The Art of Hospitality

To evaluate the true evolution of a city, one should start with the evolution of the hospitality options. Take, as a prime example, Miami Beach—South Beach to be exact. The young city was not even accessible by the masses just 100 years ago; Carl Fisher completed his bridge to the island in 1915, which is the same year that the city was officially incorporated. What followed was a slew of beachy retreats that embodied the seaside perch. Sophisticated? No. Kitschy? Yes.

As the city grew to become a hub for the Rat Pack and their notorious glory days of debauchery, colossal hotels like the Fontainebleau opened to accommodate the elite crowd. But as the beach’s reputation deteriorated, thanks in large part to the prevalence of crime that followed the Mariel Boatlift, the hospitality offerings declined as well. Then came Tony Goldman, who opened Park Central and began Miami Beach’s famed revitalization. The fashion industry followed the glowing sun and the promise of glitzy possibility, prompting Ian Schrager to team up with Aby Rosen and open the Delano, which gave the model-laden population a place as chic as they were to rest their heads after reveling in the lobby bars until the wee hours. Imitators popped up in its wake, each trying to be somehow hipper than the last.

Yes, our city’s teenage years were inexplicably cool. But as time stands still for no city, the pivotal turning point in the maturation of Miami Beach into adulthood was the arrival of Art Basel in 2002. Suddenly the town was on the radars of culture-lovers throughout the world, gaining a prestigious reputation for something other than skin, sun, and a thriving nightlife. And so the hospitality offerings once again evolved with the changing landscape, albeit with seemingly split personalities. Consider the contradicting atmospheres at the Setai and the Mondrian for example; both breathtakingly beautiful in design, the Setai is startlingly serene, while the Mondrian showcases modernist, otherworldly designs and a jumping scene.

Aby Rosen and David Edelstein promptly answered the call for the new sophisticated style that Miami Beach demanded as it matured. With Art Basel entering its eighth year, the landscape of the region has exploded, welcoming an abundance of culture. The opening of the Adrienne Arsht Center, a flurry of satellite art fairs, a stunning new home for the New World Symphony designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry, world-class exhibits being hosted by local galleries and museums, and a revitalization of the Wynwood Art District prove that Miami is well into our adult years of serious achievement and are insisting to be considered as a contender in the world of art and architecture.

Edelstein and Rosen’s new W South Beach, which opened in July 2009, is a manifestation of all of the characteristics of the current Miami Beach—it’s chic, sophisticated, buzzing, beachfront, and, perhaps most importantly, culturally relevant. “That was our goal,” explains Edelstein, principal of Tristar Capital, which owns the hotel. “Miami Beach, being as vibrant and important as it is, both from a tourist point of view and on a cultural scale, has been given a clean slate, and we thought it was important to build something that was world-class.”

So build they did. On the land that housed a Holiday Inn for 40 years, Edelstein, Rosen, and Rosen’s partner, Michael Fuchs, embarked on the first ground-up new build hotel project on the Beach in decades, and likely the last one to be built in the coming decades. This is not the first collaboration between the two New York real estate titans. Rosen’s RFR Holding has spent the past 25 years building a priceless portfolio of unmatched properties, primarily in New York (including the Seagram Building, Lever House, Park Avenue Place, Gramercy Park Hotel, and 40 Bond St., amongst others) as well as Las Vegas (Die Miracle Mile Shops), South Florida (1100 Lincoln Road and Emerald Dunes Golf Club), and in Rosen’s native Germany. His expertise lies in the construction, design, and financing aspects of property development, while Edelstein’s strengths are in the day-to-day marketing. A former taxi cab driver who made it big in the real estate industry, Edelstein’s golden investment includes the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall, while his current portfolio includes two world-class buildings on New York’s Central Park West. RFR and Tristar’s history can be traced back to 1994, when the two companies began working on projects together in Las Vegas, during which Rosen and Edelstein became close friends. Together with RFR, Tristar owns and operates the 500,000-square-foot Desert Passage shopping mall in Vegas.

Edelstein is the mastermind who secured the prime land that now houses the W South Beach, following a lengthy negotiation process with former owner Robinson Callen, who was hesitant to sell. Once he did agree to part with the property, he had one stipulation: Edelstein had to build—not flip it for profit. He agreed without hesitation, knowing that countless developers would kill to get their hands on the prime property; not to mention that he wanted to create a lasting icon that would elevate the offerings in Miami Beach.

Bringing Rosen into the project was a natural decision. “He was one of the early partners with Ian Schrager in the Delano,” explains Edelstein. “He has a long history in Miami, so this evolved as a perfect fit.”

Both gentlemen were ecstatic about the possibility of embarking on a project that would be built from the ground up, rather than the refurbishment projects that are standard in the historic Art Deco district. “By building a brand new condo-hotel, we were able to construct great rooms with high ceilings. And with such access to the ocean, the idea was to give everyone fantastic views, which is why we did it from scratch, instead of taking an old property and rehabbing it.”

uring the design stages, not only did they take into account the beachfront perch, they created a property that would benefit its surrounding neighborhood. “We have three-and-a-half acres on the ocean, surrounded by Collins Park, which is now redone, the Bass Museum, the Miami Beach Ballet, the new library,” explains Edelstein. “The property is at the heart of what is the cultural capital of Miami Beach; it was designated as such.”

Both Edelstein and Rosen cite the decision to fly the W’s flag as a natural one as well, despite the plethora of competing companies that were interested. “When I bought the land, I knew it was one of the greatest plots on the East Coast of the United States,” Edelstein explains. “I negotiated with every hotel operator, both nationally and internationally. There were a few operators who didn’t want to be in this location… The chairman and founder of the Starwood, which owns the W, always wanted a Miami location. It’s a brand that fits with Miami. It’s hip, it’s cool, it’s known for design. And aside from being a very trendy boutique hotel, it is known for its ‘Whatever, Wherever’ service. The combination was compelling to Aby and I—this is the right brand. It fits like a glove.”

So they embarked on creating what is certainly the finest hotel in the W portfolio. This was the brand’s 31st property, but the first all-condo hotel. W considers the South Beach hotel its global flagship, and Rosen believes that the property is pushing the W to step up its game. “This is probably the best W that you’ve ever seen. It makes the entire brand work harder now, because everyone looks at them and thinks, ‘Wow, why are the other Ws not like this?’ The quality of materials and types of finishes are far beyond that of other W facilities, but I think they are changing their whole philosophy and bringing it up a notch.”

s has been Rosen’s long-running mantra, the property’s design seeks to blend art and architecture. To accomplish this, they tapped Costas Kondylis to design the building, which is both iconic yet fitting for the Art Deco District, with its glass exterior and white stucco frame. The grounds, which include Grove, a lush outdoor garden, are the brainchild of conceptual garden artist Paula Hayes, while Anna Busta of Studio B Design is responsible for the public spaces and guest rooms. Mr. Chow brought his iconic restaurant to the property, and with it came a number of important works from Eva and Michael Chow’s art collection (which is detailed in “The Art of Being Eva” on page 62 of this edition). The hotel is also home to Soleà restaurant and three destination bars (Wall, WET Bar, and Living Room Bar), which have caught the attention of discerning locals who pack the spaces on a nightly basis with their pretty faces. Throughout the property, owners, guests, and visitors are greeted by artworks that could very well be hanging on the walls of museums.

“We wanted to use the art to demonstrate how great art and architecture work together….I have a lot of classic art that I put up in the W,” Rosen explains. “For some people, it’s very daring. It is a combination of classic art from the 60s, 70s, and 80s—Warhol, Basquiat, Chamberlain, and Damien Hirst, who is a very good friend of mine.” Hirst was originally lined up to design the restaurant, but the artist indicated that he would rather have some of his work hang in the public spaces, and his work now hangs in the Living Room.

“The artwork starts when you check in with Andy Warhol’s camouflage paintings at the welcome desk,” explains Edelstein. The public areas also display Kenny Scharf works, including a 60-foot-long, 10-foot-high dramatic piece, and another that is 40 feet long and seven feet high. In the Living Room hangs a Basquiat  Drumstick, Reagan/Outlays by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. In the dining room, guests find a Richard Serra. “And there is more to come,” states Edelstein. “All of these pieces are from Aby’s personal collection. I have some personal artwork, including Hirsts and Warhols, but none on display at the hotel. Aby is the mastermind and inspiration behind all of the artwork in the lobby and public spaces.”

The representation of fine art is brought into the guest rooms as well. Rather than sticking with the hotel model of boring, mass-produced paintings in the rooms, the W South Beach opted for unique photographs from legendary rock photographer Danny Clinch.

This art-as-a-centerpiece formula has treated Rosen well throughout his career. An unstoppable real estate mogul, he is also a noted contemporary art collector with nearly 500 works in his inventory, including 80 Warhols. His New York office is located in the Lever House, which RFC Holdings purchased in the late 1990s. Visitors find fantastic works of art at every turn. At the time of our cover photo shoot, which took place in the lobby of the building, Barbara Kruger’s Between Being Born and Dying covered the entirety of the glass windows, both inside and out, in addition to the floors. With letters reaching as high as 17 feet, the phrase “Know nothing, forget everything, believe anything,” adorns the exterior, while inside, the walls read, “If it screams, shove it, If it vomits, starve it, If it sees, blind it,” and, “If it laughs, choke it. If it cries, drown it. If it sighs, shame it. If it loves, buy it. If it moves, f*ck it.” And the floor: “You make history when you do business,” and, “A rich man’s jokes are always funny.”

On display in the courtyard is Tom Sachs’ Bronze Collection, which presents the familiar icon Hello Kitty. A similar sculpture is on its way to Miami for installation at the W South Beach in time for Art Basel.

he fair will serve as a sort of coming-out party for the property, which quietly opened its doors this summer. “We didn’t do your typical ribbon-cutting opening party with a bunch of corporate back-slappers,” explains Edelstein. “We wanted to do something to elevate the brand and the property to be a bit more chic and with a bit more discretion.” Chic and discretionary certainly describe the itinerary at the property throughout Art Basel. On Wednesday alone, the W South Beach will host the official Art Basel VIP Welcome Dinner at Soleà, Larry Gagosian’s private dinner at MrChow, and the ArtNexus party in celebration of the fair. Thursday, Rosen will host a private dinner with mega-collector Alberto Mugrabi and news print mogul Peter Brandt in the Grove and Soleà, followed by an after party at WALL with art dealer Vito Schnabel, gallerist Alex Dellal, and Stavros Niarchos. That same evening, Cartier will host its private dinner at MrChow. Edelstein stresses that guests of the property, which is sold out for the duration of the fair, will be treated like royalty as well. On Saturday evening, he is hosting “We Rock the Arts” at WET. “Hotel guests will get a private performance by Glen Matlock of the SEX PISTOLS, combined with graduates of the New World Symphony, Jesse Yusef Murphy of the Brazilian Girls, and HykCast,” explains Edelstein. Art Basel Miami Beach will also host its official closing party at the W on Sunday evening.

As Rosen explains, this week is very special because it gives them a chance to introduce and showcase the property to the international art world. “We are doing these various events to show people how art and architecture work together,” he states. “They will see how we take care of our owners and our renters. It’s going to be totally inviting, all open tab—that’s just how we do our celebrating. It is like we are opening our home by opening this hotel.”

The property is the next evolution in hospitality, not only in Miami Beach but also across the globe. “We’re very proud of what we built,” says Edelstein. “Everybody always says, ‘You built the best W,’ or, ‘You built the best hotel on the beach.’ My goal was not only to build the best hotel on the beach or the best W; my goal was to build one of the great hotels of the world. Miami Beach deserves that.”

Rosen sums it up: “We are very excited about Art Basel and to contribute to Miami architecturally. Let everyone who comes down to the W judge how good a job we did.” So swing by the property and judge yourself. Rest assured, you will not be disappointed.