Two sisters in Fort Lauderdale are still close, but they’re all grown up and forging new identities.
For decades, the sister properties Sheraton Yankee Trader and Sheraton Yankee Clipper were the sunny bull’s-eye of Fort Lauderdale Beach’s ’60s/’70s spring break era. Today, these beachfront icons are gorgeously renovated, seriously reimagined and rebranded as The Westin Beach Resort & Spa and the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale, respectively, as they bridge a generation gap of travelers that includes everyone from young families to affluent empty nesters and convention-goers.
The 432-room Westin Beach Resort & Spa is the more convention-minded of the two, with over 32,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including elegant ballrooms, ample prefunction space and the rooftop Sky Terrace, where events often come with brilliant sunsets.
Yet the property was built for relaxation as well, starting with the heavenly comfort of the Heavenly Bed and moving on to an oceanfront pool, luxury spa and dining options that include Shula’s on the Beach, complete with a private room for groups.
Next door, the former Yankee Clipper may be the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel now, but a casual atmosphere and happening hot spots recall the days when it hosted cast members from the original spring break flick Where the Boys Are, and was home to the New York Yankees during spring training (Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe slept here).
Following a multimillion-dollar rebirth, the Sheraton checks in with 486 rooms and 7,500 square feet of indoor meeting space, along with a private beach area that can accommodate up to 500.
But the property’s good-time legacy is firmly in place at venues like Dos Caminos—serving up classic and modern Mexican cuisine and boasting extensive tequila and margarita menus—and the iconic Wreck Bar, where “mermaids” still perform the weekly underwater shows that debuted there in the 1950s.
When groups venture forth, Fort Lauderdale’s popular Water Taxi makes a stop just outside the Westin and cruises along the Intracoastal Waterway, stopping at restaurants and bars, the convention center and several gateways to Las Olas Boulevard, home to boutiques, galleries, sidewalk cafes and attractions.
Along the way, guides point out waterfront mansions belonging to celebrities and business leaders, as well as the impossibly lavish yachts—Steven Spielberg’s is docked here—that have earned the area its distinction as the “Yachting Capital of the World.”
If your group does stop at Las Olas Boulevard, be sure to check out the Museum of Art, where sharks of every stripe and color are showcased in the new exhibit, Shark, running through Jan. 6.
What are sharks doing in an art museum? Appearing on canvas, on paper and in sculpture crafted from wood, steel, acrylic and even old golf bags. In all, 400 species are depicted by more than 70 artists.
The museum can host group events, including lectures and workshops, in its lobby and 250-seat Horvitz Auditorium. Steps away from the museum, the Las Olas “in spot” Yolo, famed for its wood-burning grill and relaxed vibe, welcomes up to 500 for group dining and events.
