The 375-room oceanfront hotel features spacious guestrooms, with a select number of rooms that offer an additional 400 square feet of private, ocean view living space. An architectural addition of 72 poolside and ocean view lanai rooms and six oceanfront suites flank an elevated pool that provides unobstructed views of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the only hotel pool of its kind on South Beach. 

For guests seeking an extra level of grandeur, comfort and privacy, rooms on The Club level include use of a spacious lounge on the hotel's top floor, which offers panoramic views of Miami Beach, concierge service and five daily food and beverage presentations. 

Original Art

An art collection that breaks new ground for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C will be unveiled when the 375-room Art Moderne-style Ritz-Carlton South Beach opens in 2002. 

More than a dozen internationally acclaimed European and Latin American artists have created modern works that pay homage to the Art Moderne era with a contemporary approach to each piece. The entire collection is valued at more than $2 million, and will be on permanent loan to the hotel from Diana Lowenstein Fine Art, which will have a gallery within the property.

Among the art will be a 14-foot acrylic on canvas painting by Eduardo Hoffmann entitled �South Beach  AM/PM,� which will be exhibited behind the front desk; a collection of 26 original painted photographs of Amazon fauna that will form an impressive mural on the wall of the hotel�s three-meal restaurant; and a 160x121 centimeter Joan Miró painting that will hang in the hotel�s lower lobby. More than 40 pieces of art will be installed in the hotel, created by artists including Roberto Sebastián Matta and Valerio Adami from France, Eduardo Hoffmann and Juan Lecuona from Argentina, Joan Miró and Dario Basso from Spain, and Sandro Chia from Italy. Polish sculptor Xawery Wolsky will create original works of terra cotta and stone for the hotel�s outdoor gardens and pool area.

Mrs. Lowenstein, the principal owner of The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach along with the Lowenstein family, spent more than two years studying the important design elements of the Art Moderne period before she pursued art for The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. 

�I pored over books, catalogs, and as much research as I could find to understand the type of art that was exhibited in hotels and homes at the time,� she said. �Art Moderne was an exciting period, with the beginning of abstract, the beginning of the industrial revolution, the use of linear shapes in paintings, as well big, mural type art,� she said. �I wanted to see that reflected in the hotel�s art collection.�

From her research, Mrs. Lowenstein drew comparisons between Art Moderne period art and the more than 50 established and emerging artists she represents in her gallery and invited several artists to submit works for consideration. �I looked for artists whose style and contemporary vision was synergetic with the art forms from that period,� she said. Mrs. Lowenstein chose four young Argentinian artists to produce 10 images each. 

Among those are Eduardo Hoffmann and Juan Lecuona, whose original works painted in primary hues of blue and yellow will be reproduced for guestrooms, suites, and hallways, respectively. 

While some South Florida hotels may prefer to hang images of nature, Ms. Lowenstein took a different approach. �We can�t compete with nature,� she said matter-of-factly. �Every guest will open the window and see the most beautiful creations that nature has placed before them. No artist can compete with that. Instead, my goal is to create a tremendous relationship between the art and the interior Art Moderne/MiMo design so it speaks one language,� she says. 

Eclectic Dining 

Dining at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach is as seductive as its environment. A specialty restaurant overlooks lively Collins Avenue, a casually elegant beach restaurant fronts the Atlantic Ocean and a multi-level Cafe features a striking mural of 26 original painted photographs of Amazon fauna by Dario Basso that complements indoor and al fresco dining with pool and ocean views. 

Spa Spectacular

The 13,000 square-foot spa at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach reflects Miami's golden era of the lavish 1950's with a sleek stainless steel water wall and Italian mosaic-tiled shallow pool. Venetian stucco walls, backlit golden Italian onyx accents, and compressed bamboo floors are design features. Seventeen treatment rooms include a couple's suite with a whirlpool and floor-to-ceiling windows. Men's and women's lounges feature a round, cobalt blue mosaic-lined "urban rainforest" shower with 23 body sprays. 

Function Space

Extensive meeting and conference facilities total 20,000 square feet, including a 10,212 square-foot Ritz-Carlton ballroom. Ten smaller meeting rooms and scenic outdoor function areas equip the hotel to suit groups from board meetings to formal events.