That Other Beach
Deerfield Beach might not be as well known as Boca Raton to the north or Fort Lauderdale to the south, but its beach is just as sandy, sun-kissed and bather-friendly.
Miami
B Hotels & Resorts will renovate and rebrand the 250-room Continental Oceanfront South Beach Hotel in Miami Beach by late fall 2012; the property will have an as-yet undetermined amount of meeting space. This will be the second entry for B Hotels, following this past January's opening of the 240-room B Ocean Fort Lauderdale, with 8,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space.
The Loews Miami Beach Hotel completed a major renovation late last year to the tune of approximately $50 million. Included in the project was a freshening of all 790 guest rooms, the addition of an aquarium wall to the lobby, a new port cochere entrance, and two new dining options. The hotel can host up to 1,000 people for events.
In December, Starwood Hotels and Resorts will open the 160-room Aloft Hotel in Miami's Mary Brickell Village district. The 14-story property will offer an indoor pool, a 24-hour gym and 3,000 square feet of meeting space.
The 405-room Sheraton Miami Airport Hotel & Executive Meeting Center opened last December, with 20,000 square feet of IACC-approved executive meeting space and a 4,000-square-foot ballroom. Less than a quarter-mile from Miami International Airport, the property includes a health club, an outdoor pool and bar, a full-service restaurant and complimentary 24-hour airport shuttle service.
The high-tech JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Miami opened its 313 rooms in October 2010. The downtown Miami property features a rooftop pool, a virtual bowling alley, a virtual golf school, full-size basketball courts, a 3-D TV viewing room and 80,000 square feet of meeting space.
Miami Beach commissioners have voted to double the size of the Miami Beach Convention Center, to 2 million square feet. The $640 million expansion plan includes the construction of an 800-room headquarters hotel.
The 179-room James Royal Palm will open in Miami in 2012 with two pools, a beachfront restaurant, a poolside bar, a full-service spa and more than 10,000 square feet of function space.
The 326-room Mandarin Oriental, Miami, recently completed a $17 million renovation of its guest rooms, the Oasis Beach Club and the M-Bar martini lounge. The property also features a 15,000-square-foot spa with 17 private treatment rooms and a grand ballroom that can accommodate up to 880 for a reception. The hotel offers a total of 15,000 square feet of meeting space.
Newsworthy
• The 317-room Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club opened its
newly renovated golf course last September. Enhancements include new
bridges over some water features. The par-72 course was built in 1927.
• Zach
Bell, a James Beard Foundation best-chef nominee, cooks French-American
fare at Cafe Boulud in the Brazilian Court House & Beach Club, Palm
Beach.
• The 450-room Ritz-Carlton (above), Naples, has completed a $6 million renovation of its public spaces. Added were a sushi bar and an interactive entertainment lounge with gaming stations and 40-inch LCD screens.
Meeting Hotels
In downtown Miami and Key Biscayne are the 641-room InterContinental Miami; 612-room Hyatt Regency Miami; 603-room Biscayne Bay Marriott Hotel & Marina; 411-room Epic Hotel; 402-room Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne; 313-room JW Marriott Marquis Miami; 300-room JW Marriott Miami, and 205-room Conrad Miami.
Near Miami International Airport are the 693-room Doral Golf Resort & Spa and 500-room Hilton Miami International Airport.
In Miami Beach and North Miami Beach are the 1,504-room Fountainebleau Resort, 841-room Loews Miami Beach, 631-room Eden Roc Resort, 424-room Wyndham Miami Beach Resort, 392-room Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, 263-room Courtyard by Marriott Miami Beach Oceanfront and 85-room Setai.
Convention Centers
Miami Beach convention Center; exhibit space, 502,848 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 70; (305) 539-3071
Coconut Grove Expo Center; exhibit space, approximately 150,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, none; (800) 933-8448, ext. 3071
Miami Convention Center; exhibit space, 28,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 34; (305) 579-6341
Airport Transit
Miami International Airport, seven miles west of downtown Miami. Transfer cost by taxi to downtown Miami, $25; by shuttle, $16 per person; by taxi to Miami Beach, $32; by shuttle, $21 per person; by taxi to Key Biscayne, $41; by shuttle, $24 per person
Taxes
Miami/Miami Beach: room tax, 6%; sales tax, 7%; total tax on hotel rooms, 13%
Group Venue
Last October saw the debut of the new nightclub Arkadia at the 1,504-room Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach. The 14,000-square-foot venue includes a lounge and an adult pool and can accommodate up to 400 people for private events. Set on 22 acres of oceanfront property, the hotel also features 11 restaurants, a 40,000-square-foot spa and approximately 200,000 square feet of function space. (305) 538-2000
Contact
The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 933-8448
Swing Here
The PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens is home to five championship golf courses, the award-winning Ironwood Grille and a 379-room hotel with 40,000 square feet of function space.
Palm Beach
The 350,000-square-foot Palm Beach Convention Center recently decked its halls with more than a dozen 52-inch plasma TVs to use as signage.
The Palm Beach County Convention Center will get a new headquarters hotel in 2015. The 400-room Hilton property will include meeting space; details to come.
Meeting Hotels
In Palm Beach, properties with meeting space include the 560-room Breakers Palm Beach; 352-room West Palm Beach Marriott; 284-room Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach; and 210-room Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach. In Boca Raton are the 1,047-room Boca Raton Resort & Club, 240-room Boca Raton Marriott at Boca Center and 184-room Renaissance Boca Raton Hotel. For additional properties, visit mcvenues.com.
Convention Center
Palm Beach County Convention Center; exhibit space, 100,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 23; (561) 366-3000
Airport Transit
Palm Beach International Airport, three miles west of West Palm Beach. Transfer cost by taxi, $35
Taxes
Palm Beach County: room tax, 5%; sales tax, 6.5%; total tax on hotel rooms, 11.5%
Group Venue
For groups seeking access to the lifestyles of the rich and famous, Boca Raton-based Locations Extrordinaire represents a network of more than 1,000 luxuriously eccentric homes available for private events, from Palm Beach to Miami Beach. Properties range from sprawling Old World mansions to hip, new residences with an edgier, modern design. (561) 487-5050
Contact
Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau, (800) 833-5733