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Stephen Muss: the hotelier

South Florida CEO, Oct, 2004 by Charles Flowers

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His quixotic roles continued when he advocated casino gambling, a proposition that has failed miserably whenever it has made it to the ballot in Florida.

The results of the three-cent tax and his work on Fontainebleau projects could erase any bitter aftertaste from those defeats and it may yet re-start what Muss calls "the engine" of Miami Beach. On a tour he shows some of the construction and renovation of the old hotel. Key parts of the "renovation" involved getting back to the design architect Morris Lapidus originally created--saving the huge chandeliers, stairways, and bowtie-patterned tile floors that were part of Lapidus' fashion statement. The original facade of the Sorrento, a small, Art Deco-style hotel originally owned by Novack, will be incorporated into the new complex. One later addition that will stay in the lounge is the circular mural painted by the late Carlos Alfonzo, a Cuban-American artist who came to Miami during the 1980 Mariel boatlift.

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As he pauses off the lobby, next to a model of the Fontainebleau II and III, Muss, gray-haired and wearing black loafers without socks, turns up the pitch.

"This will be one of the most exciting properties in the country," he says. "We are building a world-class spa, redesigning and rebuilding the entire shopping arcade. We'll have a major internationally known restaurant, the Fontainebleau Ocean Club directly on the ocean, and because of the Cookie's World children's theme park that we've built; we cater to all segments of the market--families, conventions and social guests from all over the world."

Muss expresses little worry about his competition, including new five-diamond properties.

"It's wonderful to see all these hotels built up on Brickell Avenue in downtown Miami because that will make the entire destination stronger." Muss continues. "And it's wonderful to see all the new hotels on Miami Beach--Loew's, Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, Wyndham ... one of my biggest disappointments was that we were here all alone for a long time (as the only major chain hotel on the beach).

"The Fontainebleau, the Eden Roc, the Wyndham and the forthcoming Canyon Ranch are the engine of Miami Beach, and South Beach is the sizzle."

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL MCELROY

Business Services Industry

Stephen Muss: the hotelier

South Florida CEO, Oct, 2004 by Charles Flowers

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