Lee County
The $150 million
Fort Myers Riverfront Development Plan will add a
200-room convention hotel, a four-acre addition to the existing 10-acre
Centennial park and an 80,000-square-foot addition to the Harborside
Event Center.
The 454-room Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita
Springs recently completed a $14.5 million room renovation. The hotel
has about 70,000 square feet of meeting space.
The USS Mohawk, which saw action in World War II, now rests 28 nautical
miles off Sanibel Island and 90 feet underwater, and has become a
popular diving destination since it officially opened last July.
Miami Local Update
The 87-room Gale South Beach & Regent Hotel opened last December with three dining options and a 5,000-square-foot rooftop terrace.
The 243-room b2 Miami Downtown will open this month with more than 1,000 square feet of meeting space, a spa and a fitness center.
Kimpton's 411-room Epic Hotel, Miami, expanded its meeting space in January for a new total of 50,000 square feet.
Meeting Hotels
In downtown Miami and Key Biscayne are the 641-room InterContinental Miami; 612-room Hyatt Regency Miami; 402-room Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne; 300-room JW Marriott Miami, and 205-room Conrad Miami.
Properties near Miami International Airport include the 693-room Trump 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, 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; miamibeachconvention.com
Coconut Grove Expo Center; exhibit space, 150,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, none; (800) 933-8448, ext. 3071; coconutgroveconventioncenter.com
Miami Convention Center; exhibit space, 28,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 34; (305) 579-6341; 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%
Group Venue
Lincoln Road newcomer Skydeck Miami offers 360-degree views of Miami Beach and the Atlantic Ocean from 3,700 square feet of rooftop event space. (305) 672-5010; skydeckmiami.com
Contact
Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 933-8448; miamiandbeaches.com
Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, (305) 673-7050; miamibeachvca.com
Gulf Coast News
The 317-room Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club completed a $5 million
renovation in January, adding a new 5,000-square-foot beachfront
ballroom overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.
naplesbeachhotel.com Fort Lauderdale Local Update
The Marriott Fort Lauderdale/Pompano Beach Oceanfront will open this summer with 219 rooms and 11,000 square feet of meeting space, including a rooftop terrace with oceanfront views.
The 500-room Bonaventure Resort & Spa is planning a multimillion-dollar renovation, including the addition of a 4,800-square-foot ballroom. The property currently has more than 60,000 square feet of function space.
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 Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach; 433-room Westin Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale; 384-room Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six, and 225-room Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel.
The city of Hollywood offers the 1,000-room Westin Diplomat, 500-room Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino-Hollywood and 311-room Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach Resort.
Convention Center
Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center; exhibit space, 200,000 square feet; meeting rooms, 39; (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 the 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
Fort Lauderdale/Broward County: room tax, 6%; sales tax, 5%; total tax on hotel rooms, 11%
Group Venue
The elegant 100,000-square-foot mansion known as Signature Grand offers high ceilings, chandeliers and lavish décor. The venue can be divided into 13 private areas, ranging from the 19,840-square-foot Grand Salon to 495-square-foot suites. (954) 424-4000; thesignaturegrand.com
Contact
Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, (954) 765-4466; sunny.org