If the economy is still struggling, you wouldn’t know it by looking at South Florida’s ongoing hotel development and other new tourism projects.
Miami’s meetings scene, for one, got a boost with the fall 2010 opening of the JW Marriott Marquis, which towers over downtown Miami with 41 floors, 313 rooms, 56 suites and more than 80,000 square feet of event space, including a 20,000-square-foot grand ballroom, the "largest in downtown Miami," notes Paul Pebley, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing.
Apres meeting time is taken by a 19th-floor "Pursuits Deck," featuring an on-site Jim McLean Golf School, an NBA-approved basketball arena, a full-size tennis court, a fitness center and spa, a virtual bowling alley and an expansive pool deck with sweeping city views. If desired, the entire 19th floor also can be taken by groups seeking some interactive down time.
Another new convention option, the Sheraton Miami Airport Hotel & Executive Meeting Center, opened in December. Formerly the Wyndham Miami Airport, the property has undergone a $2 million enhancement and features 405 guest rooms and 20,000 square feet of IACC-approved meeting space, which means it offers ergonomic seating, day meeting packages, specific meeting room sound ratings to ensure privacy, on-site event planning professionals and other criteria, including a smaller group size to ensure minimal distractions.
"The hotel is designed to make meetings a lot easier—easier to plan and easier to guarantee an outstanding experience," says Carroll Warfield, managing director, operations and asset management for Thayer Lodging Group, which owns the hotel.
The new properties are part of yet another wave of hotel happenings in the "Magic City," which included the recent reopening of the legendary Fontainebleau on Miami Beach, the opening of the W South Beach, the new Epic hotel in downtown Miami, and coming in spring 2012, the SLS Miami. Also keeping pace are continuous hotel enhancements, including the Conrad Miami’s recent conversion of its entire 25th floor to cocktail, dining and private event space.
Not to be outdone, Fort Lauderdale just welcomed the B Ocean Fort Lauderdale, part of B Hotels & Resorts, a new brand based in South Florida and touted as a "lifestyle" hotel that focuses on "B-ing." The 240-room property offers 8,000 square feet of function space.
Opening this month on Fort Lauderdale Beach is the 62-room Royal Palms, touted as North America’s first and only full-service gay hotel, featuring a spa, gym, iPads available on check-in, two heated pools (one clothing-optional) and other amenities.
Still in the development phase, but moving along nicely, according to Christine Tascione, vice president of convention and group sales for the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB, the Margaritaville Hotel has been approved for a six-acre oceanfront site on Hollywood Beach. When constructed, the 349-room hotel will include restaurant and retail space along with a 22,604-square-foot ballroom, a 15,500-square-foot spa and fitness center and three pools.
Also spurring growth on Fort Lauderdale’s hotel landscape was the December arrival into Port Everglades of
Allure of the Seas, sister ship to Oasis of the Seas. The arrivals of both Oasis and Allure brought with them a number of new cruiseport/airport hotels in the budget and economy segment to accommodate pre and post visits, including Choice Hotels’ 119-room Cambria Suites Fort Lauderdale/Dania Beach; the 150-room Crowne Plaza Fort Lauderdale Airport/Cruise Port; the 149-room Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Airport-South; and the 143-room Hyatt Summerfield Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport-South.
Meanwhile, a new marketing coalition named the Lauderdale Convention Collection—made up of the Broward County Convention Center and the six closest convention hotels—is offering special deals during select dates, including complimentary meeting space and one-hour welcome receptions; check out www.sunny.org/conventioncollection.