Australians Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Marshall - the team behind movie extravaganzas such as Moulin Rouge and Australia - are to bring their own special brand of theatrical and cinematic whimsy to the interiors of the new Faena Hotel Miami Beach – and we can’t think of a better place for it. No wonder uber-hotelier and fashion designer Alan Faena enlisted their services. The white-hated, white-attired Faena loves a bit of theatre, witness his first hotel opened a decade ago in the abandoned Buenos Aires docklands. Thanks almost entirely to his faith and namesake hotel the Faena District is now one of the city’s most trendy and pricey areas. This time the hotel dream team will revive the old and historic Saxony Hotel in Miami, giving it the cherpaz it surely deserves. Luhrmann and Martin will makeover the 169 rooms and suites, Brandon Haw Foster are the architects. As befits such a theatrical production there will be a private screening room and a theatre for live cabaret shows. Much-awarded Argentinean grillmaster Francis Mallmann is consulting in the restaurant and in the graceful pools, created by LA-based Fluidity, will flow through the Faena House lobby and grounds. Lights, camera, action.
