October 20, 2008

US & CANADA | US | MIAMI

Miami Retro

By Nicole Cotroneo

When is a revamp not a revamp? When the renovation bill comes to a billion dollars.

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In Miami, a makeover is never enough. You have to reinvent yourself — and that’s precisely how two maturing landmarks are getting their game back. Ocean Drive’s Betsy Ross Hotel is taking the Madonna approach: dropping the last name and changing her wardrobe. While the Georgian colonial shell remains (soaring paned windows and plantation shutters), The Betsy will soft-open on November 24 sporting safari-chic with zebra prints and hand-painted silk chandeliers. Inside 63 guestrooms, the Small Luxury Hotel shows off its new techie sensibilities, with bathroom vanities that radiate simulated “natural light” and have televisions imbedded in their mirrors. But the real coup was luring acclaimed chef Laurent Tourondel — whose BLT Steak will put The Betsy firmly on the South Beach gastro-map.

If you’re looking for Michelin star-power, however, head north to the new Fontainebleau (pictured), where a $1-billion overhaul has thrust the faded icon back into the spotlight. The resort’s two towers have now increased to four, collectively housing 1,504 guestrooms — each with its own Apple iMac computer. There are 11 restaurants and lounges, including spin-offs of Michelin-starred eateries Gotham Bar and Grill and Hakkasan. And if the sprawling Lapis spa with 30 treatment rooms feels a tad cramped, then you can choose among the property’s six swimming pools (featuring “walls of water” and an island cabana, pictured).

Yes, to get a sense of the property, you have to think Big and Glam. In its Rat-Pack heyday, the resort was often a working film location as well as a Hollywood getaway. But then architect Morris Lapidus did create Fontainebleau to be as grand as a movie set, with an 11-story curved façade and a grand “staircase to nowhere.” The new developers, however, aren’t looking to play on nostalgia. They’re taking a cue from the capital of glitz — Las Vegas (which gets its own Fontainebleau resort later next year). They’re even bringing in the showgirls for the November 14 grand opening: Victoria’s Secret Angels will strut their stuff in a holiday fashion show.