Derek Powers is hoping to fly back to Boston tomorrow, but the frigid weather may keep him stuck in South Beach for another day. His flight hasn’t been canceled yet.
“Not yet, but it will be, I’m sure,” Powers said.
He’s staying at The Betsy Hotel on Ocean Drive and may have to book another night. Still, he says there are worse places to be stranded.
“Love this place—one of my favorites,” Powers said.
Hotel owner Jonathan Plutzik says guests forced to extend their stays are spending more time and money at the hotel, rather than exploring other South Beach businesses.
“They actually don’t have expansive plans. They’re just looking to kill a couple of days. So it probably keeps them a little closer to their hotel during those extra days,” Plutzik said.
The hotel’s chef, Laurent Tourondel, was supposed to be in Milan, Italy, but his flight was routed through New York and is now delayed. He’s making the most of the situation and says his staff is benefiting from the extended stays.
“It makes the restaurant busy. The staff makes more money, the restaurant makes more money, so everyone’s happy,” Tourondel said.
Powers says exploring the menu here is much more enjoyable than shoveling snow out of his driveway.
