Check Into A Historic Miami Beach Hotel Favored By Frank Sinatra
The 357-room, Nautical Deco-style Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club was a Rat Pack-era landmark.
When the chic Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club was originally built in 1940 it was the largest and most luxurious hotel in Miami Beach. Named in honor of the most elegant car on the market at the time, the hit flick Pal Joey was filmed there in 1957, featuring a swinging Frank Sinatra and two of the most beautiful stars in Hollywood at the time, Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak. Fast forward 60 years and, after a $47 million renovation in late 2018, the hotel was restored to its former glory and meticulously updated to become part of the estimable Autograph Collection.
And now it is unveiling the next phase of its evolution with a new look and feel for Donna Mare, its hip, upscale Italian restaurant, where Sinatra would surely have felt right at home. Beach chic is still the order of the day, but everything has been carefully and stylishly upgraded, landing the eatery squarely in the center of South Beach’s sinful dining scene.
It’s a return to the era when the most glamorous stars in music and film, including Nat King Cole, Jackie Gleason, and Ann-Margret, stayed at the Cadillac when they came to town. One of the Art-Deco-meets-Streamline-Moderne architectural marvels lining Collins Avenue’s historic district, by the Sinatra era it was well established as fantasist port of call for those seeking tropical-chic accommodations, the finest food and drink, concierge amenities non pareil, and health-and-fitness pampering.
All centered, of course, on the gorgeous, palm-tree-lined pool and beach setup, among the most photographed in all of Miami to this day. Sun, sand, and dare we say sex (at least when Ol’ Blue Eyes and his Rat Pack pals were in town) were the order of the day, every whim extravagantly catered to, from sunrise to well past sunset. The soundtrack? Pal Joey‘s chart-topping hit song, The Lady is a Tramp, which went on to become one of Sinatra’s most famous tracks of all time.
The airy and elegant 357-key property encompasses an entire block; the configuration of the hotel, which last year snagged a top Reader’s Choice Award by Condé Nast Traveler—pairs its original 14-story tower with an eight-story addition built in 1956. Prominent Miami Beach architect Roy France was the man behind the aesthetic, taking notes from the aeronautical designs of the era and those tail-finned Caddies that lent their name–with nods to what would become known as Nautical Deco.
The most recent interior redesign, overseen by esteemed Bill Rooney Studio, provided a dose of European Riviera that blends the modern with the traditional. Evoking a more glamorous era, the hotel is bedecked in smoky-blue hues clusters of chandeliers. Head to your suite, of course Art Deco-inspired but warmly ambient, with marble floors punctuated by exposed beams and wooden fixtures. The color motif is gold and grays and nostalgic 1940s beach scenes adorn the walls.
There are now two pools to match the two towers, and of course plenty of cabanas, while a raised platform of wooden decking and canvas umbrellas houses Bungalow by the Sea, a casual beachside restaurant and bar that has its toes in the sand. Favorite dishes include tuna poke nachos ladled with crispy shrimp chips; Maine lobster roll snacks with shoestring fries; wild cured salmon; and a wagyu beef cheeseburger that Jimmy Buffett would have had as a last meal. It stands out among the cheeseburgers in paradise of Florida, with garnishes of heirloom tomatoes, white cheddar, and red onion jam.
Then there’s Donna Mare, which was widely heralded by national and local publications even before the new redesign was unveiled. The trendsetting trattoria, located off the hotel’s lobby, is focused on southern Italian dishes including Neapolitan pizza, homemade pasta, grilled wild-caught fish and grassfed meats in an intimate setting evoking the old-world atmosphere of coastal Italy remixed with modern Miami style. The quality of the fare alone has seen it bestowed with one of Departures magazine’s “favorite Miami hotels” honors.
Though it’s hard to leave what the New York Post called one of the most “draw-dropping” pools in South Beach, it’s well worth a visit to the hotel’s K’Alma Spa, where treatments are infused with a European flair, particularly the South of France, and “highlighting the hotel’s affinity for all things rose”—and rosé. Treatments, including full-body massages, can also be provided from international health experts at the poolside spa cabanas or within a guest’s own suite—the top drawer Cadillac Suite if you really know what you’re doing.
“We took a lot of effort to preserve the beauty of this place,” Neil Shah, CEO of the hotel’s operator, Hersha, told the Miami Herald in the wake of its $47 million revamp. “We’re going for European sensibility in style, design and service.” Designer Bill Rooney added, “The Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club has been designed to facilitate luxurious lounging of an era gone with an international flare, all inspired by the past glory of the hotel and Miami Beach. A balance of catered service that helps you let down your hair after a long day in the spotlight. From the poolside cabanas to the bar in the lobby, the hotel welcomes you into the smoothest scene in Miami with open arms and a drink on hand.”
