1615-24 Various Miami Beach 10 TR THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2000
HOTEL CHECK-IN
T.I.•
LINES AND BATH
ALM,
From Miami to Beverly Hills, five hotels offer the latest in high tech and high style comfo.
a
MIAMI r , '1� s Sp
Me �, . 1 0 101
A new Marriott sheds its �'� -' r . , . , , ..., ., , , . +► of
traditional image ut South Beach • - ', re
dik
By ANN CRITTENDEN ,� . 44
"fes owlit f� '
ar
My overnight stay at the new Marriott at ..%
South Beach in Miami began on a warm6 • • ,;: co
note. As my taxi pulled up at the entrance, �� I '. w pr
two young men in crisp white shirts and blue - . • s -
shorts bounded forward to open the door, J. it �'' %• • a ' ® ' t�
welcomed me effusively and escorted my « • s` " ti,,, er
• • ..
luggage up the stairs. — , •
I� •
Glancing at the orange, gold and cream �i 27
.r . • • •
confection with a little Art Deco turret on
j mi
top, I wasn't sure I was in the right place. • • a • • lo(
"Is this the new Marriott?"I asked tenta- Len Kaufman for The New York Times - ."'°"..
Lively. "It sure is," said the one with the i ."` - • ' " „ . oft
spiky, moussed hair,grinning. ,44
to
As the company's chairman,J.W. Marri- �' .-•• • A . +
ott Jr.,remarked at the hotel's formal open- ti WE
ing in October,"It's notmyfather'shotel." ' ful
The $38 million, 236-room oceanfront1111ra L" \5::
,�
s mf
property does indeed represent a departure 1t# •
•..- r jet
for the conservative hotel chain, at least in i ,, lot
its location: the southern tip of the raffish
South Beach section of Miami. But it's not sic
be
quite hip—more like a business hotel on the ej ♦ • i we
beach. If hotels were people,this one would ` as
be the executive in the Hawaiian shirt; a I " 4 pa
serious guy trying to look laid back. ` ye
The decor reflects this split personality. col
The small,high-ceilinged front lobby makes r --i j fit
(me II de
a studied attempt at hard-edged 50's cool. t s '�1 -' - - lin
Behind the desk is a slash of bright blue wall -- , ,
with niches containing colorful pieces of art '- _ •, 1, - G ,. - F
glass. But back behind the elevators in a *MEM& .-
rear lobby was a reverently lighted oil por- Ron Mesaros for The New York Times Tom Lmdfors for The New York Times fro
trait of the corporate founder and his son off
near a teapot and a plate of fresh-baked I
muffins.The comfortable,reliable old Mar- • to
riott was on display in other ways as well. � r
When I had to send a fax and a package by thr
\ ani
FedEx within the first hour after arrival, \` I. t ,tir,' , '
the desk handled the requests courteously \\ ' ae.
without batting an eye.
In fact, Marriott seems to be positioning s is
rat
this property not for tourists,but for comps- { No
ries playing host to small meetings or em- •
the
ployee events. Aside from a few men in �= wir
shorts, most of the other guests seemed to ule
be men in suits. By early evening, every - _ ; the
table in the bar had a"reserved" sign on it, •• s. z`' .
presumably for a corporate group. rer
A sleek metallic elevator whisked me up
ing
we;
to the ninth floor. I had booked an ocean ••• ..•.. + ;-.. oril
view,for$269.(Rooms run from$209 to$299 1 199
•
until Dec. 22, when they increase for the iii 0 sin
winter season.) The view from my balcony Wil
was spectacular: a white sand beach dotted i 1
with blue umbrellas and, beyond, a spar- -• n"" '• -' '
�.;4.::r y `� nal
kling azure sea. Between the hotel and the ' Len Kaufman for The New York Times a r;
an
--nic
kling azure sea. Between the notes ana we • •
•
beaClt was an attractive pool and Jacuzzi. ` ""'
_ f wit
Guests can rent •every conceivable type of i
water toy,from sailboats to kayaks. sat
The room..was not spacious, but not too "` ' Pel
small; the decor, safe but not stodgy. The hal
' walls were a soothing pale cream stucco, r ". ..«^,` w.p , ....., es:
the beds covered with blue comforters deco- sta
rated in a green and cream spiral pattern.A 1O0
blond,vaguely Moderne cabinet,containing • ` ' 414 mi
the requisite TV, minibar and dresser, '
;' cal
.matched the headboards and the desk.Two tip
2m
bottles of spring water were on the desk, ii,
next to a brochure explaining high-speed ) ilitsu
Internet access.The marble bath contained _� _ ''',1,;:1:'.
`¢ jal
f i. t',(,by ]tri
piles of big, thick bath towels; and the
closet,a white cotton robe.Again the mixed
message seemed to be: You can stay here , Fl;,t , t ,`y ta'.
'•� ,11 c� ali
on business or pleasure—or maybe the two rrd
have become the same thing in this world. �"11 m,', of
A '� 't; ' A:
Strolling around South Beach, I felt the P * ;�j
hotel blended in well with its surroundings, 1 If
as
right Ron Mesaros for The New York Times Or
if blend is the word for such an eclecticlir I 'g`
•
w
neighborhood of bodegas, retail chains and Doug Wilson for The New York Times Willows Lodge near
i headsbops. Returning to the hotel through streets pastel condos, I decided to try a LEFT,FROM TOP Front desk,Miami Beach Marriott;Masson 140 Hotel,Beverly Hills;
in
'' massage. There is a fully equipped gym Seattle. RIGHT,FROM TOP Wine cellar,Chicago's
st Park Hyatt;room at Miami Beach Marriott;bar,Masson 140. of
next to a sauna and massage room,and the masseuse on dSi
'duty was willing to take one bi
`aSt customer. I forgot to specify what kind tl
S
atho I wanted,d andh ended o with a Laptops by the pool in Silicon Valley
fantastic hour-and-a-half holistic Southeast le
Asian$100 knockout.I staggered back to my
ittim,well-oiled,and decided to crawl under In the past two years the W hotel b„M; Night life ends early here.The bar is set b
r icvet and have dinner there. The room chain has become synonymous off from a cozy living-room-style lobby at s.
service menu was all American standards, with the ultrahip of •
the New Econ- z one end,with a fireplace topped by a stain- a
so I-1tad a perfect medium rare steak with less-steel mantel.Coffee-table books and P
omy,the perfect place to make the sfi
mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables scene—whether in New York,San I plush sofas and chairs add to the ambience. ii
j . ' A 22-table dining room features a menu
($29.50). Not hip, but delicious. Breakfast Francisco or Los Angeles.But the
the next morning from the all-you-can-eat newest California property in the •, • ranging from Japanese satay to roast chick- t
buffet—fresh fruit,smoked salmon and an chain—a five-story stucco and tile y `e •j en and mashed potatoes,at prices from$6 to
I', omelet—for$15 was also excellent.Best of building with a mansard roof— $25.But the crowd is an after-work bunch,
! all,when I went to bed, I could turn off the sits next to a huge Sun Micro- 4 .; mostly 30 somethings who stop in for `
�t' air conditioning,open the door to the balony , drink and possibly dinner before heading `
and fall asleep to the roar of the Atlantic. systems campus in Newark.The `�- .,,� home by 9 p.m.
at' • hotel is 10 minutes(when it's not i •
rush hour)from downtown Palo The"whatever,whenever"amenities are 1
t Miami Beach Marriott at South Beach, Alto,the heart of Silicon Valley.Its `' ''• r. clearly tailored to the techie crowd that is
161 Ocean Drive,Miami Beach, Fla. 33139; more interested in the fact that the
4
3 536-7700, reservations (800) 228-9290; presence is proof that Silicon Val- ,Y, ter,... • and restaurant inersse have a fat high-bandwidtht the lobby wire
(- leyspills over its borders,north to '
fax (305) 536 9900; and on the Web www "�"' less for visitors'laptops,which
.miamibeachmarriott.com.Doubles start at San Francisco and east across the S lessalloconnectiono them surf the Internet rs'lapops, the
bayinto both East Bay cities,New- '; 1
$209 and go up to $299 for an oceanfront I i G bar to the enclosed pool area.
b; • room with a king bed;from Dec.22 through ark and Fremont. , t Although formal service
April, $339 to $399. The south side of the This W Suites is the first of sev- =;- ;; menu, thereisnofrm from roome service
(S . hotel. is cheek by jowl with a high-rise condo, eral planned by Starwood,which 1 m rant and anythingit will is taken available from
upstairs tot guests u—
u-
owns the W hotels.It has 174 large usually business travelers.For latecomers
oi; so try,to avoid a room on that side. «
: . rooms with king-size beds over- there are specially prepared meals for the
ANNiCRITTENDEN,who lives in Washing- flowing with down pillows and •-')-¢,�x" � microwave.
�ttes frequently for The Times. comforters,deep purple sofas, The suites are normally priced at$289,
I j �>4, Q f q o ,.:. ,,,
J mustard der Ultras side chairs _~ well within the price range of Silicon Val-
andlavender Ultrasuede desk ';, = ley's overcrowded hotel scene.
11 chairs.Black and white hoto
•
•WOODIN V ILLS, graphs decorate the walls.Each
room comes with a microwave,a Terrence McCarthy for The New York Times W Suites,8200 Gateway Boulevard,New-
WASH. high-speed network connection and Checkers in the Living Room,a common ark,Calif.94560; (510)494-8800,(877)946-
an Etch-a-Sketch.Bathrooms are8357,fax(510)494-8809;www.whotels.com.
A rustic lodge with bath oils, sleek with simple,elegant fixtures.
area at W Suites in Newark,Calif. JOHN MARKOFF
'granola and digital toys
•0)
By SAM HOWE VERHOVEK goes and comes again. have congregated on the other side of Lake dressed crowd of apparent conferees could
z' A luxurious lodge-style resort, the Wil- Washington. In fact, Microsoft was playing be found huddled around a laptop in the
Given the fluctuating trajectories of Mi- lows is in Woodinville,Wash., a town at the host to something called a "Leading Your lodge library.
crosoft stock and the local dot-com econ- eastern edge of the Seattle suburbs near the Business" meeting at the 88-room lodge Woodinville has a rustic charm,including
omy,the new Willows Lodge may ultimately software giant in Redmond and the hun- when my wife, Lisa, and I spent the night wineries and lots of antiques shops.We were
IP prove to be an idea whose time comes and dreds of other high-tech companies that recently. \The next morning, a casually suitably impressed by the Willows, which
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the latest in high tech and high style comfort )9L-ZLZ-008
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�a>: 5 - opened in September, frill"?' ��ml
a stepped into the magnif I ����
OF
' lously crafted from ston'de11 se,AlI o 'emq,o,ginnins's,n0{mo
/ [Iv , r :� 1/ ua pue wow leuoipppe Anew'6u!
• of wood, including Dou wa{uogepodsue,1 ne apn!au!mai.8/1041/
Ir , +' • reclaimed from a IOO yAN3 Asuedna0o a!gnap uosred,ad am sa{eN
♦ the Port of Portland,in s!{ej
;II
.f s ��< •. ♦ • 4 ingly sanded and waxed. S0 woe sl>li wa
/. 'u Given our getaway moc`$ 669s j
1.10; # art digital technology at t°of Sw6!N s/sAe
e.
>r • —highspeed Internet conrn�i °
•
•, •
cordless phones and the lilf3" ���
>� j • ; i .„ principal source of appeal anlsnl�ul_ild Oal•ii3x3
ow ....
.• tures would obviously be,n i 8311AI 3• AR
V;," .� •. "" e • n .A ,9 a business traveler. And, co
1,11.
t the digital temperature cor
i" , • ,., er was fun to fool around x
i 27-inch stereo television an
• o a ,. n • Still, all that high-tech
I mesh seamlessly into the
• • .:, .4 • lodge-style atmosphere of
r •:"'• we checked in,the friendly r
.a, :`"'• ' • ' ' ,, offered us a glass of spark
W took us right up to our roono,.4n,ede3.4s.rj,p f
e y IOZ'tZ I IN(I pi�en,A o
•.^,., It was a good thing he c4!,a."%2.11,,, 3,u �p,s�!
ht
a. . . , we needed a bit of help fig,d`p'°"'
° d"i"e 54!1.1d.,,
. , :�+,.;,,,. futuristic dimmers and other)16
__
►s • A mention the button that con
...• o' jet in the large stone fireplaces
s • I lot of reclaimed wood — in
• • , side tables,fireplace mantle j
• beams — and stone as we
wonderful marble Mexican lx apoa uouaw
z'9
, . as the basin for the sink. TIw,i10 fe,tog
painted in hushed, earthy tri are sasrnrq �
yellow and brown, perhaps - �
colors Starbucks might choci s IrnaQ pue I
linensdecides
were Italian, the lam,,go into the hotel
IIEa
• under the sheets Australiarir S1S3J03urzJ
French-press. , pile s.ranlg
After freshening up and WV aya Iles
Tom Lindfors for The New York Times from the honor bar in the roof
offered herbal candles and bdt" 10 maU
explored the Northwest coast saperaur.rl
w : i`' ings and sculptures that ,ajipre aar3
: , 7- throughout the lodge; the lighleAne NIs1d
and pale-blond wood also rale( o
aesthetic. iu
Just across the driveway frf_(0213
is the Barking Frog, a bistro )lld
F t; rant that has an extensive nu1
,1 Northwest wines, including so xau
the Chateau Ste. Michelle lloy
g. wineries right there in Wood' wux
•
,. n uled to join it sometime early NI
the Herbfarm, a wildly popular'; uo q
,; p i
.,,, renowned for its four-star mult paler
' .,w. ` ing meals featuring the freshe act aq1 1
y west ingredients. The Herbf ,ti sll
e nt
original home in Fall City bur ',,.,,,,i1 `•iiEws I
1997,and which has been in near 1 aq.I.
since then, may well, in time, dol rale+%
,r. Willows' prime drawing card. o slsan0
y+ ,� The Barking Frog has a strik mit praq
.. ' ' °E ai nal table set around a large fire a rnze gurl�t
Len Kaufman for The New York Times __a rainy winter evening,though If
an even cozier table for two.,
•.,.,r„,lotr an autumn salad of m
with crispy blue cheese,Belgia
`; u :.►ulnouPads sung
•
;.`.y/;; sauteed apples,as well as Chile, (uosuas 131u!m
pepper-seared ahi tuna, lacquerla m `ZZ .oaQ mutt
halibut'and lamb chops drizzled M '69Z$.101`ma!n
essence — all very good thous �ooll mum am oI
°' ' """ standing. We passed on dessert!:1 vlatu xaals V
, V a looked good, especially the che: el.Ioa l Clams V fd
misil and the gratin of pineapple�v4.Iuq icie u!alqul
I '` cal fruit.The tab came to$140 witP', all
m •s1!ns u! uatu aq I
tip.
The Northwest wine list (in c41 ;° Isom slogs
„ V sluana aaACoid
such as "loud and woolly," 1'V *l�ul�Cvld sa!u
j1ii:,., Yto " t� 3- jammy,,,"round and woody,"and`
loll�CLtadoad s►yi
+ lucid") is extensive. OU A3 you; uI
Early the next morning,after a d!1•1�ufuvq Inogl?m
tal breakfast of coffee,juice,fruit ail Ipuuu asap IIA\
0,, loo, y;�',iii If ola(included in the room rate),we Iia uItI11m ) a141
r,, 8 N
",'F ,, of time to explore the gardens,with s 02 pu4 I uagM
fq. ad
Asian themed art,rock displays and s! uo sum IIo!I
as well as four fountains placed in p
0o a 4.L's1I!llnfzf
1111111111111t +>:`' way that one seems to hear water ani
lir s Iodual v .luau
Ron Mesaros for The New York Times one strolls. JO ea
The lodge is also near the 29-mile S�f°v 11g °l nal
n 140 Hotel,Beverly Hills;Willows Lodge near mish River Trail,which winds throut ssv S
itt;room at Miami Beach Marriott;bar,Maison 140. surrounding countryside and connectoogsatlo!u ul m
other trails that lead all the way baf
Seattle; a waiter at the Barking Froge 1 Papa pP!tlllmils B
bicyclists sometimes made it out there 2 Aluy,L
Valley the city for weekend brunch. a B.Iooa masq,La
Sadly,we had to head back to work,. �n snouas
least on this stay,we had time neither 11
Night life ends early here.The bar is set bike ride nor for an excursion to the impaxa all aq
off from a cozy living-room-style lobby at sive spa, which includes a workout Iai°411 Ilouaq
one end,with a fireplace topped by a stain- and outdoor hot tub. But we hope to retul—d!u a1!nb
less-steel mantel.Coffee-table books and perhaps even for work; if Microsoft t u°uag gInoS
plush sofas and chairs add to the ambience. invites your company to a "Leading 'i :uo!luool sI!
Business"conference at the Willows,tellasuoo am I01
ranging igfromJa room features a roastschick-nu boss it sounds like a demanding assignm�aop,CI,Iado.id
from Japanese satay to butyou're willing to go. 8E$ ay,L
en and mashed potatoes,at prices from$6 to • 3Q8£$ u►�u!
$25.But the crowd is an after-work bunch, The Willows Lodge,14580 Northeast 14uup "if 220
mostly 30-somethingsdpssibydinnerwho stop in for a Street, Woodinville, Wash. 98072, (425) 410 am SV
drink byd possibly before heading 3900, (877) 424-3930; vvww.willowsloGsnotu'All!ds
:,, home 9 p.m. com.Rooms from$220 to$290; suites,$s II„ 'Alan!I
ti# The"whatever,whenever"amenities are to$750. l{I s!yl sI„
y, clearly tailored to the techie crowd that is l usvm I`,
dm
more interested in the fact that the lobby SAM HO WE VERHOVEK is a correspo►+ uo!Ioa;uoo
and restaurant have a high-bandwidths' wire- ent for The Times based in Seattle. 2u!ouulO
less connection for visitors'laptops,which l do a2e22111
allows them to surf the Internet from the .1 pauloo!am
bar to the enclosed pool area. lung Buoys
Although there is no formal room service CHICAGO 2uno2S oil
menu,anything is available from the restau- I sd •alou
rant and it will be taken upstairs to guests— Lots of marble,glass and a lovas glnoU
usually business travelers.For latecomers
there are specially prepared meals for the window seat with a view !u Iano BCW
.
microwave. STEPHEN KINZER iifl
The suites are normally priced at$289, By
well within the price range of Silicon Val-
ley's overcrowded hotel scene. A waiter who saw me struggling with'U0gpal.1
• pepper grinder at the restaurant in ChicTitT A18U �J
CCarthyfor The New York Times W Suites,8200 Gateway Boulevard,New- pops new Park Hyatt Hotel smiled in sChicr"
,00m,a common ark, fxCalif.51560; (510)494-8800,(877)946- thy. "Those grinders are very pretty," 1��ITAT
8357,fax(510)494-8809;www.whotels.com. said confidentially, "but they aren't ve JJII��l
ark,Calif. JOHN MARKOFF functional." mmiamml••
At times I felt that way about the 2(
room hotel itself.Since opening in June,t
Park Hyatt has sought a place among t
the other side of Lake dressed crowd of apparent conferees could city's finest hostelries,and charges a sob*
Microsoft was playing be found huddled around a laptop in the ins $450 for a double room on a Saturd
lied a "Leading Your lodge library. night. Great attention has obviously be
at the 88-room lodge Woodinville has a rustic charm,including paid to design,from the austere but ima
and I spent the night wineries and lots of antiques shops.We were Continued on Page 12
morning, a casually suitably impressed by the Willows, which
1
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