"To try to capitalize on our tragedy and my name for profit is disgraceful" - Donatella Versace calls out Miami hotel named after her
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Donatella Versace (Photo: Everett Collection)Businesswoman and fashion socialite Donatella Versace harshly criticized a hotel and restaurant in Florida for using her name. Taking to her Instagram on Saturday, May 10, the 70-year-old fashion designer asserted she was not associated with the new Donatella Boutique Hotel & Restaurant in Miami.
The new hotel, which is owned by the Nakash and Vida Estilo Hospitality Group, is set to open up the Miami Beach property later this month on May 21.
Calling it "disgraceful," Donatella wrote:
"Let me be clear. The hotel and restaurant named Donatella, located near our former family home in Miami, will never have anything to do with me or my family."
According to The Independent, citing an Ocean Drive feature on the aforementioned hotel, it features six exclusive rooms and a 170-patron eatery run by chef Alessandro Morrone.
Nakash family also bought and converted Donatella Versace's family home, Casa Casuarina, into a hotel
In her Instagram post, Donatella Versace continued to add:
"To try to capitalize on our tragedy and my name for profit is disgraceful."
Notably, Nakash and Vida & Estilo Hospitality are advertising Donatella Boutique Hotel & Restaurant as a "sister property" to the Versace mansion, owned by the 70-year-old's late brother Gianni Versace (he bought it in 1992). VM South Beach LLC (owned by the Nakash family) purchased the latter mansion, called Casa Casurina, for $41.5 million in 2013, per CNBC.
They converted the mansion into a hotel called The Villa Casa Casuarina, which featured a restaurant called Gianni's. It is worth noting that Donatella Versace's brother was murdered at said estate. According to The Independent, serial killer Andrew Cunanan fatally shot Gianni in June 1997. The family sold the home three years later.
Per a press release by Vida Estilo Hospitality Group, the Miami hotel named after Donatella Versace took inspiration from the "Mediterranean" subcontinent. It would feature amenities like a spa, private beach access, and a fitness center. Services like daybed rentals and jet ski rentals would also be made available.
In the release, Chairman Joe Nakash stated:
"The Donatella Boutique Hotel is the ideal sister property, with its Neo-Mediterranean elegance and storied heritage. We are excited to make Donatella Restaurant the heart of this new project, offering world-class Italian cuisine within this stunning space."
Further, the restaurant would serve Neapolitan dishes like pólipo al insalata, carpaccio gambero rosso, veal milanese, and black truffle cacio e pepe. It would also house a private dining room for fifteen guests.
Meanwhile, the 19,000-sq-ft Villa Casa Casuarina features a mosaic-tiled pool lined in 24-karat gold, an elaborate courtyard, and twelve custom guest suites.
In March, Donatella Versace stepped down as the chief creative director of Versace, a role she had taken on following Gianni's death. The luxury fashion brand noted that Donatella would maintain her association with the company as its Chief Brand Ambassador, focusing on its philanthropic endeavors.
Dario Vitale, former design and image director at Miu Miu, succeeded the 70-year-old.
Nakash and Vida Estilo Hospitality Group have not publicly reacted to Donatella Versace's post.
TOPICS: Donatella Versace, Gianni Versace