Miami discount hotel room

Could there be a better assignment? Spend four days of fun, sun, shopping and relaxing on Miami Beach's famed South Beach, and write about the Royal Palm Crowne Plaza Resort, a new hotel that opened there last May. As the first Black-owned hotel on Miami Beach, the Royal Palm is not only precedent-setting, but also wafts sweet revenge: As recently as the 1960's many Miami Beach hotels did not accept Black guests (the exceptions were folks like Sammy Davis, Jr., and Ella Fitzgerald, who sang and danced at places such as the Fontainebleau Hilton Resort Hotel but had to get out of town once their gigs were done). I was thrilled to pack up and head south to cover this bit of history-making tourism.

Miami Beach and the city of Miami are independent municipalities linked by the MacArthur Causeway over Biscayne Bay. Miami has always had a sizable Black population; Miami Beach has always had a high-rolling, jet-set crowd. And the Black high rollers who are jet-setting in Miami Beach are more likely these days to be staying at the Royal Palm Crowne Plaza Resort.

It is the Royal Palm's elegant Art Deco architecture, decor and up-from-the-ashes history that appeals to the real-estate buff in me. R. Donahue Peebles, the brother who developed and owns the hotel, bought the property in 1996, then discovered there were structural problems that required leveling the hotel and rebuilding from scratch. Since the hotel is in the Art Deco historic district, it had to be rebuilt exactly like the 1939 original--no small feat. The construction tab ran to $84 million and rebuilding took six years.

The result is a handsome complex that includes the original curved reception desk and circular upholstered banquette in the lobby, terrazzo on the main floor and exquisite courtyards between old and new sections of the hotel. The Royal Palm is actually two hotels: Double 17-story towers rise behind the reconstructed Royal Palm, while the front of the hotel is connected by a mezzanine hallway to the adjacent Shorecrest Hotel. The effect is dramatic, a superb blend of Old World glamour and contemporary chic.

But high-rolling never comes cheap. Royal Palm rates during the summer off-season start at $209 per night for the smallest room with a city view, and go to $659 a night during the winter season for a Concierge Suite with ocean or city view.

How did Black folks in Miami flex their economic muscle to make the Royal Palm possible? In 1990 newly elected South African president Nelson Mandela visited Miami but was snubbed by local politicians who had been offended by his remarks in support of Fidel Castro. Outraged, Black folks organized a boycott of tourism in greater Miami, forcing the city to devise a corrective plan. A key point was the development of an African-American majority-owned resort hotel. The Royal Palm Crowne Plaza Resort was the outcome.

When I visited the hotel last spring, the spa, fitness and salon facilities were not yet open, so I hung out in the resort's Britto restaurant, dining on wonderful coconut shrimp and other specialties; lounged by one of the hotel's two swimming pools; and enjoyed cocktails in the lobby's sleek jazz bar. The eatery is named after the hot Brazilian artist Romero Britto, whose vibrant, whimsical paintings line the restaurant's walls. Getting Britto to lend his name and create a dozen new works for display was another coup for the hotel.

Of course, no matter how grand the decor, service is what makes a hotel first-class or cut-rate. And the Royal Palm Crowne Plaza Resort is a class act all the way, beginning with the fine brothers and lovely sisters who run things--from Jesse Stewart, Jr., the hotel's general manager, to Denise Nicodem, Britto's slammin' executive chef. The hotel makes a point of providing opportunities in management for African-Americans.

But what gives the Royal Palm cachet among travelers of any race is its prime location in the heart of thumping South Beach. Here art galleries, restaurants and theaters lining Lincoln Road, outdoor cafes and designer boutiques dotting Ocean Drive, and nightclubs along Washington Avenue provide a perfect playground.

You can get typical well-priced Cuban cuisine at David's Cafe II on Lincoln Road. If you want a dining experience that's quirky and seductive, try B.E.D. on Washington Avenue, where seating is on (you guessed it) beds, not chairs. And Yuca on Lincoln Road offers wonderful nouvelle cuisine with a Latin kick. As for the hottest discos, the names say it all: Krave and Kiss are just two examples. But if you prefer the more laid-back beat of jazz, head for clubs like Jazid, the Van Dyke Cafe or Bar Code.

Miami Beach has an ethnic mix of Cuban, Haitian, Jamaican, South American and southern American Blacks. And now it also has a glitzy, Black-owned resort right on the ocean. Audrey Edwards is an ESSENCE contributing writer.

ESSENCE SOUTH BEACH GETAWAY

The Royal Palm Crowne Plaza is offering readers a 15-percent discount on rooms booked between December 1, 2002, and May 15, 2003. Mention this article when you call (800) 2-CROWNE, or visit royalpalmcp.crowneplaza.com. Check essence.com for additional information.