Envy Man Magazine Online

Fed up with your day job? Michael Aller isn’t; he can’t get enough of his. Since 1991, Michael Aller, a.k.a. “Mr. Miami Beach,” has been the Tourism and Convention Director, and Chief of Protocol for this “sun and fun capital of the world.” His colleagues affectionately refer to him as Mr. Miami Beach because Michael’s the city’s go-to guy. Mayor David Dermer said that, “If anything is going to happen anywhere in Miami Beach, it is Michael Aller who can make it happen.” Although he’s technically not a native of Miami Beach, he might as well be since he’s spent most of his life there.

Born in Detroit, Michael had the unique experience as a teenager of living in the Fontainebleau Hotel which is Miami Beach’s crown jewel. In October 1954, Michael and his parents moved into a three-bedroom apartment in the hotel two months prior to its opening because the hotel was indebted to Michael’s father for the sale of the stone and marble used in its construction. I couldn’t help but pay homage to the film, “The Shining,” and asked if he saw any ghosts lurking the hallways of this majestic hotel while living there. “No,” proclaimed Michael, “but if the walls could talk they would divulge plenty of ‘secrets.’” With the likes of Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Judy Garland, and Lucy and Desi patronizing the Fontainebleau, Michael witnessed it all. But he wouldn’t dare gossip about what he saw, even off the record; he’s way too classy. Michael Aller is a man who has others’ interests at heart.

Following his stint at the Fontainebleau, Michael moved to New York City to break into show business. However, by a twist of fate, Michael’s life was redirected when a passerby, who was in dire straits, asked Michael to loan him some money as collateral for a nursing home business. With sage advice from his father, and half of his own savings, Michael embarked on a career in nursing homes when he was nineteen, and remained in the health care industry until 1979, when he sold his business.

Although he tried to retire and travel around the world for a year, this workaholic returned to Miami Beach seventeen days into his trip, and began working in retail at Burdines (now Macy*s) running its boutique Polo department. Because Michael successfully trained the staff, hosted special events, and threw great parties in the house of Polo, Michael’s manager urged him to get involved in the community by contacting Miami Beach’s Chamber of Commerce.

In 1985, Michael began working with the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce becoming its first Membership Director, Founder and Newsletter Editor, Business Expo Chairman, and Networking Chairman, all as a volunteer. Consequently, in 1991, the Mayor of Miami Beach asked Michael if he would be Miami Beach’s first Tourism and Convention Director, a never-before-held position, which he graciously accepted. And at that time, Michael had been working on the Human Rights Ordinance for Sexual Orientation—legislation granting equality for the gay and lesbian community in Miami Beach, which passed in 1991.

Currently, Michael’s the gay liaison to the City of Miami Beach, and he’s a national board member of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, and a board member of the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Let’s not forget, he’s also the Chief of Protocol giving keys to the city to the worthy elite. Because Michael champions so many organizations, it raises the question: Would he ever enter the political arena? Forget about it. Michael has no interest in running for public office because he says he can accomplish more serving the community his way, rather than in a “fishbowl.” Sounds like Oprah. Who knows, maybe we’ll see Michael on his own talk show. For now, you’ll spot him in head-to-toe Polo, lunching at Joe’s Stone Crab eating grilled fish and broccoli religiously. And if you don’t see him first, you may recognize him by his fragrance; he’s been wearing Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent, for the past thirty years.

For such a forward thinker, I couldn’t understand why he was such a creature of habit. Michael explained, “Clothes and things don’t make the man; action does by helping others.” Moreover, his motto is “being of service and serving the community in which I live, work, and play.” And, he’s most proud of being a part of Miami Beach’s extraordinary rejuvenation over the last twenty years, considering it an “honor” to be involved. Where does he see Miami Beach in the next twenty years? “Evolution always takes hold,” says Michael, and he has “no idea” what’s in store for Miami Beach’s future because no one could’ve predicted its unprecedented renewal. One thing’s for sure, Michael’s along for the ride, and considers it a “wonderful, wonderful opportunity.”

In the meantime, he’ll be doing what he does best, hobnobbing with tourists, conventioneers, and dignitaries who descend upon this tropical paradise. Michael’s goal is to make sure that those who come to Miami Beach have a great time while they’re there and go home with a great message that encourages them to return. And why wouldn’t they? Michael is the world’s best concierge, and he cheerfully answers Miami Beach’s tourism hotline 24/7. Nowhere else in the world can you call a tourism hotline and get an actual “voice.” As Mayor Dermer points out, “All in our city are enthusiastic in their applause for Mr. Aller who through the years, has handed out his cell phone number to thousands of people and is always on call for immediate and needed reassurance.”

This spring, the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce will bestow Michael with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his tireless work and selflessness in serving the Miami Beach community. He’s grateful for the accolades, but Michael doesn’t view his work as a job. He thinks of it as a “passion.” It’s ironic that Michael will receive an award for performing a job that he truly loves, because it’s really those visiting Miami Beach who get the award.