Miami Beach Convention Center hotel aims to elevate business, leisure tourism
Developers Turnberry and Terra hope the Miami Beach Convention Center hotel will bring in more revenue, elevate tourism and bring business to Lincoln Road. “This development is an extraordinary opportunity to contribute to the growth and prosperity of Miami Beach,” said Aly-khan Merali, president and CFO of Turnberry.
The 17-story Grand Hyatt Miami Beach will be located at 17th Street and ConventionCenter Drive. “The 800-room hotel will enhance Miami Beach’s Convention CenterDistrict with new public spaces, improved connectivity, and privately fundedinfrastructure and resiliency upgrades,” said Melissa Berthier, director of the city’s Office of Marketing & Communications. “This hotel is going to increase the number of conventions,” said David Martin, CEO of Terra. “It’s going to change the quality of the conventions.”
The Grand Hyatt’s strategic location is within walking distance of Lincoln Road, theJackie Gleason Theater and the New World Center. “There’s walkability and economicbenefit that adjacent properties are going to have, even when there are no conventions –when you have group hotel business and leisure business,” Martin said. The developersare also working to cater to the area’s residents. “The community wanted less impact,less density and less traffic,” Martin said. “They also wanted green space.” According toBerthier, the hotel will do just that. “The project provides large, outdoor pedestrian-onlyopen spaces for at least 25% of the site area,” she said. “A minimum of 30% of the openspaces will be vegetated.” The hotel’s design will also reduce heat, take advantage of arain collection system and dedicate 20% of its parking lot to electric vehicle chargingstations, Bethier added. And it will meet the needs of the business travelers who staythere. “All the modern-day conveniences of connectivity and access will be delivered in this facility,” Merali said. Guests will have the option to check in with their iPhones or Apple Watches. The hotel will also have coworking spaces and a skybridge to the convention center. “This is one of very few new hotels that has all the latest technology,”Martin said. “It gives us the opportunity to do something that is more 22nd century.”