MIAMI—In the battle to develop the 52-acre site in the Miami Beach Convention Center District, the hotel is a key component. Of course, South Beach ACE and Portman-CMC once again have different takes on what that hotel should look like.
In part three of this series that takes a side-by-side look at how the two competitors plan to approach the redevelopment, we asked about the public spaces. Now, we're asking what elements set their hotel plans apart and how they settled on the hotel design.
Ambrish Baisiwala, CEO of Portman Holdings, tells GlobeSt.com, for one, it's a convention headquarters hotel. That, he says, makes it very different from the types of hotels you see on Miami Beach today.
“These types of hotels have very specific amenities and layouts, and most importantly, the average daily rate is in a range that appeals to convention planners,” he says. “Targeting an average room rate in our rage gives more certainty to the city and taxpayers that this will be a financially stable hotel.”
Baisiwala says his hotel is also connected to the convention center. It will stand at 124 feet high. By contrast, the height of the hotel in South Beach ACE's plan would stand significantly higher at 194 feet. But that's not the only difference between the plans.
“Our hotel features an iconic design by the world's leading architecture firm, OMA led by Pritzker Prize winner Rem Koolhaas, that references the historic architecture of Miami Beach and becomes another landmark for the city,” Daniel Tishman, head of Tishman Hotels & Realty, a member of South Beach ACE, tells GlobeSt.com. He explains that his hotel plans include features like an expansive pool and recreation decks offering views and event capabilities.
“The guest rooms will include balconies and luxury appointments, and will have either ocean or downtown Miami views,” he says. “The hotel, convention center, ballrooms and meeting rooms will all be integrated within the same building to allow for greater efficiency and more convenience for guests. This has been a priority of ours from the beginning.”
Stay tuned for part five of this series on Tuesday.
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