Southeast Florida

Fort Lauderdale

• The 486-room Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel is no longer a Starwood property. The iconic hotel was reflagged as the B Ocean Resort late last year.

• The 500-room Bonaventure Resort & Spa in Weston, formerly operated by Benchmark Hospitality, is now being managed by Fën Hotels. The 23-acre resort has 80,000 square feet of meeting space.

• The 156-room Pelican Grand Beach Resort is undergoing a multimillion-dollar expansion project, scheduled to be unveiled this month. Included is the addition of the 1,400-square-foot Atlantic Ballroom and Terrace, the 2,055-square-foot Ocean View Ballroom with panoramic glass windows, and the 3,700-square-foot Ocean View Terrace and Gazebo. The property also is adding a full-service spa.

• The Margaritaville Resort is scheduled to debut this summer. The Jimmy Buffett-themed property will include 349 guest rooms, eight restaurants and the full-service St. Somewhere Spa, along with 11 meeting and event spaces.

• The 219-room Fort Lauderdale Marriott Pompano Beach Resort & Spa, 15 miles from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, is now open. The property has nearly 4,000 square feet of meeting space, plus a rooftop terrace overlooking the Atlantic, several pools, a seafood restaurant and a spa.

• The Westin Diplomat & Spa has joined the Curio Collection. Major investments are planned, though a timeline had not been set as of press time. The 998-room hotel, now known as the Diplomat Resort & Spa Hollywood, a Curio Collection by Hilton, offers 209,000 square feet of meeting space.

• The 290-room Conrad Fort Lauderdale Resort and Residences is slated to open this summer. The former Trump International Hotel and Tower is undergoing a $34 million renovation that will include a new spa. The resort has 15,000 square feet of indoor space that can host up to 500, and 20,000 square feet of outdoor event space.

• The 304-room Costa Hollywood opened last year. The $180 million condo-hotel complex includes a gym, a day spa, dining and retail shops.

• The Beachwalk Resort recently opened in Hallendale Beach. The property has 216 two-bedroom resort rental units and a pool overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.

• The Broward County Convention Center now offers free Wi-Fi to patrons in its public spaces. The center earned LEED Gold certification for an existing building, making it one of only three such U.S. facilities to be so designated.

• Groups that stay at one of six hotels in the Lauderdale Convention Collection can receive freebies such as a reception at the Broward County Convention Center. Click here for details.

Meeting Hotels: Properties include the 637-room Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa; 589-room Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina; 517-room W Fort Lauderdale; 486-room B Ocean Resort; 433-room Westin Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale; 384-room Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six; 374-room Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort; 358-room Embassy Suites Fort Lauderdale; 293-room Westin Fort Lauderdale, and 225-room Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel.

In Hollywood are the 998-room Diplomat Resort & Spa Hollywood, a Curio Collection by Hilton; 500-room Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino-Hollywood, and 311-room Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach Resort.

For a full listing of area properties, and to compare hotels and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.

Convention Center: Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 200,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 31; (954) 765-5900; ftlauderdalecc.com

Airport Transit: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, about six miles south of Fort Lauderdale. Transfer cost by taxi to Port Everglades and Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, $10-$15; to Fort Lauderdale Beach, $18-$22; by shuttle to Port Everglades, $7-$10; to Fort Lauderdale Beach, $11-$18

Taxes: Tourist development tax, 5%; sales tax, 6%; total tax on hotel rooms, 11%

Group Venue: The Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, a historic estate on 35 acres of a pristine barrier island on Fort Lauderdale Beach, includes a vast collection of art and original furnishings. The grounds are available for private events for up to 125 guests. (954) 563-5393; bonnethouse.org

Contact: Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, (954) 765-4466; sunny.org

The Palm Beaches

• The 403-room Hilton West Palm Beach at the Palm Beach County Convention Center is set to open by the end of this year. The headquarters property will feature two ballrooms and eight conference rooms; a 1,700-square-foot gym; a restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating; a 27,000-square-foot pool deck with cabanas and a fire pit, and various event lawns.

• The Palm Beach County Convention & Visitors Bureau changed its name last year to Discover The Palm Beaches. The organization can help coordinate site inspections and online registration, among other services.

• Discover The Palm Beaches has launched a $1 million effort to attract groups of five to 5,000. To be eligible for cost offsets, meetings must be new to Palm Beach County and use both the Palm Beach County Convention Center and a hotel room block. The program runs through 2020.

• The 134-room Tideline Ocean Resort & Spa has opened in Palm Beach. The property, formerly the Omphoy Ocean Resort, is now managed by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. Amenities include a fitness center, 6,000 square feet of meeting space and a business center. The property's 5,900-square-foot spa is slated to open this spring with seven treatment rooms.

• The Waterstone Resort & Marina Boca Raton, a DoubleTree Resort by Hilton, has opened with 139 guest rooms (all with large private balconies), two restaurants, an outdoor pool and a waterside promenade with a marina. The resort's 8,000 square feet of meeting space includes the Starlight Room on the penthouse level, which sports floor-to-ceiling water views and can host up to 100 people, and a ballroom that can accommodate 200.

• The 1,049-room Boca Raton Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, has completed a $30 million renovation of its 318-room Cloister building, which dates from 1926. The resort has a total of 150,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space.

• The 95-room Fairfield Inn & Suites Delray Beach has opened with two meeting rooms and a fitness center.

• The 189-room Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa is undergoing a series of renovations. Public spaces, including the lobby and bar, will be updated with new furniture, increased Wi-Fi bandwidth and charging stations. The resort has seven meeting rooms.

• Downtown West Palm Beach will welcome its first extended-stay property, the 152-suite Residence Inn by Marriott, later this year. The nine-story hotel will include two meeting rooms and will be within walking distance of the Palm Beach County Convention Center.

• Designer Carleton Varney recently revamped all of the 90 guest rooms and suites at the Colony Palm Beach, a boutique property just 100 yards from the Atlantic Ocean.

• In Delray Beach, the 27-room Crane's BeachHouse Hotel & Tiki Bar has completed a $500,000 refurbishment that transformed four suites into villas. The boutique resort can host small meetings.

• The Delray Sands Resort in Highland Beach, just north of Boca Raton, has finished a major renovation that included its lobby, restaurant, and all 115 guest rooms and suites.

Meeting Hotels: Properties include the 1,049-room Boca Raton Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort; 540-room Breakers Palm Beach; 353-room West Palm Beach Marriott; 339-room PGA National Resort & Spa; 309-room Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa; 269-room Delray Beach Marriott; 210-room Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, and 154-room Seagate Hotel & Spa.

To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.

Convention Center: Palm Beach County Convention Center; exhibit space, 100,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 17; (561) 366-3000;
pbconventioncenter.com

Airport Transit: Palm Beach International Airport, about four miles west of West Palm Beach. Transfer cost by taxi, $35

Taxes: Room tax, 6%; sales tax, 6%; total tax on hotel rooms, 12%

Contact: Discover The Palm Beaches, (800) 833-5733; palmbeachfl.com

BY JUPITER

The 179-room Wyndham Grand Jupiter Hotel debuted last fall in its namesake city. The property, which features a rooftop pool bar and 15,000 square feet of meeting and event space, is the anchor of the new Harbourside Place, a $144 million complex that includes a marina, an outdoor amphitheater and upscale shops.

Miami

• The 641-room InterContinental Miami is upgrading its more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space. The project includes the addition of new furnishings and fixtures throughout all meetings areas and corridors, and three new meeting rooms for a total of 35. The hotel's pool deck and outdoor reception area will be redesigned in ate 2015.

• The 640-room Trump National Doral Miami is undergoing a $250 million renovation that includes expanded and upgraded meeting and event spaces, including three new ballrooms. The 800-acre resort now has more than 100,000 square feet of function space. Other enhancements include upgrades to the hotel's five golf courses and spa, new dining options, a new lobby, a revamped pool complex and a redesigned fitness center. Renovations will be completed by the end of this year.

• The Element Miami Doral has opened in Doral. The eco-conscious property has 139 guest rooms, a fully equipped business center, a fitness center, and complimentary Wi-Fi and breakfast. The hotel is the second Starwood property on the site, joining the 145-room Aloft Miami Doral, which opened in 2013.

• The 380-room Thompson Miami Beach, a Commune Hotels & Resorts property, has opened inside a historic art deco tower. The hotel has 47,000 square feet of meeting and event space, celebrity chef Michelle Bernstein's Seagrape restaurant, two cocktail venues (1930s House and the Crown Room) and a spa.

• The 150-room AC Hotel Miami Beach, part of Marriott International's lifestyle brand, debuted this spring. The property features complimentary
Wi-Fi, 1,000 square feet of meeting space, a fitness center, the AC Kitchen eatery and the AC Lounge.

• The 80-room Surf Club, which once hosted Elizabeth Taylor and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, is being refurbished and renamed the Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club. Set to open in late 2015, the property will include two restaurants, four swimming pools, a posh spa and fitness center, and meeting and event space.

• One Bal Harbour Resort & Spa is now the Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, Miami. The upscale property comprises 124 suites, including a 2,800-square-foot penthouse suite, along with a 10,000-square-foot waterfront spa with 10 treatment rooms, an outdoor swimming pool, 2,400 square feet of indoor function space and 3,400 square feet of outdoor space for groups.

• The 294-room Miami Beach Edition opened earlier this year. Features include a bowling alley, a skating rink, a restaurant by famed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and 8,300 square feet of event space that can hold up to 550 for a banquet, 832 for a reception and 928 theater-style.

• The Shelborne in Miami's South Beach reopened last fall as the Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach following a $90 million renovation. The 200-room art deco property, which was built in 1940, now features several F&B options, a spa, a swimming pool and more than 15,000 square feet of meeting space.

• The Hall is due to open this summer in the colorful South Beach section of Miami Beach. The 164-room property is the first Joie de Vivre hotel to open on the East Coast and encompasses three renovated buildings, including its namesake - the historic landmark  Haddon Hall, designed in all its art deco glory by architect L. Murray Dixon. On-site will be several restaurants and approximately 5,000 square feet of outdoor event space.

• Nautilus, a Sixty Hotel, will open in Miami's Art Deco District this fall. The first Sixty property in Jason Pomeranc's recently launched brand is a transformation of the former Nautilus Hotel  designed by famed architect Morris Lapidus in the 1950s. The eight-story oceanfront hotel will have 250 guest rooms, including 51 suites and one two-bedroom penthouse, plus a pool area with a bar and cabanas, a restaurant, and a 2,500-square-foot meeting and event space.

Meeting Hotels: For a full listing of Southeast Florida properties, and to compare hotels and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.

Convention Centers: Miami Beach Convention Center; exhibit space, 502,848 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 68; (305) 539-3071; miamibeachconvention.com. Miami Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 28,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 37; (305) 539-3000; bit.ly/OnlHCe

Airport Transit: Miami International Airport, seven miles west of downtown Miami. Transfer cost by taxi to downtown, $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%

Contact: Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, (305) 539-3000 or (800) 933-8448; miamiandbeaches.com. Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, (305) 673-7050; miamibeachvca.com

The Florida Keys 

• Playa Largo Resort & Spa, a Marriott Autograph Collection property, will debut in December on Key Largo. The 14.5-acre resort will have 155 guest rooms, suites and bungalows; and 46,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting and event space, as well as a private beach, a marina, a fitness center, tennis courts, several food and beverage options, and a full-service spa.

• On Islamorada, the former Islamorada Resort recently was relaunched as the Amara Cay Resort, an upscale boutique hotel. Features include 110 guest rooms; the Glass Bowl meeting room, which can accommodate 50 people; and outdoor event space for groups of up to 65.

• Also in Islamorada, the 114-unit oceanside Islander Resort    has joined the expanding collection of Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts. The property's recent multimillion-dollar renovation include upgrades throughout, including a 25-unit bayside marina townhouse compound.

• The 63-room Pelican Cove Resort and Marina on Islamorada completed a revamp this past January. The resort is outfitted with two event spaces, including a 7,000-square-foot lawn that can host up to 200 people. In addition, a guest lounge is available with a 12-seat boardroom table and a private deck that opens onto a private beach.

• The Faro Blanco Resort & Yacht Club complex has opened on Marathon Key with 1,800 square feet of indoor meeting space and 11,300 square feet of outdoor function space. The resort includes a 125-room Hyatt Place.

• Sunset Key Cottages, a resort with 30 luxury units off the coast of Key West, is now officially part of Starwood Hotel & Resort's Luxury Collection.

• The Fairfield Inn and Suites Key West on North Roosevelt Boulevard recently completed a renovation of its 106 guest rooms.  

For more information about the Florida Keys, contact the Monroe County Tourism Development Council, (800) 352-5397; fla-keys.com