Fort Lauderdale
All-Around Changes To A Year-Round Destination
By Marlane Bundock In mid-November 2007, the Greater Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area got some good news. That’s when local officials penned a deal with the Hilton brand to build a 1,000-room hotel (shown below) that will anchor the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.
Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale (GFL) Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), made the announcement. “This goes a long way toward bolstering GFL’s attractiveness to planners and their clientele and ensuring that conferences regularly held here do not outgrow our hotel infrastructure,” she said.
Scheduled to be built on the northern edge of Port Everglades adjacent to the 600,000-square-foot convention center, the property is slated to open in 2012 as GFL’s largest hotel with 50,000 square feet of meeting space, an infinity-edge pool, outdoor dining and a 12,000-square-foot spa.
An Evolving Hotel Landscape
The Hilton is just one facet of the destination’s rapidly changing landscape, Grossman said. “Along with the convention center-headquartered hotel, we’re opening luxury product and group-preferred properties. In the past, when we’ve asked planners what’s missing here, their answer has always been Three-, Four- and Five-Star properties.”
Luxury properties are bringing a fresh face to the destination, Grossman said, explaining that much of what made the destination ideal for “Spring Breakers” is gone. “On the north end of the Fort Lauderdale Beach strip, there was a famous bar named The Candy Store Lounge, and that’s where they invented the wet T-shirt contest. It’s now gone and is the location of the St. Regis.”
The Five-Diamond St. Regis Resort, Fort Lauderdale opened in May 2007 with 166 guest rooms and suites and 34 units in a condo/hotel, according to Ross Klein, president of Starwood’s Luxury Brands Group. The property has 24,000 square feet of meeting space.
Upcoming luxury hotel developments planned for the area, according the CVB, include the 225-room Hollywood Grande Resort, a boutique hotel situated near Hollywood Beach that’s set to open in spring 2009; The Fairmont Pompano Beach, which is scheduled to open in 2011 with 303 guest suites; and Trump International Hotel and Tower Fort Lauderdale, which is slated to open in 2009 with 301 one- and two-bedroom suites.
Along with these high-end properties, Grossman emphasized that GFL is gaining brands that are well suited to a broad range of groups. “Meeting planners are very excited about our added inventory in both the luxury and value categories,” she said. “A number of our new properties are designed to accommodate budget-conscious groups, and they’re primarily being built in an area that’s within 15 minutes of the convention center. For the first time in 25 years, we’re creating inventory that will appeal to the meeting client.”
The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort opened in January 2007. Opal Gibson, director of sales and marketing, said the beachfront resort features 373 suites, a 25,000-square-foot terrace with a zero-entry pool and cabanas, and 10,000 square feet of meeting space. Gibson also emphasized that the hotel’s design is in synch with GFL’s new look through the use of glass tiles, dark woods, stainless steel accents and quartz counter tops.
In October 2007, the Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach opened, according to Michael Fatta, general manager, who said the 261-room property was remodeled and converted from the Oceanfront Hotel.
The Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach, which opened in October 2007, is an upscale condo/hotel boasting 311 well-appointed guest rooms overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, said Gina LaBarre, vice president of brand management for Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts. “The hotel offers 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting space for business meetings.”
Luckey’s Management Inc. officials announced in December 2007 that the company plans to build a 150-room Crowne Plaza hotel near the airport and a 122-room Hampton Inn and Suites in Miramar. The Crowne Plaza will offer 6,000 square feet of meeting space when it opens in mid-2009. The Hampton is slated to open in early 2009.
Additional meeting hotels that are on tap to open, according to the CVB, include the W Fort Lauderdale, which is set to open its doors in June with 346 guest rooms and 15,000 square feet of meeting space, and the Marriott Ocean Village and Resort, which is slated to open in 2009.
Revitalized Inventory
The destination is also home to a list of properties that are renovating or have recently finished enhancement projects.
In November 2007, Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six Resort and Spa, located along Fort Lauderdale Beach, completed a $30 million renovation that included a redesign of its 384 guest rooms and suites and 25,000 square feet of meeting space, according to Shawn Farrell, resort manager. “We have achieved a spectacular transformation and are proud to offer optimum flexibility and a consistent level of luxury accommodations,” Farrell said.
Hilton Hotel officials announced in early 2007 the opening of the newly converted 388-room Hilton Fort Lauderdale Airport, formerly the Wyndham Fort Lauderdale Hotel. “With a refreshed design and a host of new amenities, the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Airport has been renovated from our guest-focused perspective to reinvigorate the mind and spirit,” said Jeff Diskin, Hilton brand management senior vice president. For events, the hotel offers 18,500 square feet of space.
The 233-room Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Hotel with 10,000 square feet of meeting space will wrap up a renovation to guest rooms and meeting space by September, according to Joseph Maijala, director of sales and marketing. “Renovations to guest rooms include new hard and soft goods and new flat-screen TVs, while renovations to event space includes new carpet and wall coverings.”
Julianne Carelli, a spokeswoman for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood Beach, said the property has 50,000 square feet of meeting space and has added several new features, including a non-smoking gaming area, a VIP lounge and additional dining options such as a chef’s table concept that offers interaction with local and “celebrity” chefs and is available for groups of up to 40.
David Margolis, director of sales and marketing for the 224-room Coral Springs Marriott Hotel, Golf Club and Convention Center, which offers 17,800 square feet of meeting space, said the property completed a renovation in September. “The hotel has a resort feel to it and offers a casual atmosphere, yet at the same time offers a spacious convention center with nearly 18,000 square feet of divisble space, including a 11,704-square-foot, unobstructed ballroom.”
The Hollywood Beach Marriott, which opened in 2005, debuted a new spa in 2007. The Spa on the Broadwalk offers five treatment rooms, including a separate area for manicures and pedicures, said Bryan DeCort, general manager. “Quaint in size, our spa offers a special landscape of comfort, luxury and relaxation.” The hotel also offers 229 guest rooms and 6,000 square feet of meeting space.
Key Info · Sales Tax: 7 percent
· Hotel Tax: 5 percent
· Expanding Cruise Port: Local officials said the Port Everglades cruise port is staged to become the world’s largest, surpassing Miami, when Royal Caribbean bases two new super-sized cruise ships there in mid-2009.
· Gaming Opportunities: In 2007, Broward County became the only county in the state to offer “Vegas-styled” legalized gaming.
· Beach Environment: The area’s beaches are Florida’s first beaches to be designated as Blue Wave Beaches by the Clean Beaches Council, which rates them among the nation’s “cleanest, safest and most user-friendly.” |
The 501-room, award-winning Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center and Spa, located in Weston, completed a $100 million renovation in mid 2007, said Kelly Commerford, director of sales and marketing. Enhancements included all guest rooms, restaurants and meeting space, as well as the addition of Red Door Lifestyle Spa, Elizabeth Arden. The hotel now features a conference center covering 100,000 square feet of meeting space that includes three newly designed ballrooms. “We have just finished updating our amphitheater, which features upgrades such as Herman Miller chairs, we have been certified ‘green’ by the state, we have won a Hyatt-based service award, and we plan on continual enhancements,” he said.
The 159-room Holiday Park Hotel and Suites in Deerfield Beach, which offers more than 1,000 square feet of meeting space, will complete a full renovation by the end of the year, said Tiziana Alvarez, director of sales.
Additional renovations, according to the CVB, have been made at the 231-suite Gallery One Fort Lauderdale, managed as a Doubletree hotel, which completed a two-year, $25 million renovation project in 2007, and the 589-room Fort Lauderdale Grande Hotel and Yacht Club, which is wrapping up a $65 million redesign of the public spaces and the 20,000 square feet of event space.
