Versace Mansion: Inside South Beach's sensational hotel
Gianni Versace
What many of those selfie-snapping tourists outside may not realize is that the former home of late fashion designer Gianni Versace isn't a museum or private home  but a hotel.
If a $1 000-plus-a-night hotel room is out of reach  members of the public can indulge in the villa's Baroque grandeur with a dinner reservation at  Gianni 's  and an aperitif in the intimate  clubby Onyx Bar  in the space that used to be Versace's kitchen.
Since Versace's death --  he  was shot dead on the steps of  his  mansion in 1997  thus the camera-wielding tourists outside -- the property has changed management a couple of times.
1 / 9 House-turned-hotel: The former home of  late fashion designer Gianni Versace  has been transformed into one of Miami's most opulent hotels. Courtesy Ken Hayden Photography
The unapologetic opulence of Casa Casuarina made it an obvious location for filming the TV series "The Assassination of  Gianni Versace : American Crime Story"  which will premiere on FX on January 19  2018.
In May 2017  tourists along Ocean Drive were treated to in-costume sightings of the show's stars  including Penelope Cruz as Donatella  Ricky Martin as Versace's longtime partner Antonio D'Amico  and Edgar Ramirez as the designer -- who appeared on the balcony of  Versace 's former bedroom clad in a pink bathrobe.
The room is now known as The Villa Suite  and  like the rest of the mansion's interiors  it's as over-the-top on glitz as  Versace 's collections. The most arresting feature  also available in Donatella's bedroom  the Venus Suite  is a custom-made double-king-size bed.
No longer on show is  Versace 's $10 000 marble toilet with 24-karat gold-plated seat -- one of the items auctioned off by Donatella after her brother's death.
Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace was murdered on the steps of the Miami mansion in July 1997. Courtesy Ken Hayden Photography
The Medusa mosaic was crafted in  Versace 's home town  Reggio Calabria  Italy  and then taken apart and shipped to Miami Beach in pieces  where it was painstakingly reassembled.
Adjacent to the garden  in the "new wing" that  Versace  built when he acquired the mansion  is The Moroccan Lounge  which used to be his gym  and still houses his eight-person hamam Turkish steam room and shower.
What many of those selfie-snapping tourists outside may not realize is that the former home of late fashion designer Gianni Versace isn't a museum or private home  but a hotel.
If a $1 000-plus-a-night hotel room is out of reach  members of the public can indulge in the villa's Baroque grandeur with a dinner reservation at  Gianni 's  and an aperitif in the intimate  clubby Onyx Bar  in the space that used to be Versace's kitchen.
Since Versace's death --  he  was shot dead on the steps of  his  mansion in 1997  thus the camera-wielding tourists outside -- the property has changed management a couple of times.
1 / 9 House-turned-hotel: The former home of  late fashion designer Gianni Versace  has been transformed into one of Miami's most opulent hotels. Courtesy Ken Hayden Photography
The unapologetic opulence of Casa Casuarina made it an obvious location for filming the TV series "The Assassination of  Gianni Versace : American Crime Story"  which will premiere on FX on January 19  2018.
In May 2017  tourists along Ocean Drive were treated to in-costume sightings of the show's stars  including Penelope Cruz as Donatella  Ricky Martin as Versace's longtime partner Antonio D'Amico  and Edgar Ramirez as the designer -- who appeared on the balcony of  Versace 's former bedroom clad in a pink bathrobe.
The room is now known as The Villa Suite  and  like the rest of the mansion's interiors  it's as over-the-top on glitz as  Versace 's collections. The most arresting feature  also available in Donatella's bedroom  the Venus Suite  is a custom-made double-king-size bed.
No longer on show is  Versace 's $10 000 marble toilet with 24-karat gold-plated seat -- one of the items auctioned off by Donatella after her brother's death.
Italian fashion designer [TGT] was murdered on the steps of the Miami mansion in July 1997. Courtesy Ken Hayden Photography
The Medusa mosaic was crafted in  Versace 's home town  Reggio Calabria  Italy  and then taken apart and shipped to Miami Beach in pieces  where it was painstakingly reassembled.
Adjacent to the garden  in the "new wing" that  [TGT]built when [TGT] acquired the mansion  is The Moroccan Lounge  which used to be [TGT] gym  and still houses [TGT] eight-person hamam Turkish steam room and shower.