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It is grand in every sense of the word.
The stone steps of late fashion designer Gianni Versace's Miami Beach mansion provides the backdrop for dozens of tourist photos on a daily basis. But not only can tourists photograph the house, they can stay there overnight too.
Scroll down for a look inside the boutique luxury hotel now known as the Villa Casa Casuarina.
The three-storey building was originally built as an apartment complex by Mayflower descendant and Standard Oil heir Alden Freeman in 1930.
In 1992, Versace purchased the original house for $2.95 million (£2.2 million) and the Revere Hotel next door for $3.7 million (£2.73 million). He spent an astonishing $32 million (£23.6 million) on renovations that included demolishing the Revere to make way for a pool, garden, and new south wing of the home.
Versace turned the 24 apartments into 10 large suites in the original house. The designer built an additional two suites in the south wing.
He lined the pool with 24-carat gold tiles.
The Victor Hotels group paid $41.5 million (£30.6 million) for the property at a 2013 auction. (Donald Trump reportedly put in a bid, too).
In addition to the guest rooms, it operates the restaurant Gianni's, which 'offers a delicious blend of Italian and Mediterranean food and wine selections'. Decadent dishes include gnocchi di granchio, with New Orleans blue crab, vermouth wine, shallots, parmigiano-reggiano, truffles, and filetto di manzo rossini, with eight-ounce Wagyu filet mignon, pomme confit, grilled asparagus, pan-seared foie gras, and Bordelaise jus.
Reservations are required for dinner, but guests can walk into the bar for drinks.
American Crime Story was filmed over the course of about a month at the hotel. Screenwriter and director Ryan Murphy, who is producing The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, told the New York Post he couldn't believe that he received permission to shoot the series there. 'I don't think I could have made the show if I couldn't have gotten that house,' he said. 'There was no way you could build [a set] of it. Two of the rooms were made out of seashells. [Gianni Versace's sister] Donatella [Versace] took all the furniture and the art when she sold the house, but through pictures we were able to recreate them.'
A resident artist maintains the artwork that Versace commissioned for the property. 'We actually have preserved what Versace created here and just augmented it with some modern touches for the convenience of our hotel guests and restaurant patrons,' Chauncey Copeland, the hotel's general manager, told the Associated Press.
And this includes a mosaic of Versace's signature Medusa head.
The Villa Suite is the designer's former room.
The Venus Suite was where his sister Donatella Versace stayed. Rates for one-bedroom suites start at $1,199 (£883) per night.
The hotel is on Ocean Drive, a few steps away from the Atlantic Ocean.
The blue and cream coloured Azure Suite includes a king bed and two full-sized beds/sitting alcoves.
Rates for a Superior Suite, like this one, start at $749 (£552) a night. What are you waiting for? Book Now
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The three-storey building was originally built as an apartment complex by Mayflower descendant and Standard Oil heir Alden Freeman in 1930.</p><p><span>In 1992, Versace </span><a href="http://vmmiamibeach.com/history/#1446323562017-4f70aec6-588d" data-href="http://vmmiamibeach.com/history/#1446323562017-4f70aec6-588d" target="_blank">purchased the original house for $2.95 million</a><span> (£2.2 million) and the Revere Hotel next door for $3.7 million (£2.73 million). He spent an astonishing $32 million (£23.6 million) on renovations that included demolishing the Revere to make way for a pool, garden, and new south wing of the home.</span></p>" data-cy="slide-image-1" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/18/01/4000x2669/1515282482-khaydenversacemansionexteriorfront-1515089450.jpg" title="<p>The three-storey building was originally built as an apartment complex by Mayflower descendant and Standard Oil heir Alden Freeman in 1930.</p><p><span>In 1992, Versace </span><a href="http://vmmiamibeach.com/history/#1446323562017-4f70aec6-588d" data-href="http://vmmiamibeach.com/history/#1446323562017-4f70aec6-588d" target="_blank">purchased the original house for $2.95 million</a><span> (£2.2 million) and the Revere Hotel next door for $3.7 million (£2.73 million). He spent an astonishing $32 million (£23.6 million) on renovations that included demolishing the Revere to make way for a pool, garden, and new south wing of the home.</span></p>" width="7360" height="4912" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
Versace turned the 24 apartments into 10 large suites in the original house. The designer built an additional two suites in the south wing.</p>" data-cy="slide-image-2" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/18/01/4000x2990/1515282507-versacemansionvenussuitebedroom-1515089449.jpg" title="<p>Versace turned the 24 apartments into 10 large suites in the original house. The designer built an additional two suites in the south wing.</p>" width="6096" height="4558" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
He lined the pool with 24-carat gold tiles.</p>" data-cy="slide-image-3" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/18/01/768x510/1515282525-villa-million-mosaic-pool-1515089439.jpg" title="<p>He lined the pool with 24-carat gold tiles.</p>" width="900" height="598" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
The Victor Hotels group paid $41.5 million (£30.6 million) for the property at a 2013 auction. (Donald Trump reportedly put in a bid, too).</p><p><span>In addition to the guest rooms, it operates the restaurant Gianni's, which '</span><a href="http://vmmiamibeach.com/restaurant/" data-href="http://vmmiamibeach.com/restaurant/" target="_blank">offers a delicious blend of Italian and Mediterranean food and wine selections</a><span>'. Decadent dishes include gnocchi di granchio, with New Orleans blue crab, vermouth wine, shallots, parmigiano-reggiano, truffles, and filetto di manzo rossini, with eight-ounce Wagyu filet mignon, pomme confit, grilled asparagus, pan-seared foie gras, and Bordelaise jus.</span><br></p>" data-cy="slide-image-4" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/18/01/4000x2669/1515282529-khaydenversacevillapoolside2diningupperpoolareaevening-1515089448.jpg" title="<p>The Victor Hotels group paid $41.5 million (£30.6 million) for the property at a 2013 auction. (Donald Trump reportedly put in a bid, too).</p><p><span>In addition to the guest rooms, it operates the restaurant Gianni's, which '</span><a href="http://vmmiamibeach.com/restaurant/" data-href="http://vmmiamibeach.com/restaurant/" target="_blank">offers a delicious blend of Italian and Mediterranean food and wine selections</a><span>'. Decadent dishes include gnocchi di granchio, with New Orleans blue crab, vermouth wine, shallots, parmigiano-reggiano, truffles, and filetto di manzo rossini, with eight-ounce Wagyu filet mignon, pomme confit, grilled asparagus, pan-seared foie gras, and Bordelaise jus.</span><br></p>" width="7360" height="4912" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
Reservations are required for dinner, but guests can walk into the bar for drinks.</p>" data-cy="slide-image-5" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/18/01/4000x2669/1515282553-khaydenversacemansiononyxbar1-1515096878.jpg" title="<p>Reservations are required for dinner, but guests can walk into the bar for drinks.</p>" width="7360" height="4912" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
<i data-redactor-tag="i">American Crime Story</i> was filmed over the course of about a month at the hotel. S<span>creenwriter and director Ryan Murphy, who is producing </span><em data-redactor-tag="em">The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story</em><span>, </span><span class="redactor-unlink" data-verified="redactor" data-redactor-tag="span" data-redactor-class="redactor-unlink" style="background-color: initial;">told </span><span>the </span><em data-redactor-tag="em">New York Post</em><span> he </span><a href="https://nypost.com/2017/12/18/recreating-versace-murder-emotionally-drained-ryan-murphy-cast-and-crew/" data-href="https://nypost.com/2017/12/18/recreating-versace-murder-emotionally-drained-ryan-murphy-cast-and-crew/" target="_blank">couldn't believe that he received permission to shoot the series there</a><span>. 'I don't think I could have made the show if I couldn't have gotten that house,' he said. 'There was no way you could build [a set] of it. Two of the rooms were made out of seashells. [Gianni Versace's sister] Donatella [Versace] took all the furniture and the art when she sold the house, but through pictures we were able to recreate them.'</span></p>" data-cy="slide-image-6" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/18/01/768x509/1515282573-the-signature-suite-1515089438.jpg" title="<p><i data-redactor-tag="i">American Crime Story</i> was filmed over the course of about a month at the hotel. S<span>creenwriter and director Ryan Murphy, who is producing </span><em data-redactor-tag="em">The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story</em><span>, </span><span class="redactor-unlink" data-verified="redactor" data-redactor-tag="span" data-redactor-class="redactor-unlink" style="background-color: initial;">told </span><span>the </span><em data-redactor-tag="em">New York Post</em><span> he </span><a href="https://nypost.com/2017/12/18/recreating-versace-murder-emotionally-drained-ryan-murphy-cast-and-crew/" data-href="https://nypost.com/2017/12/18/recreating-versace-murder-emotionally-drained-ryan-murphy-cast-and-crew/" target="_blank">couldn't believe that he received permission to shoot the series there</a><span>. 'I don't think I could have made the show if I couldn't have gotten that house,' he said. 'There was no way you could build [a set] of it. Two of the rooms were made out of seashells. [Gianni Versace's sister] Donatella [Versace] took all the furniture and the art when she sold the house, but through pictures we were able to recreate them.'</span></p>" width="950" height="630" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
A resident artist maintains the artwork that Versace commissioned for the property. <span>'We actually have preserved what Versace created here and just augmented it with some modern touches for the convenience of our hotel guests and restaurant patrons,' Chauncey Copeland, the hotel's general manager, </span><a href="https://apnews.com/49aa38ca47094a2b975f36eeb676cbac" data-href="https://apnews.com/49aa38ca47094a2b975f36eeb676cbac" target="_blank">told the Associated Press</a><span>.</span></p>" data-cy="slide-image-7" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/18/01/4000x5993/1515282577-khaydenversacevillacourtyardfountainevening2-1515089440.jpg" title="<p>A resident artist maintains the artwork that Versace commissioned for the property. <span>'We actually have preserved what Versace created here and just augmented it with some modern touches for the convenience of our hotel guests and restaurant patrons,' Chauncey Copeland, the hotel's general manager, </span><a href="https://apnews.com/49aa38ca47094a2b975f36eeb676cbac" data-href="https://apnews.com/49aa38ca47094a2b975f36eeb676cbac" target="_blank">told the Associated Press</a><span>.</span></p>" width="4912" height="7360" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
And this includes a mosaic of Versace's signature Medusa head<span class="redactor-invisible-space">.</span></p>" data-cy="slide-image-8" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/18/01/4000x2669/1515282602-khaydenversacemansionpoolloungers-1515097290.jpg" title="<p>And this includes a mosaic of Versace's signature Medusa head<span class="redactor-invisible-space">.</span></p>" width="7360" height="4912" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
The Villa Suite is the designer's former room.</p>" data-cy="slide-image-9" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/18/01/1024x514/1515282623-the-villa-suite-versace-s-former-room-1515097520.jpg" title="<p>The Villa Suite is the designer's former room.</p>" width="1200" height="603" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
The Venus Suite was where his sister Donatella Versace stayed. <span>Rates for one-bedroom suites start at </span><a href="http://vmmiamibeach.com/rooms/one-bedroom-suite/" data-href="http://vmmiamibeach.com/rooms/one-bedroom-suite/" target="_blank" data-tracking-id="recirc-text-link">$1,199 (£883) per night</a><span>.</span></p>" data-cy="slide-image-10" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/18/01/1600x1196/1515282624-versacemansionvenussuitebedroom-preview-1515097619.jpg" title="<p>The Venus Suite was where his sister Donatella Versace stayed. <span>Rates for one-bedroom suites start at </span><a href="http://vmmiamibeach.com/rooms/one-bedroom-suite/" data-href="http://vmmiamibeach.com/rooms/one-bedroom-suite/" target="_blank" data-tracking-id="recirc-text-link">$1,199 (£883) per night</a><span>.</span></p>" width="1600" height="1196" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
The hotel is on Ocean Drive, a few steps away from the Atlantic Ocean.</p>" data-cy="slide-image-11" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/18/01/4000x2669/1515282632-khaydenversacemansionrooftopterrace4-1515089448.jpg" title="<p>The hotel is on Ocean Drive, a few steps away from the Atlantic Ocean.</p>" width="7360" height="4912" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
The blue and cream coloured Azure Suite includes a king bed and two full-sized beds/sitting alcoves.</p>" data-cy="slide-image-12" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/18/01/480x735/1515282651-azure-suite-superior-1515089442.jpg" title="<p>The blue and cream coloured Azure Suite includes a king bed and two full-sized beds/sitting alcoves.</p>" width="587" height="900" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
Rates for a Superior Suite, like this one, start at $749 (£552) a night. <span>What are you waiting for? </span><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g34439-d6731449-Reviews-The_Villa_Casa_Casuarina-Miami_Beach_Florida.html" class="body-btn-link" data-href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34439-d6731449-Reviews-The_Villa_Casa_Casuarina-Miami_Beach_Florida.html" target="_blank" data-tracking-id="recirc-text-link"><strong data-redactor-tag="strong" data-verified="redactor">Book Now</strong></a></p>" data-cy="slide-image-13" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/housebeautiful.cdnds.net/18/01/768x510/1515282652-aviary-suite-superior-1515089447.jpg" title="<p>Rates for a Superior Suite, like this one, start at $749 (£552) a night. <span>What are you waiting for? </span><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g34439-d6731449-Reviews-The_Villa_Casa_Casuarina-Miami_Beach_Florida.html" class="body-btn-link" data-href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34439-d6731449-Reviews-The_Villa_Casa_Casuarina-Miami_Beach_Florida.html" target="_blank" data-tracking-id="recirc-text-link"><strong data-redactor-tag="strong" data-verified="redactor">Book Now</strong></a></p>" width="900" height="598" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>
