Dive Brief:
- Hilton West Palm Beach in West Palm Beach, Florida, completed a $25 million renovation, Hilton announced last week.
- South Florida-based owner and developer Related Companies led the property-wide revamp in partnership with New York design boutique Meyer Davis Studio.
- The Palm Beach area has a $1 billion pipeline of developments, according to the Palm Beaches tourism bureau, as the region benefits from South Florida’s ongoing surge in hotel activity.
Dive Insight:
Hilton West Palm Beach’s renovation touched all 400 guest rooms, including 43 suites. New “executive” rooms offer skyline views and dedicated business concierge services, priority poolside loungers, Nespresso machines and specialty perks at West Palm Beach’s The Square, a neighborhood shopping and entertainment destination.
In addition to room upgrades, Hilton West Palm Beach’s lobby underwent a significant revamp. The tropical-themed space, lined with native Florida plants, now features a lobby bar, Palma. Offering pool views, Palma serves craft cocktails and plans to host live music on weekends.
Hilton West Palm Beach is one of several hotels in the Palm Beach area to have undergone a revenovation recently. Later this month, Palm Beach’s Tideline Ocean Resort & Spa will reopen following a $20 million renovation.
Another Hilton property, the 223-room Hilton Singer Island, is in the midst of its own revamp, and is scheduled to reopen in January. The nearby Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island will unveil its own enhancements in December.
According to Lodging Econometrics, the hotel industry hit a peak in rooms under renovation or conversion at the end of the third quarter of this year.
Florida is a particularly appealing destination for hotel developers. In 2022, the state welcomed 137.6 million visitors, up 5% from 2019 and up 12.9% from 2021, according to the governor’s office.
Hospitality companies that have pushed expansions in Florida this year include Hyatt, which is bringing its Andaz brand to the state for the first time, and Sonder, which called it “an ideal place for our continued expansion.” Earlier this year, Peter Debs, Sonder’s senior director of real estate, named Palm Beach as a market the company was considering for further growth.
Though usually a strong leisure travel destination, West Palm Beach saw lower-than-expected hotel rate growth in the first half of this year, according to OTA Insight.
