No, you did not get on the wrong plane. It might feel that way, though, if you haven’t been to South Florida for a while and stepped off the jetway expecting to see the same old hotels lining the beach alongside the kitschy souvenir shops and budget eateries of days gone by.
You have to look hard for glimpses of vintage South Florida now, since Miami and Fort Lauderdale have gone upscale on a major scale. The former seasonal beach towns, which once welcomed young and old—literally, as winter snowbirds and green spring breakers comprised the biggest chunk of the tourism market—have become year-round, multifaceted and multimarket destinations. They still attract the cost-conscious but with greater appeal for the status-conscious, thanks to a rise in luxury properties that have given new meaning to the term “Gold Coast.”
W, Atlantic, St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, Conrad, Trump—they’re all here now, with more coming in. But don’t pack the tiara just yet. South Florida is still a place where people can kick their shoes off, let their hair down, and unbutton that top button, tourism officials say.
“We haven’t lost the casualness of the area,” says Dennis Edwards, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB. “People can feel very comfortable walking around in shorts and swimsuits, but now there’s an elegance blending into it.”
Indeed, it’s a whole new ball game in South Florida—in more ways than one. At press time, the area was preparing to welcome Super Bowl XLI at Dolphin Stadium Feb. 4, hosting the NFL’s top two teams for a record-tying ninth time. And the record will break in 2010, when Super Bowl XLIV kicks off at Dolphin Stadium, making South Florida the “Host with the Most,” says Michael Kelly, president of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee.
“South Florida is such a popular Super Bowl destination,” Kelly says. “We have great weather at that time of year, a great stadium that has gotten even better with recent renovations, awesome restaurants throughout the region and more than 100,000 hotel rooms to accommodate as many visitors who want to come.”
Beyond the game’s initial economic impact, though, tourism leaders say the financial rewards of hosting Super Bowl will extend far into the future.
“Super Bowl is the most prized possession of any destination,” says Barry Moskowitz, associate vice president of sales for the Greater Miami CVB. “It has really turned into an incentive in itself for many corporations, allowing them to thank their top customers and their associates [with tickets]. Those people will go back and spread the word to their colleagues and associates, and that will continue to build our base.”
The Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB’s Edwards agrees, citing the long-term impact the region expects to see.
“Many of these corporations have already expressed interest in returning for their meetings and conventions down the road,” Edwards says. “We had Super Bowl here in 1999, and just the change in seven years has been overwhelming for many past visitors. They’re pleasantly surprised and very encouraged, and feel very comfortable now about looking at us as a destination for their annual meetings.”
Miami
The joke in Miami is that the official city bird is the giant crane, as in the towering construction cranes that are currently part of the skyline in downtown Miami and along Miami Beach, taking the area’s lodging industry to new heights of luxury and enhancing its appeal for the incentive travel market.
“We weren’t a big incentive destination before because we didn’t have the product to support it,” the Greater Miami CVB’s Moskowitz says. “Now that we’ve added these hotels, it’s opened up the floodgates to a whole new market for us.”
Although Miami Beach has always boasted lavish oceanfront resorts—including the Fontainebleau, the Eden Roc and the Deauville, hosting the likes of Frank Sinatra and the Beatles—since the turn of the millennium, Miami has had a serious case of five-star fever, with ultra-luxe properties popping up all over town, from the Conrad, JW Marriott, Four Seasons, and three Ritz-Carltons to lavish new boutique properties on South Beach and, farther north to the beachside enclave of Sunny Isles, a virtual transformation from outmoded to outstanding, with a Trump resort and the state’s first Rosewood and Le Meridien hotels moving in.
Besides an increase in incentives, many of which include luxury cruises from the Port of Miami as part of the package, Moskowitz says other groups have taken note of Miami’s new high-end profile.
“In addition to incentives, we’re getting the insurance market, the pharmaceutical market and the overall corporate market, all seeking high-end properties,” Moskowitz says. “It continues to increase our occupancy and our average rates. We’re up there with New York and Hawaii.”
And it isn’t over yet. Two Viceroy hotels, a second Regent hotel and Marriott’s luxury brand, Marquis, are all waiting in the wings, while Canyon Ranch Living Miami Beach, a resort community featuring 150 hotel suites and more than 70,000 square feet of leisure and lifestyle space, is set to open later this year.
In 2009, a W will make its appearance on South Beach, the epicenter of major makeovers that have transformed the region’s Art Deco boutique hotels into showpieces. Today, places like the Shore Club, the Delano, the Hotel Victor, and the new Setai are making waves with their over-the-top decor, celebrity-chef restaurants and must-see-to-believe nightclubs.
Speaking of makeovers, two venerable Miami Beach properties are working on new identities: the Roney Palace, which closed in September 2004 and is scheduled to reopen this year as the Hotel Gansevoort South, the first extension of the Gansevoort brand outside New York City; and the Sheraton Bal Harbour, which closed last June and will reopen in 2010 as the St. Regis Resort and Residences Bal Harbour.
But the mother of all makeovers is taking place at Miami Beach’s Fontainebleau Miami, currently undergoing a $1 billion renovation and expansion that will, among other things, make it one of the largest convention properties in the region. Scheduled for completion in 2008, the 1,504-room resort will include 58 meeting rooms totaling 107,000 square feet, along with more than 42,000 square feet of pre-function space and 51,000 square feet of outdoor function space.
“It will enhance our ability to bring in larger groups and house more people under one roof,” Moskowitz says. “There’s a lot of buzz out there about it.”
Until its grand unveiling, the Fontainebleau is operating as the 462-unit Fontainebleau Suites Miami Beach, offering a penthouse that works for small executive meetings and retreats.
Large groups, however, will find ample space at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, where the new 24,000-square-foot Legends Ballroom will join 90,000 square feet of flexible conference space this year; the Sheraton Miami Mart Hotel and Convention Center, offering 24,000 square feet of meeting space, plus another 115,500 square feet of adjoining exhibit space; and the historic Biltmore Hotel, home to the 40,000-square-foot Conference Center of the Americas.
Groups not looking to stay where they meet can opt for the Miami Beach Convention Center or the Coconut Grove Expo Center, both convenient to neighboring hotels. In addition, downtown’s Miami Convention Center boasts an adjacent Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Fort Lauderdale
Apparently, five-star fever is contagious, because Fort Lauderdale has it bad. And that’s good for incentive business, reports Edwards of the Fort Lauderdale CVB.
Like Miami, the area was limited in accommodations with incentive appeal, but now the destination has a variety of hotels to offer incentive groups, Edwards says, pointing to new properties like the 124-suite Atlantic, with a luxury spa and fitness center, and the newly opened Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, featuring 373 studios and suites, a beach concierge, a spa, and 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
“I think where we’re going to see a big increase in market share is on the incentive side,” Edwards says.
Adding to that inventory and due next month on Fort Lauderdale beach is Florida’s first St. Regis, a $240 million, 166-room luxury resort offering an ocean-view restaurant and European-style butler service, along with 24,000 square feet of meeting space and a 29,000-square-foot tropical pool deck. A W hotel is coming in winter 2008, while two Trump condo-hotel properties also are on the way: the Trump International Hotel and Tower Fort Lauderdale, due in early 2008, and the Trump Las Olas Beach Resort, coming in fall 2008.
Not to be outdone, existing properties are sprucing up to keep pace with the new-builds. The recently reflagged Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center and Spa, for example, is emerging from a $90 million renovation that included the addition of a 48,000-square-foot Elizabeth Arden Red Door Lifestyle Spa, while the Fort Lauderdale Grande Hotel and Yacht Club (formerly the Fort Lauderdale Marina Marriott) and the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six are undergoing $50 million and $25 million renovations, respectively.
Meanwhile, the already luxurious Lago Mar Resort and Spa is planning a $15 million addition that will feature a wing of one- and two-bedroom oceanfront suites with 24-hour concierge service, and the already enormous Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa will be adding the Diplomat West, a new 350-room hotel adjacent to the existing 1,000-room hotel.
Hotel improvements have given local attractions and shopping complexes extra incentive to invest in upgrades of their own. Sawgrass Mills, a gigantic outlet mall and entertainment center in western Fort Lauderdale, recently opened the Colonnade Outlets, featuring Escada Company Store, Max Mara Outlet, Salvatore Ferragamo Company Store, and other luxury outlets boasting deep discounts. To the east, the popular Galleria recently completed an $80 million expansion and renovation, adding Saks Fifth Avenue and the chic Blue Martini nightclub.
Gulfstream Park, one of the area’s legendary venues, also has undergone extensive refurbishments, adding some unique areas for incentive groups, Edwards says, as well as introducing an elegant casino featuring slots and other games.
Another legendary launch occurred recently when Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 returned to Port Everglades, joining Holland America, Princess, Costa, Regent Seven Seas, and other top-of-the-line ocean liners.
“Again, it all speaks to that luxury product,” Edwards says. “We have the quality restaurants, the quality off-site venues, the quality shopping, and the spas.”
Despite its new emphasis on first-class experiences, though, Fort Lauderdale’s international airport remains a busy hub for low-cost carriers, keeping the destination accessible and affordable to reach.
The city is also about to become more convenient for groups; Edwards says the CVB anticipates putting out an RFP this quarter for the development of a hotel at the 600,000-square-foot Broward County Convention Center.
For More Info
Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB 954.765.4466
www.sunny.org
Greater Miami CVB 305.539.3000
www.miamimeetings.com
