Florida’s vast array of accommodations and meeting space keeps getting larger. In 2023, event space increased by more than 436,000 square feet, and 8,495 guest rooms came with the openings of 70 new hotels. This year, 21 new hotels are in the pipeline around the state, according to VISIT FLORIDA.
Combined accommodations, warm weather, countless activities and endless food choices make for an ideal spot to host a meeting, tradeshow, convention or other event. Here are just a few of the new and renovated hotels on tap in The Sunshine State.
Bradenton
The Bradenton Area Convention Center is getting a $48 million expansion and renovation, due to open sometime in 2025. Its convention hotel, the 252-room Palmetto Marriott Resort and Spa opened in April. The project also includes restaurants and outdoor event spaces on the same property.
Charlotte Harbor
Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor has opened. With 785 rooms and 189 suites, the resort occupies 22 waterfront acres with two pools, 20 bars and restaurants and the private Aileron Golf Club, offering an 18-hole, par 72 course. The luxurious Lorelei Spa will feature 10 treatment rooms and the fitness center will offer classes in four studios. The 60,000 square feet of event space encompasses the main ballroom, junior ballroom, two executive boardrooms, 12 meeting rooms and an ideation suite with three separate breakout rooms.
Clearwater
With its unique curved design that mirrors its sister Opal Collection property Opal Sands, Opal Sol’s 248 suites (which will range from studio to three-bedrooms) will boast unobstructed views of the Gulf of Mexico. Both resorts will be connected via an elevated skyway bridge which will provide the unique opportunity for Opal Sol guests to enjoy shared privileges and additional dining and luxury amenities.
For meetings and events, Opal Sol will offer 57,194 square feet of event space that, when combined with Opal Sands, will offer over 106,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor and ancillary space that can accommodate groups of up to 700 attendees. Guests can expect to experience this premier resort on Clearwater Beach in early 2025.
JW Marriott Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa opened with 162 guest rooms, all with private balconies and 14,000 square feet of meeting space that includes two ballrooms (6,000 square feet and 4,500 square feet) plus four breakout rooms. The hotel has a rooftop pool and cabanas, an expansive full-service Spa by JW and a fitness center.
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Daytona Beach
The 190-room Renaissance by Marriott Daytona Beach Oceanfront (www.marriott.com) offers private balconies, a high-end seafood restaurant, infinity pool, an oceanfront ballroom with views of the Atlantic Ocean and outdoor event space. It has a total of 8,353 square feet of meeting space.
Florida Keys
Three Waters Resort & Marina, a Tribute Portfolio Resort in the Florida Keys and a new addition to the Islamorada Resort Collection, will open this fall. The upscale resort will introduce nine new culinary destinations, an adult-centric, resort-within-a-resort named The Cove, wellness and educational programming, private sea plane charters and more to the “Sport Fishing Capital of the World.” The resort will span 15 acres of oceanfront property and will feature 214 island-inspired guest rooms and a wide variety of experiences for guests. The three resorts, which include Amara Cay Resort and La Siesta Resort & Villas, have a combined 80,000 square feet of meeting space.
The 24-acre, 199-unit Isla Bella Beach Resort in Marathon has more than 20,000 square feet of function space including 16,000 square feet of outdoor space and a 2,800-square-foot Hibiscus Event Center.
The legendary 311-room Casa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton has unveiled extensive renovations including a new 5,000-square-foot oceanfront event lawn, adding to its existing 11,000 square feet of indoor event space—which includes the newly enhanced 3,100-square-foot historic Flagler’s Ballroom, 2,600-square-foot Grand Ballroom and versatile 5,000-square-foot Keys Ballroom.
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Fort Lauderdale
The Broward County Convention Center is undergoing an expansion that, when done, will bring the venue’s total to 1.2 million square feet of space, including a new 65,000-square-foot ballroom facing the Intracoastal Waterway. The 801-room connecting headquarter Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel will open in late 2025. The hotel will have more than 120,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space including a grand ballroom and 25 breakout rooms.
Pier Sixty-Six Resort is set to open this fall on 32 waterfront acres along Fort Lauderdale’s Intracoastal Waterway. The $1 billion redevelopment was the original site of the fuel dock for Philips 66 Petroleum. The complex will include 325 rooms and suites, a rotating 17th-floor observation deck and one of the largest superyacht marinas on the eastern seaboard.
Fort Myers
Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach is the first new hotel on Fort Myers Beach in over two decades. The property features 254 signature, island-inspired guest rooms and suites, all with private balconies and most with a view of the Gulf, along with six food and beverage experiences including the award-winning JWB Grill, with panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico. The resort will also feature the Fins Up Beach Club, a 12,000-square-foot swimming pool and home to the 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill.
The Banyan Hotel Fort Myers, Tapestry Collection by Hilton is a new boutique hotel located downtown in the River District, less than two blocks from the Calusa Sound Convention Center. The historic property features a beautiful rooftop with a bar, pool and fitness room. The hotel has stunning views of downtown and the river and is surrounded by local shopping, dining, historical attractions and businesses.
Jacksonville
Prime Osborn Convention Center, with 78,000 square feet of space, recently renovated and is the only southern railroad station in the country that has been converted into a convention center! It has 22 meeting rooms.
Hyatt Regency Riverfront Downtown located on the riverfront has the largest meeting facility in Northeast Florida at 116,000 square feet, along with 41 meeting rooms, eight conference suites and expansive outdoor river decks.
Miami
Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay has fully renovated the towering 31-story skyscraper which boasts 607 remodeled guest rooms and suites. Indoor and outdoor space includes 47,594 square feet of event space with the largest capacity being 1,300. A new coastal dining concept, Gold Coast Kitchen + Cocktails, as well as Miami’s first M Club, the brand’s signature lounge, was also introduced.
Miramar Beach
Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, situated along Florida’s northwest Emerald Coast, refreshed to the tune of $35 million starting with a complete redesign of the 590 guest rooms, restaurants, public spaces and pools. In March 2023, the team completed the first phase, transforming 305 of the 590 spacious guest suites. Additionally, updates were made to half of all guest floor hallways and elevator landings. Phase two of the renovation will include elevating the remaining 285 rooms and adding four new lanai rooms. The resort has 40,000 square feet of indoor meeting space.
Naples
AC Hotel Naples 5th Avenue, with 150 rooms, opened in December across the street from the well-known waterfront retail, restaurant and recreation venues Tin City and Bayfront, a short distance to Naples beaches and Baker Park. AC Hotel Naples includes a ground floor cafe and lobby, 2,500 square feet of divisible meeting space, a rooftop pool and Limón, a destination rooftop restaurant and bar with indoor and outdoor seating.
Orlando
Evermore Orlando Resort is now open. This 1,400-acre resort, which includes the new Conrad Orlando on property, offers more than 1,300 bedrooms comprised of two- and four-bedroom villas, four-bedroom flats and private homes ranging in size from five to 11 bedrooms; 10,000 square feet of traditional indoor space and over 75,000 square feet of outdoor space; plus golf, F&B experiences and Evermore Bay, a 20-acre beach area with a swimming lagoon.
Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek opened its 35,000-square-foot Waterside Ballroom for its first meeting group. Following a recently completed refresh of its two ballrooms and prefunction space, more than 94,000 square feet of multi-functional meeting and event space will be added. Waterside Ballroom is built over the water with prefunction space, outdoor event patio, expansive lawn and screened veranda with views of the golf course.
Aloft Lake Nona opened with 205 guest rooms and 15 suites, a sports-themed restaurant and the 10,000-square-foot Althea Lake Nona Events Center. With a total of 17,032 square feet of event space including a 6,000-square-foot Gibson ballroom, Althea Lake Nona Events Center and Aloft Lake Nona offer versatile indoor and outdoor options with high-tech amenities.
Palm Beach
Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa has invested in multimillion-dollar resort renovations that include a remodeling of its meeting spaces, restaurant, lobby, marketplace, bar and lounge. The resort has debuted seven newly renovated event rooms and four breakout rooms totaling 3,597 square feet of event space. Its largest meeting space will accommodate up to 150.
Tideline Palm Beach Ocean Resort and Spa has opened after a $35 million reimagining. Featuring 134 rooms and suites, every room is a sanctuary. The 6,000-square-foot Ocean Spa retreat is designed for optimum relaxation. Brandon’s is the resort’s destination restaurant, where guests can dine on the beach, on the beachfront patio or inside in the newly redesigned space. The resort has 7,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor venues, including the pool deck and lush gardens.
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Panama City Beach
The 255 all-suite oceanfront Embassy Suites by Hilton Panama City Beach opened in the Pier Park shopping and entertainment district. Guests can enjoy two restaurants, unobstructed Gulf views from each of the hotel’s five floors, a zero-entry swimming pool, waterslide, hot tub and fitness center. The resort offers more than 15,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor meetings space, including the scenic rooftop terrace.
Punta Gorda/Endlewood Beach
The Wyvern Hotel has 63 guest rooms and 650 square feet of meeting space. The new rooftop restaurant, Perch 360, is perfect for watching sunsets.
Sarasota
The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort opens in 2024 nestled along the sugar-white sands of the Sarasota barrier island. The resort will offer 168 guest rooms in a beachside sanctuary spanning across 18 acres complete with 800 square feet of private beach, multiple pools and cabanas, a 20,000-square-foot oceanfront St. Regis Spa, winding waterway and a one-of-a-kind saltwater lagoon wildlife experience with stingrays and more. It will have more than 36,000 square feet of event space.
Nestled in Sarasota’s Rosemary District, steps from downtown and minutes from the beach, the newly renovated voco Sarasota hotel blends comfort and convenience with unrivaled hospitality. The pet-friendly hotel offers a complimentary shuttle to explore the shopping and dining of St. Armand’s Circle and powdery shores of Siesta Key. Groups can use three fully equipped spaces with nearly 1,200 square feet of space.
St. Augustine
Hyatt Place Vilano Beach opened in October. The seaside hotel has 120 guest rooms, more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space with six meeting rooms and can accommodate groups up to 700. In addition to the meeting space, the 4,500-square-foot rooftop lounge is perfect for social functions and breaks. The hotel also features exceptional dining at Pesca Vilano by Michael’s.
St. Petersburg
TradeWinds Island Grand is adding three new dining concepts to their portfolio. Pete’s Gulf Bistro, Playa Taco and a beachside Food Hall are all anticipated to open this summer. Pete’s Gulf Bistro is a New American-style restaurant with beautiful beach views, and Playa Taco will be a fast casual, lively taqueria. A beachside Food Hall will offer something for everyone, from fresh-made pizzas and locally made Yoder’s Southern Creamery ice cream. The three new restaurants will join the reimagined Palm Court Italian restaurant with a family-friendly Italian dining experience alongside Flying Bridge Fish Shack, a casual seafood joint in relaxed Gulf-side surroundings.
The 361-room Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, Autograph Collection completed the initial phase of a renovation including The Vinoy’s legendary Veranda, grand lobby, guest rooms, historic ballrooms and meeting spaces, diverse international dining experiences and a new spa and wellness area. The Vinoy boasts over 83,115 square feet of event space including The Vinoy Grand Ballroom.
Tallahassee
Drury Plaza Hotel Tallahassee opened in December with 180 rooms (24 suites) and 2,800 square feet of meeting space. Located just north of downtown, it’s an easy walk to the Florida State Capitol. Free amenities include hot breakfast and dinnertime snacks and beverages at 5:30 Kickback.
Tampa
Epicurean Hotel in the Hyde Park district of South Tampa has just completed its $21 million expansion. Located directly across Howard Avenue from Epicurean’s 137-room main hotel, the expansion adds 51 new guest rooms and suites, a private lobby, meeting space and rooftop terrace. New meeting space includes the 794-foot Chateau Room
accommodating up to 50 guests.
Theme Park Updates
This summer, Universal Orlando Resort will debut DreamWorks Land, a new themed environment inspired by beloved characters from Shrek, Trolls and Kung Fu Panda. Located in the Universal Studios Florida theme park, the expansive area will feature a family-friendly coaster, multiple interactive play areas, live entertainment and character meet and greets.
SeaWorld Orlando will introduce “Penguin Trek,” its eighth coaster. This family-friendly launch coaster offers a unique snowmobile-inspired ride car, taking riders on an exciting journey through Antarctica as part of a penguin research mission. With two thrilling launches and a twisty track spanning both indoor and outdoor sections, the coaster reaches speeds of up to 43 miles per hour along its 3,020-foot path.
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