Miami news, Miami local news

Winter looks better for tourism this year.
As Art Basel Miami Beach heralds the unofficial launch of the “high” tourism season this week, demand has finally begun to rise for South Beach hotels and Miami Beach vacation properties. That could signal a turning point for a hotel market besieged by discounted rates and weak demand, trends that have pushed some of the region’s flashiest hotels to the brink of foreclosure.
Severe cutbacks in travel spending haven’t stopped art buyers from driving up hotel rates in Miami Beach this week. The cheapest rooms at the Delano are $825 a night this weekend and $345 next weekend.
After the country’s largest contemporary art show turns off the lights at the Miami Beach Convention Center on Sunday the real test begins.
Peter Sahora, general manager of the Z Ocean Hotel in South Beach says, “It looks like the slide is either slowing down or reversing. We’ll see what happens in January and February.”

A column by Daniel Shoer Roth was published in El Nuevo Herald on November 4th criticizing transit officials for not offering a bus route from Miami International Airport to South Beach. Shortly after that, Miami-Dade Transit chief Harpal Kapoor announced that such a route, which will be called the Airport-Beach Flyer route, will exist starting December 13th. Kapoor assures that the new route has been in the works for some time and was not prompted by Roth’s column. The much-needed and heavily-traveled bus route from Miami International Airport to South Beach will follow State Road 112 and make one stop at the Earlington Heights Metrorail station along the way for those wishing to reach Downtown Miami. The bus trip will cost $2.34 and takes about 30 minutes.

If you are a traveler from somewhere else, keep up-to-date on Miami travel tips to make your Miami vacation as smooth as possible.

Miami Beach tourism is still suffering even through the high season. Miami Beach hotel revenues and occupancy numbers are decreasing even more quickly than they did after September 11th. Miami Beach tourism suffered a great deal after September 11th due to people’s reluctance to fly. Miami’s Guide will guide you in the right direction and help you find everything you need for the perfect trip.

Revenue for Miami Beach hotels in February 2009 was low and occupancy rates dropped between 10 to 73%. Miami Beach hotel room prices declined an average of 15% to $180 per night. Aside from the global decline, Miami Beach tourism is also suffering because of the increased hotel room supply. There are 10% more Miami Beach hotel rooms this year than last year. Despite the decrease in numbers, Miami Beach tourism gets along well compared to other US top tourist destinations. Vacationers in Miami Beach take advantage of incredible deals on accommodations and usually prefer to stay in Miami Beach vacation rental properties. Miami Beach hotels averages per room are the highest in the country. Use Miami’s Guide to make educated decisions and save while traveling.

South Beach is recognized for its gorgeous people, beaches and top-notch nightclubs. Every street is lined with bars, hotels, stores, Miami Beach vacation rentals, restaurants and the best Miami night clubs. It is not uncommon to see celebrities at the Best Miami night clubs. As a tourist who wants to party, know that none of the best Miami night clubs start before 11 PM. The best Miami night clubs offer non-stop music, dancing and cocktails.

The biggest party animals are sure to be satisfied by the best Miami night clubs. Following are some of the best Miami night clubs to visit while you travel Florida:

1. Vagabond
2. Tantra
3. LIV
4. Gansevoort South
5. Automatic Slims
6. Glass at the Forge
7. Delano
8. Hotel Victor
9. Sky Bar
10. Mokai
11. Nikki Beach
12. Mynt
13. Mansion
14. Raleigh Hotel

Stay in Miami Beach vacation rentals nearby to conveniently enjoy the Best Miami night clubs.

Recently, the Travel Channel, the only television network devoted exclusively to travel entertainment, featured a piece on the World’s 21 Sexiest Beaches. The results were made after traveling the world and experiencing the beaches first-hand.

In that list, South Beach made it in as the number 2 sexiest beach, just before Waikiki in Hawaii. South Beach ranked so highly thanks to its continuous energy, exciting nightlife and unique lifestyle. Search South Beach vacation rentals or South Beach hotels within your budget and experience for yourself what makes this beach so special.

Use a Miami guide to point you in the direction of the best Miami attractions once you are there.

Due to the economic struggle that industries are currently facing, Miami restaurants are slashing prices in order to lure customers. Miami Spice, a month-long event where top Miami restaurants offer discounted meals, normally takes place in the summer because it is considered the slow season.

Now, the new Winter Miami Spice by the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau has come into effect and will run from January 12th to February 12th. Over 30 Miami restaurants will participate in Winter Miami Spice and offer a fixed menu for lunch for $23 and dinner for $36. For more information on Winter Miami Spice, visit ilovemiamispice.com.

Miami Holiday Rentals & Florida vacation rentals - Find amazing accommodations in Florida and Miami for your next Miami vacation.

In the past, there has been a direct correlation between cold weather in the rest of country and the influx of visitors in Miami. A cold front in the middle of this week affected most of the northern part of the country. Still, hoteliers in Miami are not celebrating just yet. Apparently, the economic crisis is affecting bookings.

Typically, the colder it gets in other places, the more last-minute bookings seen in Miami. The Miami tourism season started weakly with several big discounts for Miami hotel rooms resulting more advantageous for vacationers and a less for the actual industry. In October and November, Miami hotels records showed weak numbers and declining revenues for the first time since 2002. The cities of Miami and Miami Beach are focusing efforts on their marketing campaign to lure vacationers back to the magical city. Most of the city’s marketing efforts were implemented in the summer during the low season. Officials don’t want to take risks and act preemptively. Tourists are jumping at all Miami package deals and looking into Miami holiday rentals in order to vacation within a tighter budget.

South Beach’s new Mondrian condo-hotel made its debut during 2008 Art Basel after its $200 million renovation.

The 17-story building offers 335 hotel residences including studios, one and two-bedroom condos and tower suites.

British singer, Craig David, is the proud owner of one of the Mondrian’s tower suites. Dutch designer, Marcel Wanders was the visionary behind the magical, white and black palace property. He built upon the designs of Philippe Starck, a design pioneer who Wanders believes to be the “best designer on the planet.”

The South Beach Mondrian sits directly beside the beautiful Miami Biscayne Bay and exudes designs inspired by pure fantasy and furnished with pieces from Wanders’ design studio. There is an outdoor living area that extends to the bay; cabanas of 16-foot curtains; canopied day beds and an adult sandbox.

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The interior features massive white spindle columns and crystal chandelier shower heads.

The most recognized piece, centered in the 4,000 square foot lobby, is the black metal spiral staircase that depicts an intricate lace pattern consistently found throughout the entire hotel.

The hotel-residence is meant to provide an experience, not just an accommodation. It was designed so that people feel as if they just landed in a wonderland of fantasy, magic and beauty.

Wanders’ intention with the South Beach Mondrian is to complement the Delano Hotel South Beach with a shared daring attitude, instead of competing against it. During its opening week in Art Basel, the Mondrian hosted several parties, dinners and happy hours.

Celebrities  in Miami including Mary-Kate Olsen, Russell Simmons, Marilyn Manson, Ivana Trump and Alex Rodriguez quickly graced the  South Beach Mondrian with their presence in its very first opening week. Despite all its wonderous allure, Wanders assures us that the Mondrian is actually still months away from perfection.

The internet is a very convenient invention but it also comes with nuisances such as fraud. A large number of fraud attempts take place on the internet and have made their way into travel news.

Vacationers, beware! It should be easy to identify and avoid fraud if you carefully abide by travel tips.

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Miami Beach vacation rentals ads are posted on free classified vacation rental websites such as craigslist, backpage or kijiji. Travel news has taught us that owners post ads on a daily basis to rent their vacation rentals or sometimes their alleged vacation rental.

The drawback to these free sites is that the ads are not checked or verified by anybody. This does not mean that renters should not browse those websites but that they should just be extra careful and follow travel tips when booking. Caution should be exercised and following are a few travel tips to help you do that.

Renters should:

• Look at the quality of the ad.
• Research and search travel news to find out whether the vacation rental is offered by an individual or a company. A company is less risky because it can easily be checked.
• Make sure that a local phone number is posted on the ad
• Call the owner or agent and ask a ton of questions. Try to assess how accurately he/she responds.
• Send emails
• Be cautious if you cannot speak with the owner because he “lost” his voice
• Make sure that you sign a real contract indicating what is it that you have reserved
• You may request proof of ownership
• Do not send cash! You may transfer money by wire transfer to a company if it can be checked out and if it has a track record of a reputable Miami Beach vacation rental agency.
• Always check with the Better Business Bureau and travel news.

The Better Business Bureau is a service that was created to help consumers get to know the companies they are doing business with.

Most American companies are part of this huge database. Consumers may file complaints against companies and the BBB compiles a report that gives the business a grade as good as A+ or below.

The better the grade, the more trust and confidence you can feel in the company. The website is very easy to use. Simply enter the name of the company and its location and a report will be run.

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One of the strongly recommended travel tips that all vacationers should do is search for relevant travel information before selecting a vacation rental company. The current economic crisis may introduce more vacation rental scammers to the market and more negligent owners hoping to rent their property for incremental revenues.

Miami Beach vacationers come to the magic city to relax and unwind in a friendly environment and take advantage of the variety of things to do in Miami. Most vacationers can do just that by making sure they following commonly stated travel tips.

The last thing vacationers are looking for is a fight with an unscrupulous manager or homeowners. Do your research and get travel information beforehand. It is better than ruining your vacation and posting a complaint afterwards.