Hotel Victor

Hotel description

It’s not easy making a splash in South Beach’s sea of would-be chic hotels. At every turn a gaggle of trend-chasing properties are vying for to be at once impossibly cool, deeply conceptual, and plush enough to attract pampered celebrities. Hotel Victor takes a risk with its Ocean Drive location, next door to the monumentally glitzy Versace mansion, but so far it seems to be paying off — an opening-night party escapade involving P. Diddy and a rookery of disoriented penguins guaranteed it a place in the public eye from the very start.

Hotel Victor’s design comes courtesy of the French designer Jacques Garcia, who made his reputation with his arresting work on Paris’s stunning Hotel Costes. The inviting lobby, done in shades of purple and green, features clusters of velvety couches, gracefully separated by diaphanous curtains suspended from the ceiling. Tentacle-like strings of beads hang from glowing light fixtures, while live jellyfish float and glimmer in glass encasements.

The guest rooms are split between the original 1936 building and a contemporary addition — only the latter, it should be noted, come with balconies. Still, all are nearly over-the-top in their lavishness: each contains a full bar (not mini), 300-thread-count sheets, a flat-screen television with DVD player and, in keeping with the theme, hanging jellyfish lamps (not live). In-room telephones are programmed to connect guests to Neiman Marcus personal shoppers at the touch of a button, — hard not to take as a personal comment on one’s dress sense. Dinner at the swanky Vix and cocktails at the outdoor ceviche bar are the obvious choices; for further suggestions, or if the jellyfish are totally harshing your mellow, look no further than the Vibe Manager (only squares and Frenchmen call him the concierge anymore).