The venture will renovate the existing 132-room hotel, redevelop its grounds, and add a new wing of large ocean-view rooms. Ideally situated at 17th Street and Collins Avenue, in the center of South Beach�s Art Deco District, W Miami - South Beach will feature a resort environment coupled by a celebrated restaurant and nightlife venue. Surrounded by world-class dining, nightclubs and boutique shopping, the hotel is two blocks from both Ocean Drive and the Miami Beach Convention Center, and 15 minutes from the Miami International Airport.

�The distinctly stylish and hip South Beach area is an exciting natural progression for W Hotels,� remarked Barry Sternlicht. �Miami and Miami Beach are firmly established as key leisure and international business destinations.  The continued influx of investment and development will ensure that Miami remains a premier travel destination.� The W Miami - South Beach represents an excellent growth opportunity for Starwood Hotels Resorts, given its current distribution in the Miami Beach market. Starwood�s existing hotels in Miami include the oceanfront Sheraton Bal Harbor Beach Resort, the oceanfront Four Points Hotel, Miami Beach, and the bayfront Sheraton Biscayne Bay Hotel.

Period Design Reflects Miami Beach's Unique Heritage

The Ritz Plaza Hotel stands today as one of South Beach�s finest and best-preserved examples of the distinctive Art Deco period design.  Built in 1939, the hotel was designed by famed architect Murray Dixon and originally opened as the Grossinger Beach Hotel, the first air-conditioned hotel on Miami Beach.  The hotel was taken over by the U.S. Army in World War II and accommodated the U.S. Armed Forces� top officers in South Florida.  The property re-opened in 1946 as The Ritz Plaza, and has since been designated a national historic landmark, awarded its place in the National Historic Hotels of America Association.

Among the city�s most fashionable addresses, the W Miami - South Beach will offer an oceanfront setting, along with the irreplaceable Art Deco elements of the former Ritz Plaza and all of the W amenities and services today�s discerning business and leisure guests expect, including a state of the art spa and fitness facility. 
 
 

Hotel Facts�Interesting Tidbits...

Completely restored in 1990 at a cost of $5.5 million, The Ritz Plaza was the place to stay on the beach until other hotels started their renovation projects (1994).  The lobby has an exquisite, original terrazzo floor that was accidentally discovered under an overlay of more recent flooring.  Whitney Houston filmed her video, Heartbreak Hotel in the ballroom of the hotel.  Harrison Ford had the wrap-party for his film, Random Hearts, on the back lawn of the hotel.

The ballroom with its 18-foot ceiling and crystal chandelier helps recreate the Art Deco era.  The Ritz Plaza Hotel is a national historic landmark and is a member of Historic Hotels of America, a non-profit organization protecting historic landmarks supervised by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  The Miami Design Preservation League presented the hotel with an award for Distinguished Contribution to the Art Deco District.  In 1993, the hotel received the Barbara Baer Capitman Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation.  Supermodel Nikki Taylor filmed a Covergirl commercial in the porte cochere of the hotel.  Raquel Welche, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Mickey Rourke, Lenny Kravitz, Brigitte Nielson, Antonio Sabato Jr. and supermodel Simba once stayed at the hotel.  Lauren Hutton, Veronica Webb, Tyra Banks and Nikki Taylor were regulars at the hotel.

In keeping with W�s tradition of providing fine dining and nightlife options at its properties, the W Miami - South Beach will offer a stylish new restaurant and lounge. Appealing to business travelers, the property will provide the latest in modern amenities and high- tech capabilities, as each guestroom will feature cutting-edge technology. Once completed, guestrooms will include 27� color TVs equipped with ultra-fast Internet access (via an infrared keyboard), high-speed dataport connectivity at speeds up to 100 times faster than conventional data modems, and private, secure E-mail access. Also standard for W Hotels, each room will have two telephones: one with dataport and speakerphone capabilities, another is a 900MHz cordless dual-line phone.  W trademarks include an oversized desk, upholstered chaise lounge, specially designed room accessories and natural fabrics throughout. The focus of all guestrooms is the luxurious W bed, with a pillow-top mattress, 250 thread-count linens, and goose down comforters and pillows. In addition to the amenities one would expect in an upscale hotel, the W guestroom includes a W CD; a coffeemaker with W�s own blend of coffee; a lush terry-lined, cotton pique W bathrobe; and custom-formulated Aveda bath products.  Above and beyond the customary amenities of a sophisticated business hotel, W Hotels have a service commitment that provides �whatever you want, whenever you want it.� Whether it be a laser printer at 2 a.m., a last-minute tuxedo fitting or a bath filled with chocolate milk, guests need only ask, and their special requests come to life.

The premiere W Hotel opened in New York in December 1998, followed by the 1999 openings of W Atlanta (February), W San Francisco (May); W Seattle (September); and W Honolulu - Diamond Head (October), and W New York - The Court The Tuscany (November). Including the new W Miami - South Beach, a total of ten additional W Hotels are scheduled to open through 2001: Boston, Chicago (two properties), Denver, Los Angeles, New Orleans (two properties) and Washington, D.C., as well as the company�s first international property in Sydney, Australia.

W Hotels are managed (and in some cases, owned) by Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide, Inc., which operates more than 700 hotels in 72 countries and 130,000 employees at its owned and managed properties.  In addition to W Hotels, Starwood owns some of the world�s most renowned hotel brands including Sheraton, Westin, The St. Regis/Luxury Collection, Four Points Hotels by Sheraton.