MIAMI BEACH, Fla.
The Miami Beach Convention Center may soon welcome a sorely needed headquarters hotel adjacent to the facility, dependent on a public vote March 15.
The Miami Beach City Commission unanimously agreed last year to move forward with a $596 million project to expand and renovate the Miami Beach Convention Center. The location of Art Basel in Miami Beach and Maison&Objet Americas, the convention center is home to some of the region’s largest tourism draws.
The expansion, designed by Denver-based Fentress Architects in collaboration with the Miami firm Arquitectonica, will add about 290,000 square feet to the 1.2 million-square-foot convention center, including a 60,000-square-foot grand ballroom.
“The center has had three major additions, but 1987 was the last one,” said Maria Hernandez, project director for the Convention Center District. “There has been money invested in the building over time to maintain it, but this is the first time there is going to be a major ground-up restoration. There’s no corner of the building that won’t get improved in some way.”
Construction commenced in December, Hernandez says, and is slated for completion by mid-2018.
But even with a state-of-the-art convention center, the city still needs headquarters hotel to be able to compete with cities like Las Vegas, Chicago, New Orleans and Orlando, which draw a great deal of convention business. In May, City Manager Jimmy Morales was authorized to enter into negotiations with Atlanta-based Portman Holdings for the development of an 800-room hotel on a site next to the center.
“The hotel is a much needed partner to make the convention center successful,” said Wendy Kallergis, president of the Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association. “It’s key for the success of the type of conventions we attract.”
Portman Holdings agreed to fund the $405 million hotel project privately and pay the city a percentage of the hotel’s gross revenue under a proposed 99-year lease. That lease was approved on first reading by the Miami Beach City Commission and is scheduled for a public vote March 15, with approval by 60 percent of Miami Beach voters required for passage. Assuming all the approvals are received when anticipated, construction on the hotel should commence in January 2017 and be completed in March 2019.
“The convention hotel is an amenity to facilitate the success of the half-billion-dollar investment that the city is making in the convention center,” said Jack Portman, vice chairman of Portman Holdings. “And they’re able to do it without spending a dime of public money, which is quite unusual.”
Designed by Atlanta-based John Portman & Associates, the hotel, featuring a sweeping curved form, would be constructed behind the Fillmore Theater, on a site currently occupied by a parking lot. The plans call for 800 rooms and 95,000 square feet of conference and ballroom space, as well as multiple pools, a fitness center, a spa and food and beverage outlets. A sky bridge would connect the hotel to the convention center.
Portman has designed and developed convention hotels around the world, including the Hilton San Diego Bayfront and the Portman Ritz-Carlton in Shanghai. He says a decision has not yet been reached on which hotel operator would flag the new facility.
“We weren’t competitive because we lacked a ballroom and an adjacent headquarters hotel,” said William D. Talbert III, president and CEO of the Greater Miami CVB. “This project will cure both of those.”
He adds that organizations that previously would not have considered Miami Beach for their gatherings have already expressed interest in booking here when the hotel opens.
“The meetings industry can’t wait to come here,” Talbert said.
