Tourists
who've long frequented the steps of the Ocean Drive
mansion in Miami's South Beach where famed fashion
designer Gianni Versace was shot and killed in 1997
are now facing competition for their photo op. The
mansion, purchased for an astounding $19 million in 2000, is
now the location of a high-end restaurant.
Telecom tycoon
Peter Loftin has worked for the past several years
preparing the opening of 1116 Ocean, a 120-seat restaurant
and 10-room high-end boutique hotel. Rooms go for
$5,000 per night, according to the New York Post.
When Loftin first
snapped up the property in 2000, he
had planned to open an exclusive boutique hotel.
After 9/11, when the economy took a downturn, Loftin
waited, renting out the hotel for the occasional
private party and planning his next move.
Loftin told
The [London] Independent in 2004 he was moving
forward with plans to reopen the Versace mansion later
that year, which was redubbed the Club at Casa
Casuarina. The club then operated as an exclusive
membership getaway to a select crowd. (The
Advocate)
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