1616-60 The Herald - HIP HOTELS 2005 .. BUSINESS .
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THURSDAY, MARCH 24,2005 I EDITOR:LISA GIBBS Igibbs@herald.com 305-376-3578 or 954-764-7026 ext.3578 I THE HERALD
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,rt Y` '", .. HOELLE THEARD/FOR THE HERALD
�� y' DANCE,DANCE,DANCE:Blake Morris,a photographer
e .Kee rt M Y, • ._ from New York,grabs Beverly Hardee,a stranger,for
. '
a dance at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach.
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k Five-star hotels
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'- want hot clubs
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,A - .. •HIP HOTELS,FROM IC "We made a determina-
tion that we were not going
NOELLE THEARD/FOR THE HERALD boost profits and fill tables to run any particular depart-
during the off-season. meat in the hotel that did
HOT SPOT:Andrea Spiridonakos,a dancer with the Miami City Ballet,relaxes with friends at the But in a vacation market not me money,"Schrager
Ritz-Carlton South Beach.The hotel promotes its Saturday night entertainment as one of the longregarded as favorin said inal.'a recent interview.
places to be on the Beach. - j try e over service,the drive "Why ot be able to go right
to mix the twocould test down to the lobby to go to
Miami's ability to support the most happening bar in
ultra-luxury hotels. town?"H I ID FEI OTE LS
None of the new top- In the past,many—if not
flight properties opened in most—hotels viewed their
the last four years—includ- staid restaurants and bars as
ing the Ritz-Carlton South required amenities unlikely
Beach, Four Seasons and to generate much profitfot
Mandarin—have earned a the business.That's changed
coveted fifth star from with the push for more
• ExxonMobil, the leading exciting dining and drinlunl
BY MIXING STYLE WITH SERVICE, LUXURY HOTELS IN MIAMI ARE arbiterofhotelservice.Lux- trytolvenuesoserieupas t ht image
ury.experts say combining try to loosen up their image
refined service with a hip But while the Delanc
COMPETING WITH SOUTH BEACH CLUBS TO DRAW TRENDIER CROWDS scene can be done,but it draws both toprateSmdtol
isn't easy. celebritypartyers,its repo
BY DOUGLAS HANKS III "We get the comment all tattoo for service isn't so sky
BY DOUGLAS
lHANK ': 4t��., s ` . y the time:You guys don't get high.Blue Door,the Delan,
�� a the hip quotient,"ExxonMo- ors restaurant, won Pow
The heavybass line of techno- m �t In+ t t bei executive Shane O'Fla- stars from Exxo elvlobil las
pop pulses from the speakers set ' # herty said,referring to unfa year,but the hotel itself go
14%,$'10,. r'' vorable reviews of chic three.
up poolside.A DJ with blond high- / fr
lights and translucent glasses .- '� hotels."We think it's great, "The difference betweet
at ' ' as long as you can provide say,a Mandarin landland
mans his turntable by the hotel the right services to custom- say;a Delano,is the five sta
bar. Vi'hen they don't,it hotels at leasti
know how tc
An evening at the hip Delano in quickly becomes noticeable disdpense service," saic
South Beach?No,it's Friday night fi, -•`'^s to us." An ndr xazper,publishe
at the elegant Four seasons in ' I _ Fort Lauderaale,where of Andrew t,a newslette s Hide
Miami
s beachside bars are more the away Report,a
"It's pretty hot on Fridays and " P standard thye chic clubs, about luxurytravel
},a cool doesn't et set the five- Harper said most of l'
Saturdays. Friday is bigger,- y' ,+t -x �, + - star standard. readers would probabb
explained hotel spokeswoman „ IS
"we wouldn't have any- rows on a top hotel see hint
v
Eveliny Bastos-Klein- aS• thing you would call hip;' a club scene,though he he]
z - .t said loanie Cabo Schmidt, out South Beach as ai
This week will see South Beach ' H p
t � ° w ea duector of sales and market- exce tion.
overrun by clobbers and DJs in i "- / ing at the new St.Regis,an "At a lot of five-std
town for Winter MusicDJsConfer- a a k r �' 4_ • - aspiring five-star hotel set to hotels in most cities,the ide
ence,billed as the country's lar - t! c` i., ;•'' open in December."We're is you're kind of going int.
ry� g- A F �;--r , ,,,o �,rpnot having a night club,per an urban sanctuary.And yo
est celebration of electronic dance � ,2' '. v se. We will have a lobby don't expect 1,500 other pea
music. But the club scene is so .,a f"1_77-, °t,A" le dropping 5,y one night,
b P
central to the Miami area's image .- '' ,.., But in Miami,clubs have he said."If you're staying'n
. become so iconic that hotels South Beach, I think yo,
that even top-flight hotels feel INOELLE THEARD/FOR THE HERALD consider night-life part of expect that scene and sort
obligated to create a hip vibe. C
SPINNING FOR THE CROWD:DJ Elaine Lancaster turns the hotel the local scenery. relish it."
The Ritz-Carlton South Beach We always knew South But what about on Brick
boasts of having the exclusive bar of the Ritz-Carlton South Beach into a party.The hotel Beach was probably going to ell xey?
chain's only"resident DJ," and boasts of having the exclusive chain's only resident DJ. be the beginning of a new Rosalva Vazquez sat wit
promotes its Saturday night as eraoflsensx ofplace,VRitz- a fellow Mexico City phyte
Carlton executive Vivian cion on the Mandarin's oute
one of the places to be on the pasty every Friday on Brickell broader trend in the lodging Deuschl said,referring to deck on a recent Friday a
Beach.Hoping to update its aus- Key. industry, which has seen hotel the chain's policy of having streams of jean-clad an
tere image,Grove Isle Resort is "This party would not work in bars move from loss leaders to each hotel reflect its sur- trucker-cap wearing 2C
soundings. somethings paraded past t
pushing a new nickname among Hong Kong.It would not work in profit centers.Conventional wis- I That's a departure from the beach party out back.]
locals("The Grove")and building our London hotel,"said Mandarin dom used to hold that hotel guests , the oriental rugs and was after 10 p.m.,and Vas
a fire pit and lounge outside to spokeswoman Alexandra Wen- prefer to party anywhere but I piped-in classical music that quez wasn't enthralled.
draw crowds.About 1,500 people sley."It works here because that is downstairs;now hotels are court- were the Ritz-Carlton scan- "one wants privacy,"tai
dard
descend on the man-made beach what Miami is all about." ing local customers as a way to ' matter rtheoughocity.ut the'80s,no Vaforzaquezpharmaceu,stayingtiatcalthe cohonte:ts
at the$700-a-night Mandarin Ori- The push for a scene that's But the bottom line ence."You're expecting it t
ental for its"Barefoot at Oasis" both hip and five-star reflects a 'TURN TO HIP HOTELS,4C - counts,too.In fact,profits be quiet,to be calm"
I helped spawn thb entire idea But as bay breezes coole
•HERALD.COM:GO TO TODAY'S EXTRAS TO CHECK OUT THE COMPLETE WINTER MUSIC CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 1 of a hip hotel when Studio 54 revelers sprawled on da
founders Ian Schrager and beds nearby,-Mandarin gue:
- - - --- ----- -- - I Steve Rubell opened the Gabriele Tarrau saw thing,
C Delano in 1995.The stylish differently.
a "boutique"resort in South "This is cool," the 4,
t Beach pioneered mixing a year-old real estate execs
B hot club scene with a fancy tive from Venezuela said.'
ii hotel. love it."
s