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Miami Beach in the late 1930s
was heralded by the well-to-do as a mecca of
glitz, glamour and gambling. High society
traveled to the southern tip of Miami Beach to bask in
its warm waters,
bet the trifecta at the races, and mingle
with haute society in one of the beach’s
modern
hotels. The lobby of these top hotels was the
place to be seen during the winter season, and in the center of Ocean Drive, the
Hotel Victor was arguably the best.
Designed by architect L.
Murray Dixon (The Raleigh, The Marlin and The Tides), The Victor opened its
doors in 1937 and immediately welcomed celebrities and socialites into
its art
deco oasis. “The Victor was built at the peak of the boom on Ocean Drive,” says
Scott Timm, Director of Programs and Outreach at the Miami Design and
Preservation League. “It was a very elegant, very happening place to be.”
But,
in the mid-‘60s Miami Beach fell out of fashion with jet-set
travelers. “Places like Atlantic City and
Vegas were developing gambling other than race tracks,” Timm says. “Miami Beach
didn’t have that.” Many hotels were closed and left abandoned for years, even
decades, including the Victor. It wasn’t until 2000, when the
Victor was purchased by
Orlando-based ZOM Development, that the hotel was finally given the chance to
shine once again.
The company brought on Hyatt to manage the property and enlisted the
design talents of Jacques Garcia (Paris’ Hotel Costes), whose vision
included restoring the hotel to its original elegance while adding a
modern, Parisian-influenced touch.
In the lobby, the hotel’s
original art deco chandeliers hang from vaulted ceilings, while deep
purple and vibrant green lounges and sofas sit atop
polished-to-perfection terrazzo floors. Hulking curtains drape the
walls, as do a selection of paintings — including one that features,
of all things, a jellyfish.
It may seem like an odd image to have hanging in
a hotel lobby, but the tentacled sea creature was actually Garcia’s
inspiration for the Victor. The swirl-shaped furniture, the dangling
beaded accents that hang throughout the hotel, the cool darkness of
the subterranean spa, and, of course, the oceanic views.
The
jellyfish also represents the hotel’s overall atmosphere. “They’re
mysterious, they’re beautiful and they’re unique,” says Victoria Prado, the Victor’s vibe manager. “We’re all about provoking the
senses,” she adds, and the jellyfish, with its sense-oriented
tentacles, embodies that goal.
Prado is living proof that the Victor is
committed to making every aspect of its guest’s stay perfect. She
calls each guest before they even arrive to find out what, exactly,
they are looking to experience while in Miami. By filling out the
"Provoke Your Senses" survey, she is able to determine everything from
what music you would like playing in your room to what you’d like to
do during the day and night.
Prado offers some of the questions she
asks soon-to-be guests: “Would you like to take a helicopter tour?
Lie on the beach? A picnic? Do you want to do the club circuit? Are
you here to look at art? I don’t assume they just want to hang out
and go to clubs.” Prado, who is also responsible for the ambiance of
the entire hotel (scents, sounds, textures, etc.), then types up a
list of suggestions for activities, restaurants, nightlife spots,
shopping options and anything else she thinks that particular guest
may enjoy and makes sure it is in their room before they arrive.
In addition to guest arrival preparations, Prado
is on-call during their stay to tend to any problems
or requests they may have. She recalls a guest who wanted to go
gambling in the Bahamas, and so within the hour she had booked a
flight and a hotel for the last-minute getaway. “Surfing lessons,
salsa lessons, a helicopter tour of Miami,” she
recites. “There was
once a group of European guests who rented a Lincoln Continental and
asked to go to the rodeo in Sunrise.”
Needless to say, there is no
“typical” work day for Prado, which is what she loves about her job.
“It’s all about the guest’s experiences,” she says, “and I love the
constant interaction with so many diverse people. No day is the
same.”
But, while every guest’s experience at the Victor
may be different, there are a few aspects of one’s stay that remain
constant. In each of the 91 guest suites: custom made 350 thread
count sheets, direct dial to a Neiman Marcus personal shopper, an
Infinity Edge soaking tub and an outdoor rain shower. For the uber-high
roller, the 4,000 square-foot penthouse suite offers a private
elevator, gourmet kitchen, 360-degree view of South Beach, and the
option of such luxuries as an Evian water-filled bath served up with
foie gras and chocolate (price tag: $5,000).
For those who like a little sunshine with their
agua, the raised, rimless pool, which overlooks the ocean, welcomes
bathing beauties of all ages. The original hotel, says Timm, didn’t
have a pool, as guests simply walked across the street to swim in
the warm Atlantic waters. Now, however, guests have both options at
their disposal, and at night, the pool area is the site for parties
that fill the patio and attached bar, which features an open-air
pool table, with a chill vibe — everything from the martinis to the
music.
Anyone in the mood to start the weekend a day
early can check out the Thursday night parties by
nightlife impresario Michael Capponi. Everyone from The Apprentice’s Katrina Campins to the Miami Heat’s Shaquille O’Neal have held swanky
soirees poolside under the South Beach stars. In fact, the Victor
has been a popular stop — whether it be for a cocktail or a weekend
getaway — for a slew of celebrities, including Paris, Diddy, Mischa,
Sarah Jessica, Colin, the Killers, and the Donald.
While the Victor may provide plenty of eye
candy, the hotel prides itself on satisfying all of the senses. In
the business of palette pleasing is Vix, the Victor’s critically
acclaimed restaurant. Headed by Chef James Wierzelewski, Vix is an
adventure in spice. Instead of offering “fusion” style cuisine
popular with many area restaurants, Vix, which seats between 200 and
250 guests on a typical weekend night, chooses to preserve the
authenticity of each dish. The menu is divided into four “spice
palettes” — Latin America, Asia, Middle East, and Mediterranean —
and offers up such favorites as the Hot and Sour Rock Shrimp, the
Seafood “Hot Pot,” and the Hong Kong Barbequed Duck and Lobster Chow
Mein.
“We’re not cooking food we don’t have roots in,”
says Wierzelewski, who just finished shooting a pilot for a
30-minute cooking show shot mostly in the Vix kitchen. “There are
very few restaurants that will give you traditional food from
Thailand or Indian Nan or flavors from the south of Spain or Greece.
We do that. We sex up the stuff, don’t get me wrong, but at end of
day, they’re authentic and rooted in tradition.” Wierzelewski says
his kitchen boasts a 20-foot wall of spices, many of which are
imported directly from their country of origin, as well as a staff
that is a virtual culinary United Nations. “The guy making the Nan
in the tandoori oven is from Pakistan or Bombay,” Wierzelewski
offers, “the wok items are made by someone from Thailand or the
Philippines.”
Rounding out the sensual experience is the
Victor’s 6,000 square-foot subterranean spa and fitness center.
Touch is the overriding theme of Spa V, which offers guests an
entire menu of rejuvenating regimens. Signature massages include the
Very Victor, an ayurvedic massage that features sweeping movements
and soothing oils to relax the mind and body, and the V Blackberry,
a treatment for those who are surgically attached to their PDAs,
that uses hot stones and aroma-infused towels to sooth aching hands
and forearms. The more adventurous can check out the co-ed steam
room or the Hammam. “It’s our version of the Turkish service,” says
Spa V director Donna Stephenson of the room, which features a heated
marble slab on which guests are wrapped in mud that helps exfoliate,
detoxify and soften the skin. “[The Hammam’s] tradition is to
cleanse the body, both physically and spiritually.”
Perhaps the ladies of the 1930s would
have scoffed at the idea of being covered in mud, but while this
hotel’s modern incarnation offers all the amenities of a five-star,
beachfront hotel, the Victor, whether serving sidecars or saketinis,
will always remain a Miami Beach treasure.
The Hotel Victor
1144 Ocean Drive
Miami Beach, Florida |
