Living The "Suite" Life Of Zack & Cody: Miami's New Boutique Hotel Boom.

"December 4th, 2008 5:46 PM
Bed Hopping | New Hotels in Miami
By Maura Egan

Miami’s hotel scene is booming yet again (or maybe it’s never really stopped booming), with a heaping handful of recent openings and reopenings — and a few yet to come. T’s deputy travel editor Maura Egan takes a few hours out from Art Basel reporting to give us the skinny on the top new properties.


The Gansevoort rooftop pool.

Gansevoort South
Checking in: New York’s meatpacking district hot spot headed south last spring to join its boutique brethren on the South Beach strip. It turns out the new outpost is anything but boutique — it’s sprawling, with 334 rooms, 259 condos and a lobby aquarium filled with sharks.
What’s cooking: Big-ticket meals at New York outposts STK and Philippe (the W hotel soon to open next door will have a Mr. Chow’s).
Perks: A new David Barton gym and spa that stays open until midnight, where overly tan ladies can indulge in the “cougar” anti-aging facial. For fitness freaks, there are yoga mats in the rooms and a stunning infinity pool.

Fontainebleau
Checking in: The Morris Lapidus-designed pleasure palace that put Miami on the map in 1954 recently reopened after a billion-dollar makeover.
What’s cooking: There are 11 (11!) restaurants and dining spots, including Gotham Steak, headed up by Alfred Portale, one of New York’s top chefs.
Perks: The main pool is surrounded by private cabanas equipped with flat-screen TV’s, Wi-Fi and your own butler. The spa features Tracie Martyn treatments.


The lounge at Mondrian.

Mondrian
Checking in: The Dutch designer Marcel Wanders brings a bit of oversize opulence (think lots of jumbo chandeliers) to this brand-new hotel and condo complex on Biscayne Bay.
What’s Cooking: Nothing says party like Asia de Cuba’s signature communal table — once everyone’s nice and friendly, they head over to the new Sunset Lounge, courtesy of Ben Pundole of Bungalow 8.
Perks: A private marina and access to the beach at the Delano, a sister property.

Viceroy Miami and Icon Brickell
Checking in: The “Top Design” judge Kelly Wearstler created this hotel and condo resort located within Icon Brickell, a mega-residential property designed by Philippe Starck — all of which opens this February.
What’s cooking: TBD, but expect a Wearstler special, with lots of banquettes and Asian touches.
Perks: Access to everything in this “city within a city.” There’s a 50-person hot tub, an Easter Island-inspired park and, curiously, a life-size chess set.


The Regent Bal Harbour.

Regent Bal Harbour
Checking in: A grown-up oceanfront resort, quietly tucked away from the South Beach fray.
What’s Cooking: You can eat high and low here — haute French at 1 Bleu or spa cuisine by the pool at Aqua Soleil.
Perks: In addition to the first Geurlain spa in North America, there’s an art butler to take you on a tour of the property’s multimillion-dollar collection. Or just head to the Bar Harbour mall nearby for recession-style sales at Dior and Nieman’s and some excellent people watching."

Information Courtesy Of: Themoment.Blogs.NYtimes.Com


CHRIS LIVE AKA SHAKER SAYS: Not that South Florida's year-round hotspot, Miami Beach, is short on deluxe hotel accomodations, but the additions of 2 of my favorite hotels, the Gansevoort and the Mondrian, is long overdue. The premium boutique hotel business is fraught with flashy names and pretentious pretend nouveau palaces that, often, do not live up to the hype afforded them, however the Gansevoort South (NOTE: "South" is the little sister to the New York City Meat Packing District holier than though Gansevoort hotel) and the Mondrian are poised to achieve the acclaim that such trusted brand names deserve.

Now, while the Fountainbleau, the Regent Bal Harbour and the Viceroy Miami and Icon Brickell all sound like great hotels, and I am particularly interested in the Fountainbleau's billion dollar makeover, the Gansevoort South and Mondrian are both completely new destinations to South Beach whose brands I am already quite familiar with. What can I say? I'm a sucker for new versions of preapproved fly shit ... lol. Oh yeah, expect the Gansevoort to book super fast because rooftop retreats are where it's @ homie. Y.O.U. already know.