight other boutique hotels in Los Angeles, New
York and London - have been noted for being long on attitude and short on
friendliness.
"I think the Delano is very snooty, and I think it should be, " said Chase
Burritt, a hospitality analyst with Ernst & Young. "It's the property
everybody wants to stay in, and the one all the new competitors are trying to
improve on. "
Schrager's staff denies the Delano's service is selectively meted out,
saying that the Dela-
no's popularity speaks for itself.
"It always insists on the utmost courtesy from its staff, " said Howard
Rubenstein, spokesman for Ian Schrager Hotels. "It is constantly innovating
new programs designed to enhancing its guests' stay. " Not that the Delano has
anything to worry about: it remains one of the most successful properties in
Florida, if not the United States.
. The Delano's room revenues have been estimated at $300 per room, compared
to $190 at the nearby Loews, and the industry average of $57.
Compared with other South Beach hotels, experts say the Delano is
weathering the travel industry's woes better than most. This despite the 15.7
percent dip boutiques saw last year in revenues per available room, an
industry measure tracked by Smith Travel Research, and compared with the 6.9
percent dip in the industry as a whole.
"It's about market share, " said Ott Berman, a hospitality analyst with
PricewaterhouseCoopers. " [Schrager is] successful, and the Delano is
capturing its fair share. "
Schrager, who was vacationing and unavailable for an interview, is credited
for making boutique hotels, with their highly stylized furniture and art, an
obsession in the 1990s.
What sets his hotels apart is their combination of fantasy and chic, a
motif that made his previous venture, New York's storied Studio 54 nightclub,
co-run with Steve Rubell, a runaway success. Robert Mapplethorpe photographs
line hallways of his first hotel, Morgans in New York. Fifty-foot white sheer
curtains greet Delano guests. A room at the Sanderson in London features a
silver sleigh bed and a landscape painting on the ceiling.
Even though Schrager rooms were pricey and small - using Delano bathrobes
costs extra, and one guest groused about having to "stand on the bed to
unpack my suitcase" - customers lined up, and revenues per room for boutique
hotels nearly tripled the industry average in 1999. The concept was copied,
Starwood's W brand comes to mind, and boutiques gained footholds in hipster
climes: South Beach, New York's SoHo, London and L.A.
" [Schrager is] a marketing genius. He knows his clients and how to reach
them, " Berman said.
"He's a master, no question, " Taplin said
But, Taplin said, the beach has a gap in supply for luxury hotels that make
customer service and space priorities, a paucity that has helped fill rooms at
Brickell Key's Mandarin Oriental.
'When my single friends came to beach, I put them up at the Delano, "
Taplin said. "But when some business associates from out of town came in with
their wives and families, they needed more luxury space, and accommodations
and service they're used to when they go to Beverly Hills and Paris. "
Other Beach hotels, like the Tides on Ocean Drive, tailored themselves to
high-end clients seeking spacious rooms and good service from the outset.
Before reopening the property in 1997, owner Chris Blackwell knocked down the
Tides' walls to expand rooms and trained staff to excel in the hospitality
industry's main staple: hospitality.
"We may ultimately profit less from having 45 rooms instead of 115, but
we're focused on the guest experience, comfort and service, " said Brad
Packer, spokesman for Island Outpost hotels, which include the Tides and ten
other hotels in Miami Beach and the Caribbean. 'Chris wanted it to feel like
staying in the home of a good friend. "
While hotels like the Shore Club and the proposed Ritz-Carlton will vie for
the same chunk of the luxury pie, the Delano is still a hot ticket.
" [The Delano] was first and has first mover advantage. It sets the
standard, " Burritt said.
But Taplin says he already has evidence that the Sagamore is nipping at the
Delano's heels: Rapper/producer P. Diddy stays there.
"I told his group I was a little nervous that maybe I did it too
upscale, " recalled Taplin, whose hotel could easily pass for a museum of
modern art. "They said, 'Man, this hotel is in a zone of its own. ' "
CAPTION: CHUCK FADELY/HERALD STAFF GAME PLAN: Architect Eric Raffy is
overseeing the Clinton Hotel's renovation. "We're going to be
service-oriented. For guests now, that's important. "
CHARLES TRAINOR JR./HERALD STAFF WORKS OF ART: Andrea Melotti, managing
director of the Sagamore Hotel in Miami Beach, stands in the hotel's lobby. In
the background are just two of the property's more than 300 pieces of art.
KEYWORDS:
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