Miami’s Most Historic Hotel Expands with New Cultural Programming

The PACE Program rests at the heart and soul of what The Betsy is all about—standing for “Philanthropy, Arts, Culture and Education,” the program seeks to foster culture and the arts within the city through a range of events and social networking opportunities (taking place about 50 times per month), like live music, art exhibitions, poetry readings, book signings, individually-curated libraries in each of the hotel’s 130 accommodations, poems placed on pillows at turn-down each night and charitable collaborations with more than 250 service driven organizations since 2009. “We always wanted to be something more significant than just great service and great beds because we are blessed with a beautiful facility and place in the community, and we are in Miami, which is a place with so much going on culturally—more so than we often admit to ourselves . . . we don’t talk enough about Miami being one of the world’s greatest cultural centers,” explains Jonathan Plutzik on the hotel’s implementation of the PACE Program.

Photo Credit: The Betsy-South Beach

A unique aspect of the hotel that is pivotal to the PACE Program is the “Writer’s Room,” a public room where the hotel invites writers and creatives from all over to seek refuge in the cozy space to let their creativity flow, its motto encouraging artists to “do their best work” in an atmosphere where they are treated with great respect. Since its inception, the room has welcomed more than 500 creatives. This special feature of the property can be credited to the owner’s father, Hyam Plutzik, a poet and three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, whose original desk is a vintage juxtaposition to the modern room, and whose words “Expect no more. This is happiness” are inextricably attached to the hotel’s brand.

Photo Credit: The Betsy-South Beach