It’s about as far as you can get from the clean-lined minimalism that has dominated high-end hotel design for the last decade. “I’m a maximalist,” Tafazoli says. “To me, more is more.”
He’s not kidding. Everywhere you look, there is a delirious abundance of solid marble, tiled mosaics, beveled mirrors, mural wallpaper, animal prints, vintage artwork, jewel tones, seaside motifs, and Murano glass. “I could walk you through any one of the spaces and tell you the book, the movie, the song,” Tafazoli says of the references behind this decadent Little Mermaid-meets-Liberace fantasyland. “Every detail.”
Those details delight at every turn. Hidden behind a paneled wall in the lobby is Fallen Empire, a reservation-only oyster and champagne speakeasy that looks like a cocaine jewel box: all red mohair banquets, fringed tables, glass chandeliers, and mirrored walls. Outside in the courtyard, awnings, curtains, cushions, and tented canopies feature stripes, florals, or surreal scenes of lobsters and crabs. Dining chairs in a glossy shade of maroon come with sculpted tentacle arms and seashell-shaped backs. Near the lagoon, gas torches flicker above striped wicker chairs set into imported Turkish sand.
In the guest rooms, the wood floors are high-shine parquet. The king-sized beds are anchored by giant iridescent clamshell headboards; the walls are papered in tropical murals by Schumacher. The mirrored “mini” bars take up a whole wall, the shelves overflowing with fresh fruit, liquor, and snacks. Each oversized bathroom has mosaic tile floors, fluted marble sinks, clawfoot tubs, Diptyque bath products, and art deco mirrors. The door handles feature sea creatures cast in brass.
