A hundred years after it was first built, The Vineta Hotel has opened its doors once again, this time under the stewardship of Oetker Hotels, the family-owned hospitality group behind some of the world’s most iconic luxury properties including Le Bristol Paris, Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, and Eden Rock-St Barths. Developed in partnership with Reuben Brothers, Oetker chose Palm Beach as the location of its first hotel in the United States.
In a town whose architectural identity was built on a century-long fascination with Europe, the addition feels particularly fitting. Originally opened in 1926 as the Lido-Venice, the hotel emerged during the peak of Palm Beach’s Mediterranean Revival boom, when architects like Addison Mizner and Maurice Fatio transformed the island into an American interpretation of the Riviera through stucco façades, courtyards, loggias, and Italianate details. Two years later, the property became The Vineta, a name it would hold for nearly fifty years before later becoming The Chesterfield under the Red Carnation group.
Now, a century later, it returns to its original roots not only in name, but in sensibility. The extensive renovation of the property’s forty-one rooms and suites was led by designer Tino Zervudachi and his firm ZRM in collaboration with architects Spina O’Rourke & Partners. The redesign balances Mediterranean influences with quintessential Palm Beach style: terrazzo floors, custom Venetian plaster walls, 1930s-inspired plaster reliefs, shell motifs, feather and palm prints, and ceilings scattered with starry constellations. White and blue linens soften the rooms, while Coco’s, the hotel’s hot new restaurant, is anchored by a striking slab of red Italian marble.
There is also a hidden leopard motif tucked into the ceiling above Coco’s dining room, a subtle nod to the space’s previous life as The Chesterfield and, more specifically, to the Leopard Lounge, once one of Palm Beach’s most recognizable nightlife institutions.
For more than three decades, the Leopard Lounge occupied a singular place in the island’s scene after dark. Moody, theatrical, and slightly mischievous, the space was known for its leopard-print carpeting and leopard statue on the piano, a fresco of nude nymphs painted in 1992 by an Italian artist locals called Lino Mario, live music, strong martinis, and devoted regulars. Rod Stewart reportedly stopped in while in town, Lauren Bacall stayed upstairs, and the clientele tilted toward what could genteelly be called society matrons: women in sequins who knew all the bartenders’ names and could close the place down without anyone calling them a cab. I am, frankly, sorry I never made it through the door.
Coco’s, however, despite the tasteful nod, does not attempt to recreate the lounge. The restaurant now leans Mediterranean, both visually and culinarily. Executive Chef Brian Rodriguez oversees a menu developed in collaboration with Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc Executive Chef Sébastien Broda and Pastry Chef Tarek Ahamada, bringing several signature dishes from the legendary Antibes property to Palm Beach, including Steak Diane and Eden Roc Sea Bass. A Vineta seafood tower, crudo du jour, grilled lobster, pizzas, and handmade pastas round out the menu.
The pool, one of the visual centerpieces of the property, continues that same atmosphere outdoors with bespoke mosaic patterns, striped loungers, lush landscaping, and a custom shell-shaped ladder inspired by Palm Beach architecture. Nearby, the Pool House serves Giovanni’s pizzas, marking the first outpost outside Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc of the legendary residents-only trattoria at the Antibes property. There is also an À La Carte concept, which is essentially a steady drip of charming surprises floating around the property on custom bar carts: Champagne one minute, a cosmetic pop-up the next.
Oetker refers to its hotel properties as “masterpiece hotels” and runs only eleven of them, all in what it considers “the world’s most desirable destinations.” That the first United States address it has ever chosen sits on Cocoanut Row tells you most of what you need to know about where Palm Beach stands today. The new Vineta feels every bit the grand, elegant, and highly polished hotel Oetker set out to create, succeeding in delivering on its ambition.
