To rewrite the book on South Beach style, Clinton co-owners Simon Nemni and Francois Chateau brought in renowned French architect and designer Eric Raffy, whose previous projects have spanned the globe, to work with Miami's Oppenheim Architecture and Design.  Raffy's vision can be seen in every detail of the Clinton's renovation � from the rich, predominately European materials used throughout construction and luxurious linens in the guest rooms to the cutting edge design elements and special features found throughout the hotel's public spaces.  General manager Rafael Barrera has also

Photo of the Clinton Hotel Built in 1930

"In the planning stages, we decided to set ourselves apart from other small hotels and spare no expense to realize our vision," offered Nemni.   "We want our guests to feel utterly pampered, surrounded by luxury"

Simon Nemni, Co-owner/Developer

A native of Paris, Clinton Hotel co-owner and developer Simon Nemni, 50, is an entrepreneur in the truest sense.  His savvy business sense, unique style and cool demeanor will be in the spotlight with the February 2003 opening of the Clinton Hotel, the hot new boutique hotel, located at 825 Washington Avenue on Miami Beach.  Currently undergoing a $12 million renovation, the hotel features 88 guestrooms, including 30 suites with private Jacuzzis.  But the role of hotelier is a new one for Nemni, who can often been seen tooling around town in one of his several classic, restored cars.  �The hotel business is a far cry from where I started,� he says. 

Originally a student of computer technology but seeking a life less structured, in 1975 Nemni decided to embark on a three-year worldwide odyssey, traipsing through India, Africa, the Far East and North America.  Travel weary, he returned to Paris, eschewing computers in lieu of real estate.  �In Paris, at that time, you didn�t need a license to be a broker,� Nemni said.  �I just kind of fell into it.�  After only a year, he opened his own brokerage firm, which he owned and sold for a profit close to four years later.

�I needed something new, something challenging,� Nemni recalls.  Looking for a more creative outlet, Nemni took over and managed a woman�s wear manufacturing company, which saw profits rise under his astute direction.  He soon bought the company, christened it Farlow, and began exporting his fashions to the US, specifically to South Florida.  In the process of setting up a stateside distributor for his wares, Nemni visited Miami in 1983 and got his first glimpse of South Beach.  �There was nothing here,� Nemni says.  �It was a wreck but you could see, under the surface, the promise of what was to come.�  Nemni�s clothes sold so well in the states, he soon set up a New York headquarters.  Loving it stateside, after a year he closed his French offices and remained in New York.  Nemni ran the company for close to a decade (1985-1995), all the while dabbling in real estate development, mostly residential, throughout the New York area.  His real estate work was so lucrative, in fact, that in 1995 he sold the clothing line and focused on real estate full time.

�I�ve always been driven to try new things,� Nemni said.  �It�s when you�re most comfortable that you have to challenge yourself.�  The challenge arose when he revisited Miami Beach in 1999 and discovered how the Beach had evolved 180 degrees in the decade and a half since he had last visited.  It was during this trip that he saw what he described as �the old Miami Beach�s last survivor,� the Clinton Hotel, an Art Deco gem originally designed by architect Charles Neidler in 1930.  In the weatherworn façade and classic architecture, badly in need of refurbishing, he saw what could be rather than what was. 

He promptly took over management of the property, which he ran for close to a year before buying it outright in December 1999.  �The idea of transforming the Clinton into a glamorous boutique hotel appealed to me immediately,� Nemni says.  �Traveling so much, you stay in hundreds of hotels.  I wanted to create a hotel that combined the best elements of my favorite hotels with the excitement of something totally new.� 
 

Opening in February 2003, the Clinton Hotel will raise the bar for luxurious accommodations on South Beach.  It will sport a contemporary, cutting edge design, including ever-changing ethereal projections in the hotel lobby, warm inlaid woods, custom-designed furniture including boomerang desks, comfortable in-room dining areas, built-in drawers and closets and maneuverable lamps that allow each guest to set the mood for their

Rendering of the Clinton Hotel's suites by designer Eric Raffy

No doubt a hotel design heavyweight, the Clinton will also sport a plethora of high-end amenities, such as sunning beds in the hotel�s spa pool, an upscale boutique and a glass-enclosed outdoor restaurant, as well as an Italian espresso bar and gift shop.  �Unfortunately, I wasn�t on the Beach for the Big Boom in the �90s,� Nemni says.  �But, to me, this is home now and I think the Clinton will bring something truly special to a place that is definitely one-of-a-kind.� 

Rafael Barrera, General manager

When a guest enters the new Clinton Hotel, they will notice that general manager Rafael Barrera�s office is located in the lobby, within plain sight.  And though there will be no sign to this effect, Barrera�s door �will always be open to guests.�  This dedication to customer service comes as no surprise to anyone who knows Barrera, 50, and his impressive history in the hotel industry. 

Born in Bogota, Colombia, Barrera began his career at the age of 20, when he began working at The Hilton in Bogota as a reservationist.  �Some people are drawn to music, some to art or banking,� the soft-spoken Barrera says.  �With me, it was always hotels.�  Barrera stayed with The Hilton for five years, training in-house and rising in the ranks until, at the tender age of 25, he took over as general manager.  �It was like giving a kid the keys to the kingdom,� Barrera quips.  �The responsibility was overwhelming but my time with The Hilton hooked me on the business for good.�  Seeking travel and a change of scenery, Barrera left his beloved homeland in the late 1970s and planted temporary roots in the islands, where he oversaw properties for a Caribbean hotel group.  This change of scenery and the new challenges it presented set Barrera in motion.  Over the next several years, he enjoyed stints as a hotel GM at a number of high-profile properties, including the DuPont Plaza (now Marriott) in Puerto Rico, three years with Kimberly Hotels in New York and the Waldorf in New York, which earned the Mobil Five-Star Award during his reign as general manager. With his new role at the Clinton, Barrera looks forward to the challenge of launching a property in what he calls �one of the industry�s most exciting locales.�  At the Clinton, he will oversee day-to-day operations, manage staff and ensure that the hotel surpasses guest expectations in every regard, especially customer service.  �When a new or returning guest leaves my hotel, I want them breathless,� Barrera says with a smile.  At the Clinton, every guest will be a VIP.�

Hotel Public Spaces

It all begins in the hotel's futuristic lobby � with Raffy's space age furnishings as the backdrop for projected images that blanket the ceiling and reflect off the large overhead fans and walls with colors, waves, clouds, and soothing abstractions.  Abundant seating surrounds a raised central bar designed to appeal to the young, playful, see-and-be-seen crowd looking to mingle.  A lively early-morning to late-night, European style coffee bar is located just off the lobby.  Lunch, dinner and room service will be served at Pao, the hotel's vintage Chinese restaurant.  Developed by nationally prominent restaurant group, cb5, Pao seats 120 inside a glass-enclosed dining room and in private poolside cabanas. 

Through the lobby and into the courtyard, the sleek hotel pool is surrounded by lounges and café tables.  The Clinton also features a rooftop spa; an inner sanctuary with a private sunning deck where outdoor massage and other pampering rituals can be performed.  A workout center will feature the latest fitness equipment.  Also on the fourth floor, an elegant meeting space, with a private terrace and full catering, artfully combines work and play.

Guests pass through the bustling lobby into the hotel's serene guest quarters.  Fanning out to surround an internal courtyard that offers most rooms a view
or access to either the Clinton�s serene reflecting pool and waterfall or the hotel's spa pool and sundeck, perfect for sunbathing.  Designed to create the perfect stay, the Clinton�s 88 rooms are chock full of amenities.  More than 30 deluxe suites boast private Jacuzzis, many on terraces that overlook the pool and sundeck.  Top of the line materials, including rich, inlaid woods and etched aluminum doors partner with high tech features like state of the art adjustable lighting and flat screen televisions with built-in DVD and CD players to create a cozy, luxurious environment.  Open stone and glass bathrooms feature Essential Elements bath and body products and music, piped in from the room�s stereo system, floats down from the ceiling.  The plushest mattresses are wrapped in luxurious 200 thread sheets and goose down comforters.  Guests can shed their street clothes and indulge in one of the Clinton�s lightweight waffled kimonos, drop the blackout shades in their room and enjoy some R&R.  Boomerang desks, in-room dining areas and specially stocked mini-bars transform the spacious rooms into stylish cocoons.

Mini-bar offerings include a creative mix of contemporary munchies � Terra Chips, Kit-Kats, Crackerjacks, Zapp�s chips, Milk Duds and an array of sugar-free Nabisco sweets � as well as beverages, such as KMX Energy Drinks, Sole water, domestic and imported beers, wines, champagnes and a selection of Mighty Leaf teas, which come in a mesh bag for perfect brewing.