HOLLYWOOD BEACH, FL— A new Marriott will open its doors here early next year following a massive renovation of a Howard Johnson property. Ocean Properties of Delray Beach, FL is the owner and developer of the new Hollywood Beach Marriott Hotel and Marina. “I’m not sure exactly when it was built, but it is an old, old property,” said Tom McMurrain, vp of Ocean Properties. Some $30 million is being invested in the renovation, which began in April and is slated for completion by Jan. 1, 2005, McMurrain said. “It will be completely redone. We’re stripping out what was there and starting over,” he said. The new full-service Marriott will have 229 guest-rooms; a spa; 10,000 square feet of meeting space and banquet facilities, McMurrain said. Additionally, it will have a five-story parking garage and restaurant on the beach. There are also plans for a marina on the Intracoastal Waterway. The interior designer has not been selected but McMurrain said, “we do a lot of that ourselves.” As for the selection of the brand, “we think Marriott is a good brand for the location. It’s a high-end quality brand,” McMurrain said, adding that Ocean Properties’ portfolio currently includes a Marriott in Delray Beach. The new Marriott will draw “people looking for a medium-sized hotel. We’ll have the smaller type of conventions as well as leisure business because it’s on a beautiful beach with the ‘Broadwalk’ which is a very big walk made out of bricks. This whole area is being revitalized and is a CRA [Community Redevelopment Association] district,” McMurrain said. Ocean Properties is working with the City of Hollywood on the project, he added. “They are very receptive and eager to have this developed,” he said. The Hollywood Beach Marriott will be “the first of its kind” in the area, according to McMurrain. “There is nothing of this size now,” he said. The 998-room Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa is a few miles away, he noted. “But that is a huge hotel and we don’t see that as competition,” he said.