Around Town – November 2011

(Editor’s Note: Here’s another collection of newsworthy items from our industry members and the South Florida community. HSMAInsider, Julie Wernick)

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Keep in mind as you move into the Christmas/Hanukah season that hotel stays and restaurant certificates make wonderful gifts for friends and family. Think hospitality!

Southeast Florida:

The Yachts of Seabourn have brought their newest vessel to Port Everglades for its U.S. debut. The Seabourn Quest began sailing in June in the Mediterranean, then crossed the Atlantic and arrived in Fort Lauderdale in November. It will operate a series of 13- and 14-day roundtrip Caribbean cruises. Like its sister ships, the Quest houses an 11,400-square foot spa -- the largest spa on any luxury vessel. The Quest features four dining venues, six bars and lounges, two swimming pools, six whirlpools, and a marina with a variety of water sport activities.

Kolter Commercial has purchased the Hyatt Place Ft. Lauderdale Airport North located near Port Everglades Cruise Terminal, the Broward County Convention Center and the International Airport. The hotel has been renamed the Hyatt Place Ft. Lauderdale 17th Street Convention Center.

Congrats to The Pillars Hotel, a Superior Small Lodging, for being voted one of the 50 best small hotels (#14 to be exact) in the US for 2011 by readers of the Conde’ Nast Traveler magazine.

The growth in hotel occupancy for Greater Fort Lauderdale continues (for the past 23 months), with the highest October hotel occupancy since 2004, outpacing Florida and the U.S. Second highest occupancy in the state at 66.8%.Year-to-date hotel occupancy is up 5.4% over 2010. Average Daily Rate has grown in past 8 months, with October ADR at $102.93, the highest October rate since 2008. Year-to-date, ADR is up 1.3% over 2010.

The Fort Lauderdale-International Airport welcomed more than 23 million visitors in FY2011, up 6.8% over FY2010. Domestic traffic was up 6% and international traffic saw double digit growth, up 11% over FY2010. The combination of larger aircraft and higher load factors were the drivers behind passenger growth for the year.

Congrats to the Breakers in Palm Beach for it’s inclusion in Fodor’s “Legendary Hotels with Superlative History and Service” list. It was one of the world’s 12 most “iconic” hotels that took into account not only rich history but also its recent performance – superlative service, timeless style, and pampering amenities.

Congrats to Dana Beth Hagendorf who was appointed CMO and Vice President of Marketing at Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Most recently, Hagendorf was Founder and Principal of Gallant Media Group, a brand consulting firm.

Spanish hotel chain Room Mate Hotels, which already has 14 properties in its portfolio, now includes new Miami boutique hotel the Waldorf. On Ocean Drive in the renovated Waldorf Towers, the South Florida property opened September 16 and is the chain's second in the U.S., per BizBash reports.

The Shelborne South Beach, a 70-year-old Art Deco property was recently re-imagined to the tune of $20 million and reopened. Some of the new features: a Morris Lapidus-inspired floating porte cochere (the robotic garage will take it from there); 200 beachy-pink guest rooms; and the glass-railed catwalk from the infinity pool to a new elevated sundeck.

The Tides, which opened in 1936—and, at 10 stories, was once Miami's tallest building—underwent a makeover as recently as 2007. King & Grove, the boutique hotel group is the new management company for the hotel. It will introduce its trademark blend of luxury and casual-kitsch while building on The Tides' nostalgic vibe. Changes to guest rooms, cuisine, and public spaces—including the pool area—are all in the works.

Kimpton's has a new property debuting next month. Spanning 200 feet of oceanfront real estate in the heart of the Art Deco District, the Surfcomber Miami, opening on December 1, has rates that start as low as $149 a night. For the atmosphere and extras at the 186-room hotel—including rooms outfitted with ultra-luxe Frette linens—sounds Kimpton has two other Florida hotels, the EPIC in Downtown Miami as well as the Vero Beach Hotel & Spa.

Congrats to Miami Beach’s Soho Beach House Miami for being included in the Top 9 Picks of Fodor’s “Year’s Best New and Reinvented Hotels” list. According to Fodor’s, the property “introduced 50 oversized rooms.. cleverly uniting mint-condition period furnishings to create a modern incarnation of old Hollywood glamour.”

Miami Beach's Ritz Plaza Hotel will reopen next spring as the 142-room SLS Hotel South Beach after the renovation of the 72-year-old beachfront property is completed.

Miami International Airport’s passenger count for October was up 6.8 percent, year-over-year, to 2.85 million passengers. Year-to-date figures were up 7.21 percent. Domestic passengers were up 4.07 percent in October, while international passengers were up 6.8 percent.

Southwest Florida:

The Gasparilla Inn & Club in Boca Grande and the Tortuga Beach Club Resort on Sanibel Island earned spots on the annual list of Top 150 Large U.S. Mainland Resorts compiled by Condé Nast Traveler magazine from its Readers’ Choice Awards survey.

Ocean’s Reach Condominiums on Sanibel Island has declared January 2012 Birding Month with incentives for “empty nesters,” snowbirds, and other fly-ins to become involved with the local wildlife on-property and at J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Guests who make a donation to the refuge’s friends group receive a matching discount on their reservation (up to $400) on stays Jan. 1 through Jan. 31, 2012.

The November 2011 issue of Golf Digest, ranked the Gasparilla Inn & Club in Boca Grande #37 on its list of the 75 Best Golf Resorts in North America, and #2 within the state of Florida. The Gary Galyean’s Golf Letter also includes the inn on its 2011 list of the 10 Best Golf Hotels in the World.
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To submit items for future blog columns, please send info to jwfranklin1@gmail.com Best, Julie Wernick, HSMAInsider