The Faena Hotel Miami Beach is a historic resort hotel located at 3201

Collins Avenue Collins Avenue, partly co-signed State Road A1A, is a major thoroughfare in South Florida, United States. The road runs parallel to the Atlantic Ocean in Miami Beach, Florida, one block west. It also runs through the cities of Surfside and S ...

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...

History

The Saxony Hotel, completed in 1948, was one of the first

luxury resorts A resort hotel is a hotel which often contains full-sized luxury facilities with full-service accommodations and amenities. These hotels may attract both business conferences and vacationing tourists and offer more than a convenient place to stay ...

. Following the success of the Saxony, other hotels emerged on the opulent beach front. The hotel was designed by architect Roy F. France and built and owned by George D. Sax. George Sax was perhaps best known as the president and chairman of Chicago's Exchange International Corporation and Exchange National Bank. He was also president of Sax Enterprises, Inc. Today, Sax is recognized for his contributions to the banking industry, being credited with the innovation of

drive-through A drive-through or drive-thru (a sensational spelling of the word ''through''), is a type of take-out service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars. The format was pioneered in the United ...

banking and instant loans. The Saxony was famous for its luxurious rooms, complimentary meals, restaurants and exceptional views of

South Beach South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south of Dade Boulevard. This area was the fi ...

. It was the first air-conditioned hotel on Miami Beach, and was considered the most expensive and lavish resort of the time. When the hotel first opened, each room was estimated to have cost approximately $21,000, which at the time was thought to be the largest sum of money ever paid for such a project. The rooms featured decks that could accommodate large groups. It was nicknamed the "Ivory Tower" after the nightclub on its top floor. Features of the hotel included decks that could accommodate large groups, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a 600-foot private beach, and two all-weather tennis courts. Currently it is owned by Faena Group which extensively renovated the hotel. as the Faena Hotel Miami Beach, which opened in November 2015.

References

The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans: George D. Sax
- biography from the association {{Miami Beach, Florida Hotels in Miami Beach, Florida 1948 establishments in Florida Hotels established in 1948 Hotel buildings completed in 1948

History

See also

References