Why the Ritz Carlton South Beach is an Art Mecca Even After Art Basel


While Art Basel Miami Beach showcases exhibits, installations, shows and parties, art aficionados need not wait for the annual four day event to get their art fix. The Ritz-Carlton South Beach features a wealth of original artwork throughout the hotel.

 

the Ritz Carlton South Beach Exterior and Beach view
Left: The Ritz Carlton South Beach Exterior. Right: Beach view from the Club Lounge. /K&S Media.

 

While Art Basel Miami Beach showcases exhibits, installations, shows and parties, art aficionados need not wait for the annual four day event to get their art fix.

While Art Basel Miami Beach showcases exhibits, installations, shows and parties, art aficionados need not wait for the annual four day event to get their art fix. Epitomizing South Beach cool, the 375 room Ritz-Carlton South Beach features a wealth of original artwork throughout the hotel (a multi-million dollar collection of art curated from Wynwood Art District’s Diana Lowenstein Gallery no less). During Art Basel Miami Beach, the hotel runs tours of its private multi-million dollar in-house art collection and employs an Art Basel Ambassador who will create tailored experiences for guests.

 

The Ritz Carlton South Beach Interior
The Ritz Carlton South Beach Interior. /K&S Media

The entire building though is a work of art – fully renovated in 2013, the Ritz Carlton South Beach retains a strong art deco influence, a nod to the original 1953, Morris Lapidus-designed landmark DiLido hotel – from the curved wooden floor-to-ceiling wall, punctuated with repeating backlit silver balls in the lobby (dubbed the wall of lights), to the original DiLido sign tucked away on the building’s exterior.

 

Ritz-Carlton-South-Beach-Bistro-One-LR-Shrimp

 

The hotel’s calling card is its location – Lincoln road on one side and South Beach on the other. In fact, DiLido Beach Club restaurant is one of the only beachfront restaurants in the area. When we arrive, tropical mango-guava, the signature scent of the Ritz Carlton South Beach, is wafting through the air. We open the doors of our Lanai Pool view room, and through the warm breeze we can hear the ocean pounding onto the shoreline that soon lulls us to sleep.

 

Ritz-Carlton-South-Beach-Wall-of-Lights
Ritz Carlton South Beach Wall of Lights. /K&S Media

The following morning, starved from travelling, my girlfriends and I order the buffet breakfast – a lavish spread of hot and cold dishes, fruit, cheese and a hot egg station. Later that day we walk into the 16,000-square-foot Ritz-Carlton Spa for a Rhythm Massage – a unique combination of Latin music with a gentle massage that leaves us invigorated and hungry, so we have a quick bite of shrimp Brava with caramelized watermelon and cilantro at Bistro One LR. The enduring image of the hotel though is its white art deco exterior emblazoned against palm trees and impossibly blue skies – art in itself.

This article is based on an original story that appeared in the Winter 2014/15 issue of City Style and Living Magazine. Want more Miami?