Lido Spa, Lowes Miami, Lincoln Road, Boca, Collins
Lido Spa, One to check out while in South Beach…
The New Standard in Miami |
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A Love Affair with Miami’s Past |
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When last we spoke to hotelier Andre Balazs back in December, 2003, he was rather tight-lipped about his recent purchase of The Lido Spa on Island Avenue in Miami Beach. However, he did hint at his intentions for the historic spot: “It’s going to be a Standard Hotel, and it’s going to be a spa — it should be open late spring/early summer.” Although the opening took somewhat longer than expected, today 48-year-old Balazs beams with pride when speaks of his latest endeavor, telling Spa magazine “This is not about exclusivity. It’s about enjoyment that’s accessible and affordable,” and commenting to the Miami Herald “I think that I am a little bit in love with a Miami of the past.”
It’s not that the Boston-born hotelier harbors any sort disdain for present-day South Beach by any means, rather it simply isn’t his style to pitch to the egos and attitudes that often prevail in South Beach’s velvet rope society. Balazs’ style statement is about the revival of true glamour and he seemingly has no interest in impressing the champagne-sipping jet set with bigger, louder, flashier hotels. Simply put, understated elegance has a style all its own. Balazs has made his mark in a very demanding industry by breathing new life into hotels that time and aesthetics have forgotten, yet he does it in a way that holds true to the property’s heritage. For Balazs, it’s about finding the soul of the hotel, giving it a new lease on life and educating a whole new generation about it’s former glory while keeping them entertained within a serenely beautiful setting.
Such is true with his past ventures like the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. When Balazs took on the hotel in 1990, his purchase was to the disgust of many. Fearing he would quash the hotel’s vibe, his peers fretted about what his “updates” would do for the noted landmark. Much to their surprise, Balazs revived the spirit of the hotel. Hardly a week goes by that the press doesn’t mention the Chateau in relation to a party or celebrity. With the Chateau’s success, Balazs took over The Raleigh in 2002, restoring it to its 1940’s glory and making it the crown jewel of hotels on Miami Beach’s famed Collins Avenue. The same praise can be attributed to Balazs’ first Standard, a former retirement home, which became a huge success in Los Angeles despite skepticism from those who said the hotel would never turn a profit with its low rates. But Balaz, as always, proved them wrong. And it’s only a matter of time before the same will be said for his latest Miami Beach offering. With that history of success in mind, it’s completely understandable why devout admirers of Balazs’ previous work passed by the old Lido spa on Island Avenue for months to see if the hotel had yet made its transformation. Finally, in December 2005, the signature upside down “The Standard” sign took its place just beneath the original Morris Lapidus-designed “Lido Spa” signage, signifying a new beginning for the property.
Forty years ago, if you stumbled into the Lido, you’d likely find your grandmother in her gold lame bathing dress playing mah-jongg while she awaited her spa treatment. Belonging to the Edelstein family for nearly four decades, the hotel was a hotspot for the Catskills crowd seeking seasonal refuge from winter’s chill. But now the revitalized hotel offers a refuge from the stressful chill of everyday life with its serene setting on Belle Isle. Amenities like a 900-square-foot Turkish-style hamam, a sweat room that boasts slabs of heated marble where mostly bare spa dwellers lounge and relax help shut out the world just beyond the Lido. |
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