1616-60 Various Miami Beach •HOTELS
The Ritz Plaza closes
South Beach's Ritz Plaza recently
closed for two years'worth of reno-
vations by its new owners.
The 132-room oceanfront hotel
just north of The Delano on the 17th
block of Collins Avenue closed its
doors June 2 and transferred its sum-
mer reservations to the nearby Mar-
seilles,an executive there said.It will
not reopen until 2006,according to
the Ritz Plaza's website. •
Previous owners Ignacio Con-
treras and Starwood Hotels&
Resorts Worldwide sold the property
last month to a venture that includes
Kimpton hotels,a boutique operator
based in San Francisco,Contreras
associate Marc Fasteau said Friday.