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Issue link: https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/810282
Current owner and former investment banker Jonathan Plutzik and his wife Lesley Goldwasser purchased the property in federal bankruptcy court in 2006. Three years later they re-opened with 61 rooms and suites decorated by interior designers Diamante Pedersoli (Ralph Lauren) and Carmelina Santoro (Bulgari). The lobby still maintains a relaxed tropical feel with its potted palms, ceiling fans, library books, retro couches, concierge desk, cocktail bar, and restaurateur-master Chef Laurent Tourondel's always-hopping LT Steak & Seafood. Rooms play up the white beach theme with their four-poster beds, natural fibers like jute rugs and raffia ceilings, lacquered tables, and plantation-style louvered shutters. Hallways display over 200 great vintage 1960s touring photos of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Not surprisingly, the attention to detail and restrained whimsy has resulted in awards as Miami Beach's only Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star rated boutique hotel and AAA Four Diamond Award resort. Two years ago, Plutzik and family jumped to another level by doubling its space to 130 rooms and suites. They bought the Henry Hohauser 1937 Streamline Moderne Carlton Hotel directly behind at 1433 Collins Avenue. In effect, it was merging two very disparate styles, Florida Georgian and Art Deco, into one property. Project architect Allan Shulman united the two hotels, or wings, with a third floor pedestrian bridge covered dramatically on the outside in an intriguing, elliptical wrap of fiberglass panels, now called The Orb. Additionally, their side alley —Espanola Way at 14th Place— was transformed into a lovely pedestrian walk with a takeout "cafecito" window, Chef Tourondel's new intimate 40-seat Italian trattoria Poeti, a metal rail laser-inscribed with 13 poets' words, and an undulating herb garden above the new restaurant. Being historical, the new rooms are small but smartly arranged by Pedersoli and Santoro. My ample 510 sq. ft. Collins Double Balcony Suite had two balconies with one king and sofa bed, sisal rugs, earth tone furniture and cabinets, louvered closet with safe, in- room entertainment for HD channels, rental movies, and an enlarged iPhone image of a Namibia landscape shot by the Plutziks on an African vacation. The bathroom boasts light grey-white herringbone marble floors and walls, glass enclosed shower, natural ph (Malin+Goetz) bath products, and mirror with built-in LCD TV.