Fort Lauderdale & North/Central Broward

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Ocean Wave Condo/Hotel

Yet another pair of tired motels will be wiped away for the latest new project. The Tropic Cay and Avalon motels will soon disappear in order to make way for the Ocean Wave, a condo/hotel which will replace them. The building proposed for the site is somewhat more interesting than its neighbors, the Trump and the Hilton. I'm not entirely convinced that more condo units are exactly needed at this time.

The Sun-Sentinel

[finehoe]

Ocean Wave Condo/Hotel

Yet another pair of tired motels will be wiped away for the latest new project. The Tropic Cay and Avalon motels will soon disappear in order to make way for the Ocean Wave, a condo/hotel which will replace them. The building proposed for the site is somewhat more interesting than its neighbors, the Trump and the Hilton. I'm not entirely convinced that more condo units are exactly needed at this time.

The Sun-Sentinel

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Orion Developers and Bonnet House Trustees Reach Agreement

The trustees of the Bonnet House and the developers of the 18 story Orion condotel have reached an agreement which will give the trustees a payment of $425,000 to pay for foliage which will, in theory, screen the new building from view. Barring further setbacks, this should mean that the old Howard Johnson's will soon be coming down. As for the Bonnet House being completely dwarfed by surrounding projects, this has been true for some time. I used to live in the Corinthian, a 24 stroy tower just across the Intracoastal Waterway from the Bonnet House. I still think that the idea of limiting high-rise development near the site is a good idea. I have yet to see a revised rendering.

Hotel-Online/Sun Sentinel

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Saks Closing at the Galleria

The Saks Fifth Avenue at the Galleria will be closing some time this summer. At first, I was appallled at the news. Then I rememberd just how seldom I actually shopped there. The east end of the Galleria won't be better off with this major anchor closing, but I can hardly say that this particular branch of Saks was a good example for the company. Indifferent staff, second-tier merchandise...why bother? This does bring up a rather important question about the future of high-end retail stores in Broward County. I'd hate to think that the future of high-end shopping in Broward County is at an end. There is a lot of money here., though I'm well aware that this isn't Palm Beach. In this particular instance, the store simply needed renovation and the parent company was unwilling to fund said renovation. Thoughts?

[mediaspree]

Saks Closing at the Galleria

The Saks Fifth Avenue at the Galleria will be closing some time this summer. At first, I was appallled at the news. Then I rememberd just how seldom I actually shopped there. The east end of the Galleria won't be better off with this major anchor closing, but I can hardly say that this particular branch of Saks was a good example for the company. Indifferent staff, second-tier merchandise...why bother? This does bring up a rather important question about the future of high-end retail stores in Broward County. I'd hate to think that the future of high-end shopping in Broward County is at an end. There is a lot of money here., though I'm well aware that this isn't Palm Beach. In this particular instance, the store simply needed renovation and the parent company was unwilling to fund said renovation. Thoughts?

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I could possibly see something on such lines being built in downtown Fort Lauderdale, but we will probably have to see more of a recovery in the condo market before this could happen. Better transit will also have to happen before downtown Fort Lauderdale can meet its retail potential.

[tombarnes]

St. Regis to Lose Affiliation with Starwood

The St. Regis Hotel on A1A in the thick of Fort Lauderdale's beachfront strip will lose its affiliation with the St. Regis brand and the Starwood hotels group on August 10th. While the official reasons cited are those of "management differences" and such, you can probably bet it had something to do with money and/or occupancy levels. That the hotel is nearly empty in July should surprise no one. The rooms are going for a low $225.00 per night (rooms have been known to go for much more here), but I think the central problem is one of positioning. St. Regis is not a good choice for a beachfront resort. The brand suggests downtown hotels, not carefree days at a beach resort. The building is actually very clever and architecturally distinctive. Whether or not a major luxury brand can be found by August 10th remains to be seen. In short, I doubt it will become a TraveLodge, but it will be interesting to see who will take it on.

The Sun-Sentinel

[FjmArch]

St. Regis to Lose Affiliation with Starwood

The St. Regis Hotel on A1A in the thick of Fort Lauderdale's beachfront strip will lose its affiliation with the St. Regis brand and the Starwood hotels group on August 10th. While the official reasons cited are those of "management differences" and such, you can probably bet it had something to do with money and/or occupancy levels. That the hotel is nearly empty in July should surprise no one. The rooms are going for a low $225.00 per night (rooms have been known to go for much more here), but I think the central problem is one of positioning. St. Regis is not a good choice for a beachfront resort. The brand suggests downtown hotels, not carefree days at a beach resort. The building is actually very clever and architecturally distinctive. Whether or not a major luxury brand can be found by August 10th remains to be seen. In short, I doubt it will become a TraveLodge, but it will be interesting to see who will take it on.

The Sun-Sentinel

[tombarnes]

Right you are, though they have not yet got the name affixed outside. I think the new affiliation will actually be better for the hotel and, probably, for Fort Lauderdale as well. In other news, a quick update on Ireland's Inn...

The Ireland family says that they will be building a new resort on the site of the hotel with construction beginning in the spring of 2009. In the meantime, the family will allow the fire department and the Department of Homeland Security to use the building for training purposes. I don't

know about you. but I find the idea of having snipers crawling around the building more than a bit creepy. I had heard a rumor that a name had been selected, but have heard nothing official. Unfortunately, it lookas as though Mandarin Oriental may well not be part of this. Who knows at this point? BTW, my information was mostly local gossip supplemented by a short blurb in the Lauderdale Beach newsrag.

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Proposed Cortez Hotel Ires Neighbors

Developers proposing a 17 story mid-priced hotel near the Las Olas Beach Club and the Jackson Tower condominiums are seeing stiff opposition from the residents. While I have no illusions that such a building will be especially attractive, it is rather more realistic to build a mid-priced hotel than another luxury bombshell.

Hotel-Online