From revamps to new openings, here’s what’s new for 2018 & beyond in the
U.S. hotel landscape.
East & West Coast Openings
Over on the Pacific coast, Terranea Resort, A Destination Hotel, has undergone extensive property enhancements, including the revamping of guestrooms and suites. The past year has seen facelifts to the property’s bungalows, casitas, and villas, and Catalina Kitchen has relaunched with an open kitchen concept, new menus, a revamped interior and new bar.
There’s a new Rosewood in California: the Rosewood Miramar Beach Montecito at the site of the former Miramar Beach Hotel, a 100-year-old landmark.
“With its stunning landscape, idyllic climate, and rich heritage,” says Radha Arora, president of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, “Montecito was a clear choice for Rosewood’s newest U.S. property. With the private beach just steps away, guests will be spoiled with unparalleled access to the most pristine of surroundings.” The property will be the first in Santa Barbara to offer beachfront suites that allow guests to walk straight from their room to the sand.
The EDITION brand is also expanding on the west coast, with the addition of The West Hollywood EDITION on West Sunset Boulevard. It features 190 guestrooms, as well as a lobby lounge, a nightclub and bar, a rooftop pool and pool deck, and a 4-treatment room spa. But that’s not all for the brand, as it’ll also be adding to the famous NYC skyline with The Times Square EDITION expected to open mid-2018. One of the 457-guestroom property’s coolest amenities will be its 5,800-sq.-ft. beer garden overlooking Times Square.
Florida & The Florida Keys
Hurricane Irma didn’t throw Miami off track when it came to tourism arrivals, as the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) announced that the city reached a record 15.9 million visitors between September 2016 and August 2017— that’s a .5 percent increase for the same period over the previous year. “In a year of hurricanes, international market fluctuations, a convention center under renovation, Zika, extensive new hotel room inventory and all the challenges that could devastate a destination, Greater Miami and the Beaches continues to show growth,” said William D. Talbert, III, CEO and president for the GMCVB, in press materials.
The GMCVB reported that 96 percent of overnight visitors arrived by air, and a record 5.3 million passengers sailed from Miami. PortMiami, homeporting Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, and Norwegian Cruise Line ships, is expanding. For example, Royal Caribbean is investing $250 million to build a new terminal at PortMiami that will house the world’s largest cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, scheduled to sail from Miami starting March 31, 2018.
To keep up with demand, the city has a few new hotels, including the Celino South Beach, which opens on Ocean Drive in summer 2018 as a 132-room loft-style boutique hotel with a Latin design and a glass-bottom rooftop pool. The Palms Hotel & Spa just completed a multimillion-dollar renovation; The Gates Hotel South Beach has been recently renovated; and The Julia Hotel is Miami Beach’s newest adult-exclusive boutique hotel.
Down in the Florida Keys, Hawks Cay Resort is getting renovated to enhance the overall look of the resort after sustaining damage from Hurricane Irma. It’s currently closed and set to reopen in phases throughout 2018. A soft opening of the resort is planned for the second quarter of 2018, with a grand opening at the end of the summer.
Looking ahead, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will expand come mid-2019 with 806 additional guestrooms and suites—638 will be in the Guitar Hotel Tower where all rooms will be 525 sq. ft. or larger, and 168 will be located in the 7-story Pool Tower. The expansion will also bring a 10-acre pool complex to the base of the Guitar Hotel Tower featuring a “Bora Bora experience” with private villas surrounded by waterfalls.
Las Vegas
Caesars Palace Las Vegas just completed a renovation of its Palace Tower, the property’s largest featuring 1,181 guestrooms and suites, where the 29th floor is home to 10 luxurious new villas ranging from 2,750 sq. ft. to 4,085 sq. ft. Villa guests have access to a private elevator entry to the 29th floor of the Palace Tower, around-the-clock butler service, limousine transportation to/from the airport, and VIP check-in.
Also undergoing a refresh of its guestrooms is The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas in its Boulevard and The Chelsea Towers. It’s expected to be completed in 2018 with 2,895 of the 3,027 guestrooms getting a facelift with cool art work and the like. Included in the revamps is a “virtual concierge” via in-room iPads that allow guests to book restaurant and spa reservations, and purchase show tickets, among other things. Those visiting in a group, such as a wedding party, can use the iPads to send organized messages to alert their guests of upcoming plans and events. In addition, accommodations will be equipped with Hulu, YouTube, Pandora, and Crackle, plus personal Bluetooth connectivity and en-suite Netflix.
