United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Battle in Fort Lauderdale to build new convention hotel
Who’s going to build a 1,000-room luxury hotel on convention center-owned land in Fort Lauderdale? Marriott or Hilton?
The two hope to do what no one else has been able to for two decades: build a hotel to serve Broward County’s convention center.
Whoever does the project will be looking at a cost of more than $400 million, says the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
“But county officials are not offering any cash contribution of taxpayer money to help pay for construction unlike the last time they considered a hotel.”
Tourism executives have long bemoaned the lack of a hotel because meeting planners often shun a destination where they cannot ensure attendees can stay at the same place as the convention, says the newspaper.
A county-paid analysis estimated the convention center’s impact on the area economy could grow from $81.6 million annually to $118 million if there is a companion hotel.
“We continue to lose business because we can’t provide a single location,” said Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. “This destination has climbed into the first tier of meeting destinations, but we need a hotel.”
The convention center, at Port Everglades, hosts about 280 events a year and relies on as many as 50 hotels to provide rooms to meeting attendees.
Hilton and Marriott emerged this month as the finalists among four companies that bid on the project. The county dropped Starwood Hotels and Gaylord Entertainment from consideration because they did not provide all the information officials wanted.
The County Commission is expected to choose between the two companies by the end of the year.
Report by David Wilkening
Related News Stories:
David
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Robert Terrell: A Journey Through BB King’s Influence
Rochelle Hicks: Celebrating Mississippi’s Musical Legacy
Exploring Jacksonville with Katie Mitura: The Flip Side of Florida
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Boy falls to death on cruise ship
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Storm Lilian travel chaos as bank holiday flights cancelled