MIAMI -- Ritz-Carlton is set to make a big splash in Miami next
year, as the luxury operator will open three properties, all new
builds, in the space of a few months.
Spring 2001 will see the arrival of the Ritz-Carlton, Key
Biscayne and the Ritz-Carlton, Coconut Grove. The Ritz-Carlton,
South Beach will open in the summer.
Miami is one of the nation's hottest markets for luxury hotels.
Mandarin Oriental will soon open a property on Brickell Key. Four
Seasons will make its debut in the area next year as well.
Wyndham International and Loews Hotels also are represented in
the city, and there are a host of boutique-ish hotels already
operating.
"I think Miami is now coming into its own in relation to the
luxury segment," said Manny Corral, area director of marketing,
Miami, for Ritz-Carlton. "It has been many years since luxury
products came into this destination."
Ritz-Carlton is no stranger to Florida. The Atlanta-based
company already has three properties in the state -- in Naples,
Palm Beach and Amelia Island.
But this is the first time the hotelier has opened three hotels
in the same place in such a short period of time. Each property
serves a distinct niche in the Miami market.
The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach hotel is there for South Beach
kind of people, which is to say people who are "high-energy and
trendy," according to Corral.
He considers it a new destination, as South Beach has made its
ascent only within the past 10 years or so.
The hotel, slated to open next summer, will have 375 rooms, a
variety of dining spaces, a 13,000-square-foot spa and 20,000
square feet of meeting space. All of this is wrapped up in an
historic Art Moderne oceanfront building.
"South Beach will be a new generation of Ritz-Carlton, and you
see this reflected in the properties overseas, in Barcelona, Spain
[the Hotel Arts]; Singapore, and now Wolfsburg, Germany," said
Corral.
"They have the elegance and the refinement associated with
Ritz-Carlton, but they also offer the relevant luxury that the
younger, trendier set is looking for."
The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne, to open next spring, will offer
a more traditional resort experience. Key Biscayne lies six miles
off the coast, and the resort is on the island's eastern side.
Of course, there is a beach, and a golf course is nearby. The
hotel also boasts a 12-court tennis center.
There will also be four dining options, 20,000 square feet of
meeting space (half of which is occupied by a ballroom) and a
20,000-square-foot spa.
The Ritz-Carlton, Coconut Grove will be located close to the
city's central business district.
Corral said the 120-room hotel will be an urban boutique
property aimed at the business traveler and the weekend leisure
traveler. The Coconut Grove hotel, set to open in the spring, will
have 8,000 square feet of meeting space and four dining areas,
including a 120-seat restaurant.
Despite the arrival of other luxury hoteliers into the Miami
market, Corral said the company believes its relationship with the
agency community will be a strength, as Ritz-Carlton will have
three hotel options that agents can sell to their clients.
Corral said that not only is Miami popular with the American
market, but the destination also attracts upscale clients from
South America and Europe. Asia is also growing as a source market,
he said.
Ritz-Carlton also is interested in the flip side of Miami's
international appeal. Those same customers who stay in a
Ritz-Carlton in Miami may soon find a Ritz-Carlton closer to
home.
Although the company currently doesn't have a hotel in South
America, Corral said Ritz-Carlton will surely enter that market
sooner or later.