Miami Beach Hotel That Hosted the Beatles Is Demolished
The Florida Sun-Sentinel has a story about what happens when you lose a landmark.
The hotel that hosted the Beatles in 1965 and 1967 is on the verge of demolition.
It is the last remaining vestige of the Palm Beach Hotel chain, which built the landmark on South Beach’s famed bandstand.
Built in 1964, the hotel had been at the center of the bandstand scene in Miami Beach for more than 30 years, until the hotel was demolished in May 2009.
The Sun-Sentinel reports that the building has not been demolished.
The decision on the hotel’s future is up to the city commission. Palm Beach County officials have the final say in the matter.
It is unclear what will be built in its place. But a spokesman for a different Palm Beach hotel chain says the new hotel may be called the Hilton.
The last time the Palm Beach Hotel underwent a big change is in 1998, when it was renamed the Royal Palm.
The Palm Beach building was actually the former Royal Tropical Hotel, which opened as a hotel in 1965. It was known as the Grand Royal while it hosted the Beatles.
In the late 1960s, the hotel was host to the top artists in entertainment, including the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and other rock stars.
The Sun-Sentinel reports that when the Beatles were touring, they stayed at the Royal Palm. The band rented out an entire floor for their stay.
A plaque on the rooftop of the hotel read, in part:
“To the musicians and singers who made our city famous, we will always be your place of choice when in Miami.”
When the hotel was named after the famous hotel that stood on the bandstand when it opened, the Palm Beach Hotel was also called The Palm Beach.
In addition to hosting the Beatles, the Palm Beach Hotel also was host to the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, the Beach Boys’ sister group The Wreckless Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Righteous Brothers, The Animals and many others.
When the Beatles were shooting for a new album in late 1965, they took on their manager, Brian Epstein, and producer, George Martin,