This Easter I’m going to be celebrating it by the pool of a 5-star resort. The Fontainebleau is one of the most historically and architecturally significant hotels in Miami Beach, Florida. Opened in 1954 and designed by Morris Lapidus, it was arguably the most luxurious hotel in Miami Beach, and is thought to be the most significant building of Lapidus’s career. In 2007, the Fontainebleau Hotel was ranked ninety-third in the American Institute of Architects list of “America’s Favorite Architecture”. On April 18, 2012, the AIA’s Florida Chapter ranked the Fontainebleau first on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.
It might be one of the most used locations for famous Hollywood sets. The swimming pool, for example, is shown in the 1959 film A Hole in the Head. Tony Manetta (played by Frank Sinatra) attends a party there for businessman and friend Jerry Marks. The hotel was the setting for Jerry Lewis’s 1960 comedy film, The Bellboy.
The Fontainebleau is depicted in the 1960-1962 television series, Surfside 6, about two detectives living and working aboard a houseboat moored directly across the street from the hotel.
The Fontainebleau Miami Beach is featured in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, most notably in the sweeping aerial shot that follows the opening credits and accompanies composer John Barry’s big-band track “Into Miami”.
The Fontainebleau is one of the main settings for the 1988 comedy sequel Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach, with the film’s characters staying there during the movie and many of the film’s scenes filmed there.
The Fontainebleau was seen on The Sopranos in the season 4 (2002) episode “Calling All Cars”.
The Fontainebleau acts as the unmentioned location for a widely popular scene in 1983’s Scarface where Steven Bauer, portraying Manolo, the movie’s second lead role after Tony Montana, gets slapped in the face after trying to win over a girl through sticking out his tongue to her.
It was also featured in the 1992 film The Bodyguard starring Whitney Houston and the finale of the Sylvester Stallone/Sharon Stone action film The Specialist.
Now it is the place to be for celebrities following a $1 billion renovation. The 22-acre oceanfront hotel now features signature restaurants by award-winning chefs, two chic nightlife venues, a two-story, 40,000-square-foot spa, expansive poolscape, a pristine Atlantic Ocean beach and state-of-the-art conference and event facilities all located on Miami’s Millionaire Row. I can’t wait to be in the place to be in Miami.
Richelle Sibolboro 