The Ritz Carlton South Beach had its grand opening to the Miami scene in December 2003. The newest form of luxury has taken up space in the former home of the DiLido Hotel, a Modern Art treasure designed by Melvin Grossman and Morris Lapidus and originally constructed in 1953, located in the famed Art Deco district of Miami Beach.

The $200 million restoration of the historic DiLido Hotel has retained the exterior curves, sweeping lines and pastel accents of the design style used by Lapidus, while adding new features that deliver a stylish and modern interpretation of luxury. The project is a joint venture between Miami-based Lionstone Hotels and Resorts and Paul Kanavos, CEO of New York-based Flag Luxury Properties, LLC.

The 375-room oceanfront hotel offers accommodations inspired by the staterooms on a luxury yacht, using dark cherry furniture blends with color schemes of nautical blue, spruce green and burnished gold. The hotel features a mezzanine restaurant with a bar, facing a gorgeous view of the Atlantic Ocean . In addition, there is a bar perched poolside, directly above the beach, to provide relaxed outdoor seating to sunbathers and guests.

A Grand Ballroom with state of the art stonework, plush cherry wood wainscot and cobalt blue Venetian glass chandeliers, totals 20,000 square feet of the facility space. The hotel's extensive meeting and conference room space, swanky Club Lounge and ritzy Executive Suite on the top floor with a bravura view of the Atlantic Ocean are some of the key elements of this elegant hotel. For those guests looking for pampering, the 13,000 square foot spa that reflects Miami's 1950's era with sleek stainless steel water wall, Italian mosaic tiled shallow pool, compressed bamboo floors, golden Italian onyx accents and cobalt mosaic-lined "urban rainforest" shower, should confirm that luxury has been brought to a new level.

The design of this facility presented some unique scheduling challenges, as it included the addition of three floors on top of the already existing eight-story tower. This feat required extensive structural reworking and overhauling of MEPS systems to comply with prevailing construction codes and regulations. Interior finishes had to be completely refurbished to blend modern day architecture with the nostalgic nature of the historic DiLido hotel. In addition, the building's wrap has been revamped keeping the historic feel intact.

Draper & Associates' initial role was to provide scheduling over site and advice to Ritz-Carlton. As the project progressed, Draper & Associates' staff became an integral part of the contractor's project team-providing daily scheduling support.

Only the most accomplished and competent team members survived the challenges encountered when building a new hotel in, on and around an existing structure-all to the standards of the Ritz-Carlton.

Draper & Associates' Ft. Lauderdale based team were there until the doors opened to the public.