Hotel rating: 4
Chain: Synxis
Number of floors: 4
Number of rooms: 88
Year opened: 1929
Year renovated: 2003

The Clinton Hotel is making waves in South Beach with the completion of a three-year, multi-million makeover into a chic, French-inspired boutique. The 88-room property, which just added a spa, is now a one-of-a-kind playground and hideaway, transformed from "a last survivor of old Miami Beach." Its exterior structure is a 75-year old Art Deco classic by architect Charles Niedler. Typically, the pool is in a concealed, spacious garden courtyard.U.S. "First" for Parisian Designer:Interior design is by French architect and designer Eric Raffy, so notable that many guests ask if they can purchase duplicates of the furniture, lighting fixtures, even the drinking glasses created exclusively for The Clinton and manufactured in the USA. (The answer is yes, that the hotel will make them available.) The Clinton's lobby is swanky a-la-mode and awash in whimsy. A white environment is dramatized with splashy accents of color, the ceiling constantly changing with color projections. Plushy, comfortable lavender love seats are on wheels. The carpet is designed to look like the movement of the ocean.A fashionable signature feature is a laced-corset motif that ornaments mirrors, banquettes and guest room chairs. The ultra-charming lobby is a see and be seen gathering spot with funky and playful furnishings perfect for mingling over cocktails at the raised platform bar. "We're putting the guests on show," said Raffy.The hotel is managed by a former manager of The Waldorf-Astoria, so you know what quality of service and housekeeping to expect. General Manager's Rafael Barrera's office, European-style, is right off the lobby, always open to guests. He says, "My staff is trained to surpass guest expectations."Parisian-born owner, Simon Nemni, is an internationalist so the hotel lobby boasts an espresso bar that also serves pastries and Italian paninis, and a gelateria with a galaxy of flavors.Quality Dining:The hotel's sleek restaurant is named Pao (appropriately pronounced Pow!) and offers contemporary and classic Chinese cuisine. Seating is both indoors and outdoors, viewing the moon and stars from poolside cabanas. Numerous celebrity guests have included Cher, Mel Brooks and his wife, Anne Bancroft, and Gloria and Emilio Estefan.More:As a special amenity for memorable SoBe nightlife, The Clinton provides its guests with complimentary admission to nearby ultra-hot South Beach clubs.Guest Rooms and Butlers Virtually no two guest rooms are precisely the same at the Hotel Clinton, which redesigned spaces of a 1930's Art-Deco structure into plush cocoons that radiate comfort as well as great style.Architect-designer Raffy describes the guest rooms as "little houses" because of all the amenities, among them robes, down comforters, 300-count linens, and spa bath products. The hotel's loft suites are built around its interior courtyard, viewing the inviting spa pool or a reflecting pool and waterfall. Balcony suites have Jacuzzis and a butler will prepare the Jacuzzi nightly with bed turndown service.Lavish Top-10 Baths:Rated among "the top 10 bathrooms in hotels" by Hospitality Design magazine, the stylish baths of the Hotel Clinton are unique. Like an additional "window" on the guest room, the bathroom has a wall of clear glass (with a shade when privacy is desired), creating the illusion of a much larger space.All beds at the Clinton are king or queen size. Bedside lamps have adjustable lighting to accommodate moods, futuristic TV sets are wall-mounted and high-speed Internet access is available. Spa and Fitness CenterOverlooking the garden interior courtyard are the new Panico Salon and Spa and a state-of-the-art fitness center on the hotel's fourth floor sundeck. The full menu of spa services includes body care, facials and massages in-open-air spa, poolside or in-room. The spa salon provides hair, makeup and nail care.Meeting Room, TooWith facilities unequaled in Miami Beach in a hotel of its size, the Clinton Hotel boasts a fourth-floor conference room. It includes video conferencing services, plasma screens and an outdoor terrace for meeting breaks, catered meals or private events. Larger meetings are accommodated in the nearby Wolfsonian-FIU Museum.