Woody Allen Fans Should Book a Stay in This Florida Hotel Immediately and Here's Why

Creating a hotel is a lot like making a Hollywood film—at least that’s what Edward Walson thinks. The successful Hollywood producer used his knack for filmmaking—determining location, defining an experience, and paying attention to detail—to build and open the Royal Blues Hotel in Deerfield, Florida in 2014. And like creating a great movie, collaboration is key, which led Walson to ask close pal Woody Allen for help in sorting out some final details for his property.

While Allen and his projects are constantly making headlines—he is currently working on a six-episode television series for Amazon with Miley Cyrus entitled Crisis in Six Scenes; his 1950s film Wonder Wheel, with Kate Winslet and Justin Timberlake, is set to be released in December; and, perhaps most surprisingly of all, he just cast Selena Gomez in his next film—his minor involvement in the hospitality industry has never really been discussed.

“We met 12 years ago at a cocktail party and became friends,” Walson said of his friendship with Allen, which has involved working on several movies together, including the recent Café Society, which Walson was a producer on. “Woody’s been good, so good, at naming pictures—Magic in the Moonlight, Blue Jasmine— and I thought, well, I will see if he can give me any ideas for names of the hotel.”

While Allen didn't come up with the hotel's final moniker, his excellent naming ability did come in handy for Walson: “He suggested the name Chanson, meaning French song, and so I decided that would actually be a great name for the restaurant instead.”

And it was the two friends' mutual love of jazz that inspired the playlist for the hotel. “Like the score of a movie, you have to keep music in mind when wanting to create a pleasurable experience for guests,” says Walson. “The playlist is always being tweaked, but is an eclectic mix of jazz and blues and current pop music." (The latter being more on-brand for Allen now that Gomez is one of his starlets). "If we had a bigger space, I would have Woody’s jazz band come play," Walson continued.

Long before the famous director consulted on the final touches for the Relais & Châteaux property, Walson relied on his own experience in movies to create a cinematically-worthy hotel. “It boils down to entertainment,” says Walson. “Whether you are paying money to stay in a hotel room or to go to see a film, you want some entertainment value out of it. I am looking for how we are going to entertain the public.” That starts with location.

“When you’re creating a film, you’re always looking for locations,” he notes. “I grew up going with my parents to southeastern Florida in the winter and always loved that area. As I was searching for my house to buy in Florida, I ended up buying a piece of land that had some old bungalows, thinking that I would build some condominium apartments. But I wanted to have more of an ongoing business, always had a love for the culinary arts, and also appreciated travel, so it became a hotel.”

Working with only 25,000 square feet, Walson consulted with architect George Garcia to make a distinctive curve shape, allowing for every one of the 12 rooms—including the Junior Penthouse Suite, where Allen has stayed—to face the ocean. “As a producer, you’re always thinking about the visual aspect,” says Walson.

It was this attention to the visuals that dictated every nuance of the property. For example, while backlit onyx is often used for bar tops, Walson opted for a 2,000-year-old piece of black petrified wood from Italy. Then there is a curved, 1,500-gallon aquarium in the ceiling, which can be seen from both the restaurant and the swimming pool, that is meant to evoke a sense of calmness. And even the elevator ride is an experience. “I knew a lot of people get claustrophobic in elevators,” said Walson. “So we made ours all glass with views of the ocean.”

Of course, lighting is another key aspect when setting the mood. “Lighting is such an important part of filmmaking,” he adds. “If you work with a great cinematographer, like I did with Vittorio Storaro, you learn how to do amazing things with even just a candlelight. So, obviously with our property, we wanted the proper flow of light through the building.” That means guests will never have to use a cellphone to read a menu, but no light will ever be too bright.

Ultimately, reveals Walson, it’s about creating different scenes. “You have to have balance and separation of spaces,” he says. “Like we have a buffer of some Venetian crystal curtains between the bar and the reception area. Then between the reception area and the actual restaurant there is a wall of wine. There are distinct spaces throughout the property, but there’s continuity to make them flow together. It’s just like pulling together different scenes of a great film.”

Brantley Photography ©2014