A first look at luxury at the SLS Hotel South Beach

6/7/2012

Welcome to the SLS South Beach

Luxury scores a new address today as the SLS Hotel opens on Collins Ave. The former Ritz Plaza hotel has been transformed into a Philippe Starck, scene-stealing hotspot. Step through the mini orange tree grove framing the hotel’s front entrance and walk by your first (of many) opportunities to score a cocktail or light bite. The property is teaming with lounges, restaurants, nooks & cranies eager to ply a beautiful crowd with beautiful food & drink.

By the numbers:

• 140 rooms
• 10 brand new poolside villas/suites (still under construction)
• 2 big name restaurants: Katsuya & Bazaar by José Andrés
• 2 celeb designers: Philippe Starck & Lenny Kravitz (who designed a bungalow & penthouse suite)
• $375/night: Starting summer  rate
• 2 pools: 1 for hotel guests & 1 part of Hyde Beach lounge
• 1 giant rubber duck separating the two pools (pictured, Starck calls the pools “his baths” & thought the duck was a natural fit)
• 8,000 square feet of Hyde Beach: pool, beach and indoor/outdoor space promising to be a “premiere nightlife destination”

More to come soon, check out the hotel's backstory in this Miami Herald article.