STAMFORD, Conn.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has announced that its Parisian-born Le Méridien brand will open in Dania Beach, Fort Lauderdale, in partnership with owner and U.S. real estate developer Charles S. Cohen. Le Méridien Fort Lauderdale Airport will debut in 2017, following a comprehensive $30 million renovation and conversion of the hotel. This forthcoming opening follows on the heels of tremendous brand growth in North America over the last 18 months in Charlotte, Chicago, Columbus, New Orleans, Tampa, and Indianapolis.
“We are delighted to partner with Starwood to introduce Le Méridien in Fort Lauderdale, following the top-to-bottom transformation and repositioning of this ideally located hotel,” stated Charles S. Cohen, president and CEO of New York-based Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation. “Le Méridien Fort Lauderdale Airport will help to meet rising demand for high-quality lodging within close proximity of the airport, Broward County Convention Center and the downtown business district and will also serve the growing need for meeting rooms and event facilities for tenants of our corporate center.”
Following its renovation and conversion, the hotel’s arrival experience will feature a transformed glass curtain wall façade and upgrades to the porte-cochere as well as large-scale artwork in high impact areas. Le Méridien Fort Lauderdale Airport will feature 245 contemporary guestrooms and suites with floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as two redesigned restaurants–one with a mid-century modern, open kitchen concept–and the brand’s signature Latitude Bar. The hotel will also introduce Le Méridien Hub, which reinterprets the traditional hotel lobby into a social gathering place and builds on the brand’s arrival experience and coffee culture.
“Le Méridien Fort Lauderdale Airport will be the brand’s second hotel in Florida, joining its growing North America portfolio,” said Allison Reid, senior vice president of North America Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “Le Méridien is a perfect brand for strategic conversions and adaptive re-use projects, which are driving the brand’s growth in the region, allowing us to enter mature metropolitan markets more quickly.”
Le Méridien Fort Lauderdale Airport will also offer an expanded fitness center, a renovated outdoor pool, and 20,000 square feet of state-of-the-art flexible meeting space in a prime location. The hotel transformation is being carried out by a team of design and construction specialists, including Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates and Daniels Brothers Inc., in addition to Dash Design, for interior design; Nievera Williams Design for landscape design; and Tex Lighting for lighting design.
