With Florida tourism numbers up, and more meetings streaming in, there’s still another sign business is booming in the Sunshine State—more hotel development. And not just in the major convention cities, but statewide, from St. Augustine to Ocala and the Keys.
“At the end of the year, we had close to 200 new hotels in construction, which means over 33,000 new rooms,” says Paul Phipps, chief marketing officer for Visit Florida, the state’s official tourism industry marketing corporation.
Tourism bureaus are confirming the spike in new development. “Proposed or under construction are 1,100 new hotel rooms by the end of 2018,” says Vanessa Zigich, meeting and group sales manager for Visit Sarasota County. “An Embassy Suites is about to get permits, a Westin is under construction, opening in 2016, and an Aloft is opening at the end of 2015.”
Aloft, in fact, is poised to invade Florida, as Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Miami Beach will welcome new Aloft properties in 2017 and 2018. Meanwhile, long-awaited projects like Hollywood Beach’s Margaritaville are gearing up for splashy grand openings, as other major happenings, including Miami’s massive Worldcenter project featuring a hotel and convention center, are still several years away.
But new builds are only part of the story. Renovations and rebrandings are ubiquitous to the point where keeping a running tally of the changes might be a good idea. The Doubletree by Hilton brand, for one, is staying busy in Florida, with new openings in St. Augustine, a rebranding of Jacksonville’s Crowne Plaza to a Doubletree Hilton by August and renovations to another property in Miami.
“We just completed a big renovation, redoing all 334 rooms and suites, and we’ve undergone a major transformation over the past few years,” says Jon Stultz, director of sales and marketing for the Doubletree by Hilton Miami Airport Convention Center, which is part of an airport alliance of properties that includes, among others, a Marriott, Sheraton, Sofitel and Crowne Plaza. “Together we’re able to host pretty good-sized events.”
Convention centers, off-site venues, transportation options and attractions are keeping pace with their own developments, but let’s start with the hotels, from north to south.
- The Residence Inn Marriott Pensacola Downtown recently extended its pool deck area, creating more lounging space and adding a new firepit and grill.
- Ground has broken on the Henderson Beach Resort in Destin, a $300 million project that, when completed in phases, will include a 171-room hotel with a dedicated meeting wing offering 10,000 square feet of indoor event space.
- Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort just opened the new Sunset Bay Cafe, set against scenic Choctawhatchee Bay near the Linkside Conference Center.
- The Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa has unveiled an additional 7,500 square feet of exhibit and event space and now offers nearly 40,000 square feet of indoor meeting space.
- The Ponte Vedra Inn & Club on Ponte Vedra Beach recently renovated its Beach Club, which boasts 20 oceanfront rooms and suites, each equipped with a desk and Wi-Fi access.
- The newly opened Doubletree by Hilton St. Augustine Historic District offers 100 rooms and 3,100 square feet of event space.
- The Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay completed the final phase of a $20 million renovation, unveiling the new 1823 Kitchen and Bar and a tech lounge within the hotel lobby, featuring a large community table for laptops.
- Wyndham Hotels and Resorts is expanding its footprint in Florida with the 450-room Wyndham Grand Resort Clearwater Beach, which will offer 24,000 square feet of event space when it opens in early 2017.
- A new Comfort Suites is currently under development in Dunnellon, southwest of Ocala.
- Redesigned villas are the centerpiece of a renovation at the Villas of Grand Cypress Orlando, a 1,500-acre property boasting Jack Nicklaus Signature-designed golf and an Executive Meeting Center for up to 240.
- Located next to the Orange County Convention Center, the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando has taken the “guilty” out of guilty pleasures by donating $20 to a group’s charity of choice for every 50-minute massage, facial or body treatment booked at its on-site spa.
- Set within the Disney Resort, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort is in the midst of a multiyear, $125 million redesign project that will transform every guest room in the 758-room Swan and 1,509-room Dolphin, with final completion due by the end of 2017. PageBreak
- Rooms at the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando are sporting a new look of retro-inspired shapes, patterns and colors. The hotel offers 6,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, with an additional 140,000 square feet of function space at the nearby Hard Rock Cafe and Hard Rock Live venues at Universal CityWalk. Meanwhile, stay tuned for the new Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach in 2016.
- The Legoland Hotel will open this May at the Legoland Florida Resort in Winter Haven with 152 brightly colored and highly themed rooms and suites.
- Newly opened in February, the 150-room SpringHill Suites Orlando Kissimmee offers 150 suites, free Wi-Fi and complimentary breakfast.
- The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach completed a renovation encompassing guest rooms and more than 20,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space.
- After a recent $100 million revitalization, PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens is undergoing further renovations, adding new treatments to its spa and opening the iDeck, a 3,000-square-foot terrace available for private events.
- Projected to open in early 2016, the 403-room Hilton Convention Center West Palm Beach will be steps away from the city’s Arts and Entertainment District. Newly opened within walking distance of the convention center is the Residence Inn West Palm Beach Downtown/CityPlace Area, downtown West Palm Beach’s first extended-stay property.
- Fort Lauderdale’s Lago Mar recently renovated its north lobby with vibrant aqua and teal colors as well as accent pieces from Tommy Bahama. Adjacent to the north lobby, the meeting rooms also were redone in the same sea-themed colors.
- The Diplomat Resort & Spa Hollywood joined Hilton’s Curio collection last fall and will undergo a $100 million renovation starting this spring.
- The newly transformed Americana Ballroom with renovated prefunction space recently debuted at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, reflecting a more modern look and showcasing a gallery-like art collection.
- Trump National Doral Miami recently opened the ultra-luxe Jack Nicklaus Villa, comprising 172 new guest rooms and suites surrounding a central courtyard. The famed golf resort boasts 175,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.
- Turnberry Isle Miami renovated 119 guest rooms and suites in the resort’s Hibiscus Building with lighter, brighter contemporary furnishings and new in-room amenities.
- Located just south of Miami International Airport, the landmark Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables upgraded its championship Donald Ross Classic golf course with updates to the driving range, practice areas, hitting stations and pro shop. The property is home to more than 75,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, both in the main hotel and adjacent conference center.
- GullWing Beach Resort in Fort Myers, a SunStream Hotels & Resorts property, was named a 2014 Orbitz “Best in Stay Elite” winner for the Southwest Florida market.
- The former Waldorf Astoria Naples transitioned to the independently branded Naples Grande Beach Resort and completed an $18 million renovation and redesign of all guest rooms, restaurants and common spaces.
- Newly opened in the Florida Keys is the 125-room Hyatt Place Marathon, located at the historic Faro Blanco Resort and Yacht Club and featuring 1,820 square feet of flexible meeting space.
