Latest news with #FontainebleauMiamiBeach
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Remember these Miami hotels? See the changes through the years
Travel Remember these Miami hotels? See the changes through the years Nothing stays the same at Miami's luxury hotels. The iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach is adding a five-story convention center and has previously revamped its pool area and towers while preserving its signature MiMo curves. The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne is closed for a $100 million renovation, planning to upgrade guest rooms, restaurants and the spa while keeping its unique mix of condos and resort accommodations. Meanwhile, the Mandarin Oriental will be torn down and replaced by new condo and resort towers, marking the end of an era. Up the coast, Acqualina Resort & Residences in Sunny Isles Beach has gained national acclaim, winning major awards for its Mediterranean villa style and high-end service. The Fontainebleau Hotel rises at the former Firestone Estate, Miami Beach. In 1954 photo, the old Harvey Firestone home is still standing in the shadow of the new $14 million building. The magnate's estate eventually gave way to a swimming pool and landscaped gardens patterned after Versailles. NO. 1: MIAMI BEACH'S FONTAINEBLEAU LOOKED LIKE THAT? SEE HOW THE LANDMARK HOTEL HAS CHANGED The lobby. The pool area. The curves. Wow. | Published July 5, 2024 | Read Full Story by Miami Herald Archive Open to Beach and Sea at Acqualina NO. 2: THIS RESORT NEAR MIAMI BEACH WAS AWARDED BEST WATERFRONT HOTEL, BEATING OUT HAWAII See which Miami-Dade County luxury hotel wins new international competition. | Published March 28, 2024 | Read Full Story by Vinod Sreeharsha Hotel Mandarin Oriental, Miami NO. 3: SEE CELEBRITIES AND GO BEHIND THE SCENES AT THIS MIAMI LUXURY HOTEL THAT IS DISAPPEARING Actors promoted their movies here. | Published December 24, 2024 | Read Full Story by Miami Herald Archives Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne to close in May as owner, developer Gencom, starts renovation. More than 400 employees will be laid off. NO. 4: WHAT WILL RITZ-CARLTON KEY BISCAYNE LOOK LIKE AFTER A $100M REDO? SEE THE PLANS When will it open? What will be new? | Published May 9, 2025 | Read Full Story by Vinod Sreeharsha The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
Los Angeles Times
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
A Totally Unexpected Wealth of Art
Las Vegas is famous for offering, in a phrase, 'something for everyone.' From themed casino experiences to A-list talent that you thought you might never have the chance to see live, sports arenas and high-end restaurants and natural experiences and … we could go on and on. What might be less expected, however, is that Las Vegas contains a huge amount of fine art to see and experience. Many casinos have their own collections, and public art abounds, owing jointly to the patronage of the multi-billionaire casino owners and local entrepreneurs and enthusiasts that strive to make the city an amazing place to live as well as visit. While there is an argument to be made that the city itself is art, in a sense, with its wild architecture and genre-redefining spectacle, that discussion goes all the way back to 'what is art?' and we're not going to get into that. Instead, here's a focus on some of the amazing pieces you can see, often semi-hidden in plain sight, throughout the city. It's a perfect way to have a 'new-to-you' and once-in-a-lifetime Vegas experience. Finding Fine Art at FontainebleauThe newest of the Strip titans, Fontainebleau's now one-year-old megaresort has made a huge splash in a city used to some pretty big ones. The casino, in addition to the familiar trappings of a beautiful new resort, has gone all-in on an amazing fine art collection throughout its common areas. Take, for example, what greets you as you enter the property: celebrated Mexican artist Gonzalo Lebrija's 'History of Suspended Time.' The larger-than-life installation, which features a classic car mounted, seemingly impossibly, on its nose over a reflecting pool, gives a sense of what kind of whimsy one should expect inside. In the resort's South Lobby, you'll find more monumental sculpture – Swiss artist Urs Fischer's surrealist, 46-foot tall 'Lovers #3,' a mixed-media spectacle that plays with movement and form, towers within the atrium. Fischer also has two paintings in the expansive Fontainebleau collection – his first foray into the medium. The large-scale pieces continue throughout the property, from Richard Prince's 'High Times,' to kinetic 'Oceans,' which mimics the form of the original Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Mantis!Art comes in all forms and comes from all manner of places, so why not Burning Man? The longstanding Nevada desert spectacle, part party, part rave and part art exhibition, has produced many eye-popping pieces. That said, only some survive 'the burn.' Luckily for Vegas visitors, one such larger-than-life piece made its way to the city. Simply titled Mantis, the brainchild of aerospace engineer Kirk Jellum was originally built upon a 1983 GMC commercial truck so as to be mobile. And it needed to be a heavy-duty vehicle, for sure – Mantis is 40 feet tall and 30 feet long, shaped like the same-named insect and featuring lights, a sound system, an ability to speak in 40 languages and, yes: fire. At its new home as a permanent installation in downtown's Container Park, the sculpture shoots giant flames from its antennae that can reach six stories high. To see it, you only need to be there at sundown, when the Mantis comes alive. Take Another Look: The 'Fountains' BeckonArt can be hidden in plain sight. From murals to the smooth and beautiful lines on a classic home or even in facets of industrial design may go without notice by the end user. In addition, familiarity can breed indifference as well. This is why the Fountains of Bellagio, so iconically Vegas and so woven into the ethos of the city, can often be missed, especially for the frequent visitor. After all, who among us hasn't strolled right by as the water show is happening? Look again. The enormous lake, and its 1,000-plus fountain jets that blast water almost 500 feet in the air, would be impressive if that were the end of the spec list. However, the fountain, designed by specialist company WET to work in conjunction with music, lights and very specific timing, create an sense-overloading, out-of-body experience for those with an up-close vantage, which can be had anywhere around the manmade lake's shoreline. For an experience that brings you close to both the fountain and culinary creativity, dine waterside at Spago, the Vegas outpost of the legendary Wolfgang Puck establishment that refined California cuisine. The experience creates an artistic spectacle for all five senses – especially taste. -Alan LaGuardia
