1627-15 Interviews INTERVIEW WITH
STEPHEN MUSS
5/25/04
Got Font. 12/2/77. Took title 3/78. Had no idea of what to do in running a hotel. Chaired
ReDev Authority for 5-7 years prior. Obsessed with making Miami Beach better through
redevelopment. Font was in Bankruptcy; owned 5 Seacoast Towers in the shadow of the
Font. Friends felt I coveted the Font; I don't remember. I didn't want it to fall into the
wrong hands— it was the most powerful resource Miami Beach had. A South African
group was bidding during the height of the apartheid situation. A cosmetic company
wanted it for its own conventions.
A casual acquaintance, Roland International (Jerry Robbins, Joel Friedland) called and
asked me to own. Made the deal in 5 minutes. There were 3 other bidders. Judge
'determined I was best qualified to secure creditors. To buy a hotel for$28 million; 1,200
rooms; tens of thousands of square feet of public spaced, 18 acres on the ocean, I found it
was a very big bargain. [If just by the room, that comes to $23,333 a room.'
The hotel leaked in five places: the walls, the roofs, the windows, the plumbing, the air
conditioning. Invested extraordinary dollars in the hotel. Between 3/18/78 and 7/10/78, I
hired Helmsley-Spears to manage the hotel. Then I negotiated with Hilton to manage the
hotel. Wife threw me a surprise birthday party in June 1978; that evening I signed with
Hilton. Hilton came on board in July 1978. I selected Hilton because it controlled or
influenced 13 of the 18 hotels in the U.S. with over 1,000 rooms.
My biggest disappointment since then was that for the longest time, Hilton was the only
major chain in Miami Beach; no other chains followed. The original contract was for 20
years; 1978-1998, with an option for 10 more years which Hilton exercised. It has been
extended to 2018–so they would be the managing companu for Font II and Font III.
Names may change. The hotel will be the Font.Hilton; Font II will be the Font Towers;
Font III will be the Font Ocean Club. The main sign on the corner will say Font.
WHAT WENT WRONG WITH NOVACK?
He was more of a showman and than a hotel man. He had an ego as big as the Font. He
builds this semi-circular building and establishes it as one of the most upscale hotels in
the world, with no name out front. The beginning of the end was when he forced Mufson
out. To get even, Mufson took away his cabana people, his card players, etc. Then
Novack built his spite wall. (The Vesailles wall.)Novack now had a 1,000 room hotel
and he needed conventions. But the IBMs of this world don't go to the Novack Font or
the Novack Muss; they go to the Font Hilton or the Font Marriott or the Font Sheraton. It
takes expertise to bring in the conventions, it takes a national sales force.
Then jet travel, Puerto Rico and Las Vegas began and the world started drifting away
from Miami Beach. In 1960, Novack bought the Sorrento,[NOTE: When was Sorrento
built?] built an addition and a garage. The garage collapsed and it cost something like $4
.`
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million to fix. This combination of events cost him his hotel. He tried but he couldn't stay
afloat.
CONDO HOTELS
I've had many significant days and nights. I stood at the pool deck and wrecked the old
pool. I built a mountain and waterfall. Talked about the future of the hotel. What about
the next 25 years? That's the next significant time and that time is right now. In joint
venture with Turnberry, Font. II is a fabulous success. It opens in Nov. 2004 and is totally
sold out. The Sorrento is going down and plans are well advanced for Font. III. It will
have a world famous restaurant. Have retained Adam Tihany, architect, who will redo all
the public spaces in the Chateau and Versailles buildings. You can't see the ocean when
you enter any hotel or apartment building in Miami Beach. We are building a new entry
'way so that when you come up the driveway—between Chateau and Font II—you will
see the ocean. I am on the verge of a lease for a world class spa. Redoing lower lobby to
become people friendly. Took out escalators which I put in.
If you could title a book about Miami Beach, it might be"The Rise and Fall, the Rise and
Fall, the Rise of Miami Beach." We're on a rise. Twenty five years ago, there were no
fast food restaurants in Miami Beach; no chain hotels.
Novack had time shared rooms leased for 20 years; ended in early 90s; didn't work.
Town will always be a tourist-oriented town. [Is this Muss'sideways answer to the
question of condo hotels?]
Cot�-
Lisa Close is in-hour pr. Cell (305) 796-8383. Call re memorabilia; those statues.
Can't figure stairway to nowhere. It always led to offices.
How came down: Father calls when I was running NY operation. Told me I was moving
to Miami Beach. Father was moving back to NY, one of us has to be here. I told him no
way would I go to MB. By the time I got here, three Seacoast buildings were built and
half of Seacoast West. Alex died in 1972. Our first project out of the family is Towers of
Key Biscayne. In 1970, Tower House—first condo on Collins Avenue, Lost Maureen in
1993. Will be married eight years on Nov. 3.
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