Dreaming in South Beach

Haute Living first reported on the Dream South Beach in our India-themed Miami edition last fall. Dream is the brainchild of Sant Chatwal, the man behind Hampshire Hotels & Resorts. Its boutique division, Vikram Chatwal Hotels, operates the Dream brand, which Chatwal refers to as “Hautel Couture.”

The incredible X-factor of Dream is strategic alliances with like-minded partners. Through collaborations with designers such as David Rockwell, Michael Czysz, and Handel Architects; all-stars of the food and nightlife worlds, including three-star Chef Geoffrey Zakarian (Town, Country) and Will Regan and David Rabin (Lotus, Double Seven); and restaurateurs Greg Brier (Aspen, Highbar), Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato (Serafina, Geisha), and Ric Addison (Ava, Rm. Fifty5, Inc.), each extension of the brand achieves a wonderful rhythm, character, and identity. Additionally, world-renowned mind-body guru Dr. Deepak Chopra offers a much needed counterpoint to the frenetic pace of the city landscapes that Dream Hotel in Manhattan inhabits, with the Chopra Center & Spa.

But the downed economy stalled his latest project, Dream South Beach, and rumors ran wild that the hotel would never open. (Full disclosure: A close friend of mine is the marketing director for the Miami division, so I always had full faith that it would come to fruition.) Now, Hotel Chatter is reporting that the hotel is planning on opening its doors Spring 2010, although there is no current website, and the main Chatwal page also has no mention of the project. But the building is still under construction, so maybe if we continue to dream it, the project will be completed within the next calendar year.

Via Hotel Chatter