STAMFORD, CT—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.’s Le Méridien brand is expected to make its debut near Fort Lauderdale Airport in Dania Beach, FL, in 2017. In partnership with owner and U.S. real estate developer Charles S. Cohen, Le Méridien Fort Lauderdale Airport will open following a $30-million renovation and conversion of the hotel.
“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 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.”
The entrance of the hotel will feature a transformed glass curtain wall facade and upgrades to the porte-cochere, as well as large-scale artwork in high impact areas. The hotel will include 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, according to Starwood.
“Le Méridien Fort Lauderdale Airport will be the brand’s second hotel in Florida, joining its growing North America portfolio,” said Allison Reid, SVP of North America development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “Le Méridien is a perfect brand for strategic conversions and adaptive-reuse 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 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space.
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.
The property will be part of Cohen’s Design Center of the Americas (DCOTA) campus, a 40-acre, three-building Class A design and office center in Dania Beach. Nearby attractions include Broward Center for the Performing Arts, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale and BB&T Center.