Programs: Starwood Preferred Guest/B. W. Gold Crown Club; American Airlines AAdvantage/Continental OnePass
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Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by EWC-JMU: This may be nothing, but I just did a search of Starwood properties in Miami on Orbitz, and what do you think shows up? The Ritz Plaza. I wonder if this means anything.
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In its current incarnation, the Ritz Plaza is categorized as an independent Starwood property, meaning that it is part of the REIT.
It does not participate in Starwood Preferred Guest and I have no information to offer on when or even if it will ever be re-named/branded the W South Beach.
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William R. Sanders
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I sent an e-mail to Starwood about this a couple of months ago, and received a form reply to the effect of "we are constantly adding new properties and look forward to seeing you at one soon." So basically - we don't have an answer.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by CO DCA: I sent an e-mail to Starwood about this a couple of months ago, and received a form reply to the effect of "we are constantly adding new properties and look forward to seeing you at one soon." So basically - we don't have an answer.</font>
if you are referring to the W South Beach, i believe the three letters: "R," "I,", and "P" sum it up.
McLean, Virginia – August 11, 2003 – Molinaro Koger announced today that it has been selected by RPH Hotel Associates, LLC, an ownership group comprised of private investors and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. to market the Ritz Plaza Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida, for sale to investors.
The 12-story oceanfront hotel is located in the heart of Miami’s South Beach Art Deco district at the intersection of Collins Avenue (A1A) and 17th Street. Situated on 1.4 acres, adjacent to the Delano Hotel and one-half block north of the Ritz Carlton currently under construction, the 132-room Ritz Plaza features unobstructed views of the Atlantic Ocean and South Beach Market.
“The Ritz Plaza Hotel is being offered unencumbered by management or franchise. This will provide a new owner numerous re-branding and repositioning opportunities. In a market with a lack of developable sites, the opportunity to acquire a truly unencumbered asset with an expansion component is unique and rare,” said Rob Koger, president of Molinaro Koger. “We believe this property will attract significant attention given its irreplaceable location and enormous upside potential.”
Molinaro Koger is an international hotel real estate brokerage firm. The company structures boutique through luxury hotel transactions throughout the Americas and Europe. Headquartered in metro-Washington, DC, with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and London, Molinaro Koger has captured the awards for Highest Volume, Largest Transaction and Salesman of the Year from Hotel Brokers International each of the past five years.
I hope this is not the case. South Beach needs a *Wood property. I understand some of the background on this, and how it had developed into somewhat of a p*ssing contest between Barry and Ian. But *Wood really needs a hotel down there. I have to stay at the Surfcomber for HH points, or elesewhere for nothing.
Miami Beach's oceanfront Holiday Inn will be demolished to make way for a condominium complex and a W Hotel, according to sources familiar with the deal.
David Edelstein, a New York-based real estate investor with retail property on South Beach's Lincoln Road, has signed a contract to purchase the 355-room oceanfront hotel at 22nd Street and Collins Avenue and was in the process of closing the deal Thursday, the sources said. One source placed the purchase price at $77 million -- a sum analysts said could never be justified by merely renting hotel rooms on the site.
''That is not an economic basis for buying that hotel. You are buying land value there,'' said Gregory Rumpel, a hotel broker with Jones Lang LaSalle, who was not involved in the Holiday Inn deal.
All 400 rooms at the W would be sold as condominiums, a source said, but the unit prices could not be learned Thursday. The nearby Setai, another oceanfront hotel-condo hybrid, sells its rooms for between and $550,000 and $750,000, and the new W planned for Fort Lauderdale Beach is getting between $720,000 and $1.3 million for its rooms, executives with both projects said Thursday.
Edelstein declined through a spokeswoman to comment this week on the deal, as did Edelstein broker Francis Clougherty of Majestic Properties. Claire Callen, president of Oceanside Resorts, which owns the Holiday Inn, confirmed recently that the hotel is under contract to be sold, but she has not returned messages this week seeking comment.
Demolishing the Holiday Inn to make way for a swanky hotel-condo project would in many ways capture the evolution of Miami Beach as a tourist destination. Once a winter resting spot for snowbirds seeking beachfront bargains, it has emerged as an expensive and trendy resort city flush with luxury hotels, including a new Ritz-Carlton.
Smith Travel Research puts W in its top tier of hotel rankings, alongside the Four Seasons and the Loews.
''A W where the Holiday Inn is -- it speaks volumes,'' said William Talbert III, president of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, which promotes tourism in Miami-Dade County.
The W, a Starwood Hotels & Resorts brand launched in 1998 that seeks a trendy boutique-ish air in its nearly two dozen locations, has spent years hunting for a South Beach home.
It almost had one at 17th Street and Collins Avenue in a converted Ritz Plaza hotel, but those plans were abandoned when Ian Schrager's Delano hotel and another neighboring property sued over the shadow the planned W would have cast.
The sources said Edelstein has not hired an architect for the project, and that there will be a significant delay between the purchase and the demolition -- perhaps a year or two. It was unclear how long the Holiday Inn would continue to operate there; a spokeswoman could not be reached late Thursday.
Developers typically hire hotel chains to run the operation for a portion of revenues, but it was not known if W would join the project as an investor or if Edelstein has other partners. A Starwood spokeswoman did not respond to an inquiry about the deal this week.
I thought there was supposed to be a 'W' opening in Miami or South Beach this year. I haven't heard any news or seen any ads for it yet. Anyone know anything?
Also, what other hotels are good (W-like or otherwise) in Miami/South Beach? Any good Starwoods?
Yes. W South Beach Hotel Condo just started talking reservation for condo hotel units starting from 800K and will be completed 2008. You can see floor plans and details on http://wsouthbeach.miaminewconstructionguide.com
Also, what other hotels are good (W-like or otherwise) in Miami/South Beach? Any good Starwoods?
Unfortunately no *woods in SoBe proper. However...
At a pretty fair pricepoint is TheHotel (On Collins), I would say that it is probably the best value at under 200 bucks a night. Hip little pool on the roof, not usually too crowded. Smallish but comfey rooms, ans contains WISH which is a terrific place to grab a bite.
Also worth mention is the National. Slightly less hip pool scene, but super comfey rooms (avoid the tower and pay extra for the poolsides... WELL worth it)
For kicks we tried a Penthouse suite at the Bentley last dec. The room was very large and very nice, and best of all it had a 800 sq ft patio, as well as a decent rooftop pool. However there was no room service at all and the service over-all was really quite poor.
As for the Delano, I dont think I'd bother unless you are really going to pop for a seriously upgraded room. The standard rooms are pretty weak and very expensive. However brunch @ Blue Door is absolutely terrific (as any 50$ buffet sbhould be!)
The Westing Diplomat is a very nice hotel!! It is further up of course and not on South Beach, but it is brand new and gorgeous!!! Stayed there a few months ago and had a fabulous time!
I second your comment about the Diplomat. This is a 1st class resort. The Atlantic further north is as nice as well.
I was looking at the W project about a month ago in South Beach. Good location. Tired looking building currently. Hugely expensive, even compared to other condo-hotels nearby (which sell around the $500k level and upwards).
Have stayed at BalH a few months ago -appeared to have huge potential, but a bit tired outside. Interesting new St Regis element going on there too, in terms of their Aspen-style fractional ownership scheme.
Had planned to try 4pts Miami in 2 weeks from now, but from above comments, think I'll change it to something else.
Does anyone know the address of the new W Miami, or what is it next to, I am pretty familiar with south beach so if someone can tell me a landmark I should be able to figure it out.
Probably at least 2 more years. They haven't even begun to tear down the Holiday Inn yet (as of last month). They are actively marketing the condo portion of the hotel. Things seem to take for ever in SoBe.
