Starwood Hotels & Resorts expands footprint in South Florida

STAMFORD, CT – Starwood Hotels & Resorts, The Wurzak Hotel Group and DoveHill today announced the development of a 323-room dual-branded hotel under Starwood’s recently launched Tribute Portfolio and eco-wise Element brands. Construction on the 24-story project will begin this Fall, with an opening scheduled for Spring 2017. The hotel will boast the city’s only rooftop bar and 12,000 square feet of premium ground-floor retail space at the intersection of US1 and 3rd Street.

“We are committed to providing more access to great hotels in great places, and we know that The Wurzak Hotel Group will create an exceptional property with compelling design and unique offerings for our guests and SPG members,” said Alison Reid, Senior Vice President of North America Development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “We have a strong and growing presence in South Florida and look forward to bringing both our Tribute Portfolio and Element brands to the Fort Lauderdale market.”

Guests will enter through a shared street-level entrance and take elevators to each hotel’s distinct branded lobby and guestrooms. The 209-room Tribute Portfolio hotel and 114-room Element hotel will share facilities including a “sky lobby” on the 7th floor with a high-design bar, expanded fitness center, and an indoor/outdoor pool deck on the 24th floor featuring cabanas, tropical landscaping and sweeping ocean views. The development will also include a three-meal restaurant accessible through the lobby, a variety of ground-floor retail offerings with a separate street-level entrance and a 206-space parking deck.

The hotels will be located in Fort Lauderdale’s downtown market, in the middle of the expanding Flagler Village district and the Fort Lauderdale central business district. Only blocks away from the famed Las Olas Boulevard shopping district, and 2.5 miles from the picturesque Fort Lauderdale Beach, the development is ideally located for both corporate and leisure guests. Nearby attractions include The Galleria Mall, The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention Center, Port Everglades Cruise Terminal, Sawgrass Mills shopping center, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale and Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The dual-branded property will be managed by the Wurzak Hotel Group.
“We are thrilled to be developing this fantastic hotel and retail project at a premier location in downtown Fort Lauderdale—a rapidly expanding area, ripe for new development,” said Jake Wurzak, Principal, Wurzak Hotel Group. “We take a hands-on entrepreneurial approach in the way we develop and operate our hotels and look forward to incorporating our unique design driven vision into this project which will be unlike anything in the market.”

The downtown Ft. Lauderdale property will be the newest addition to Tribute Portfolio™, Starwood’s 10th brand and second collection of independent hotels. The brand debuted in April 2015 with its first hotel, the Royal Palm South Beach Miami, and will soon open new hotels in Asheville, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Savannah, Georgia; and Charleston, South Carolina. Firmly anchored in the four-star, upper upscale category, Tribute Portfolio allows owners of distinct properties to maintain their independent spirit, while benefiting from Starwood’s powerful distribution, loyalty and sales platforms.

The new Element in downtown Fort Lauderdale will feature light-filled studios with a fluid design of modular furniture, fully equipped kitchens, and spa-inspired bathrooms. Guests will be able to stay on the move with Element’s complimentary Bikes to Borrow and enjoy the brand’s signature complimentary RISE breakfast and RELAX evening reception. Fueled by strong demand, Element is on track to more than triple its portfolio in the next three years. Established in 2008 as Starwood’s eco-innovation lab, Element hotels are built with eco-friendly and healthy materials, where possible. The brand is recognized as an industry leader in the eco-space and offers travelers a fresh, reimagined interpretation of the extended stay hotel experience.