NEW YORK— Fort Lauderdale officials were in New York on Tuesday to update the media on the destination’s recovery following 9/11. Nikki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau reported that the area is well on its way to recovery. That optimistic forecast came from the fact that bed tax collections for August (the most recently recorded month) were up 7.7%, pushing that month’s revenues above the $1 million mark for the first time in Broward County’s history. Hotel occupancy for the month hit 64.2%, representing a 1.3% increase over last August, with an average daily room rate (ADR) of $73.87. That ADR increase was a 6.1% increase over the same period last year, and followed similar gains of 3.5% in May and 3.3% in July. Grossman attributed the strong recovery to the fact that the area’s hotel industry really pulled together to run special promotions to get tourists back to Fort Lauderdale after 9/11 with airlines, attractions, and FLAUSA, the state’s tourism office. Other kudos went to HDC, the CVB’s advertising agency, and M.Silver, its public relations firm. The Fort Lauderdale area has seen a spate of hotel growth lately. Most notable was the addition of the Westin Diplomat earlier this year, which added 1,000 rooms to the region’s inventory, but Grossman said over the past year 23 hotels have either opened or been renovated. On tap for the area is a Hard Rock Hotel/Casino which would be run by the Seminole Indian tribe, as well as a St. Regis, which would bring the first five-star property to Fort Lauderdale. The addition of the St. Regis is significant, Grossman said, since it is being built on the site of the former Candy Store bar which was one of the most popular Spring Break hang outs. The CVB, with the help of HDC and M. Silver, since 1995 has made major moves to successfully move away from the Spring Break image in order to become a destination that is more sophisticated, drawing visitors who spend more and are more subdued than the wild college crowds of the past who were known for hanging out of windows and destroying hotel rooms. Grossman noted that the CVB has also gone after the sports market, drawing those who might visit to attend or participate in a football championship or college swimming event. “We approached the sports market because it will be a loyal market, and one that will help us surpass our record numbers,” said Grossman. Meanwhile, the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center opened its newly expanded area in January, said Grossman. The facility, which added 230,000 square feet at the expense of $34 million, is now 600,000 square feet in size. Grossman noted that the CVB has booked 90 conventions through 2006, representing 378,000 room nights. Fort Lauderdale has seen a growing number of high-tech companies as well as medical firms using the convention center, said Grossman, who said the facility is extremely advanced in the technology it offers. While the convention center does not have an “official” hotel, Grossman said there are a sufficient amount of properties nearby to service all types of groups. Other factors that have helped drive leisure travel to the area are the additions of flights from airlines such as Jet Blue, Spirit Airlines, Southwest, and Air Trans.
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