Fort Lauderdale Spices Up Its Appeal for Vacationers, Meetings

Greater Fort Lauderdale is hoping to attract more visitors with a host of new developments including an airport expansion, new hotels and attractions and aggressive marketing initiatives.

Once  known primarily as spring break capital, Fort Lauderdale has morphed into Greater Fort Lauderdale, a year-round family-friendly destination made up of 31 municipalities and 23 miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches. More than 11 million people visit annually.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau’s marketing plans include campaigns to woo the LGBT and African-American communities for both leisure travel and meetings business.

Among the new developments:

New hotels
The Fort Lauderdale Marriott Pompano Beach Resort & Spa opens this month in the harbor town of Pompano Beach. The nine-floor hotel has 219 room, five suites and a concierge level. Facilities include an oceanfront restaurant and 11,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 3,300 square-foot ballroom and rooftop terrace.

Nearby Hollywood is undergoing a lodgings renaissance, with two new hotels in the works. Costa Hollywood, a $180 million, six-story, 304-room condo-hotel, is scheduled to open in summer 2014. Facilities will include a gym, spa, shops, three upscale restaurants, and a rooftop pool deck and ocean views.

The $138-million Margaritaville Resort, a 350-room Jimmy Buffett-themed project, has been approved by the city of Hollywood for construction along the city’s boardwalk.

Airport expansion
The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has launched a $450 million project to redevelop Terminal 4, which handles international arrivals. The six-year project will nearly double the size of the terminal from nine gates to 14 and increase concession space more than 10 times. The new terminal is expected to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver certification.

A runway extension project, slated for completion in September 2014, involves construction of a six-story elevated extension to traverse US Highway 1 and the Florida East Coast Railway. It will expand the current runway to 8,000 feet, allowing it to handle 450,000 takeoffs and landings a year.

Attractions and shopping
Barbie™ The Dreamhouse Experience is open at Sawgrass Mills Mall. The first attraction of its kind in North America, it features two life-sized houses outfitted with pink elevators, a walk-in “glitterizer,” an enormous closet and a display of diamond rings.

More than 350 Barbie dolls and other memorabilia are on display. The attraction includes interactive games and animation, including a feature that allows visitors to try on virtually fashions from Barbie’s wardrobe. The facility has 10,000 square-feet of event space.

Sawgrass Mills offers a serious shopping experience for those who want a break from the beach. To improve access, it recently added three daily shuttles from Fort Lauderdale beach hotels. Roundtrip tickets cost $25.

New stores at the mall include Steve Madden, Calvin Klein, Columbia Sportswear Outlet, Gucci, Diane Von Furstenberg, Old Navy, Talbots, Helzberg Diamonds, New Balance, and Tourneau.

Courting the LGBT market
Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB is continuing its campaign to attract LGBT business following its 1996 launch of an LGBT marketing initiative. The bureau recently hired Richard Gray as its LGBT managing director, a designated LGBT-only representative to attract leisure and meetings business.

Gray oversees a “gaystream” marketing program that includes a dedicated TV commercial, participation in events like the recent New York City Gay Pride March and increasing the destination’s LBGT international profile in the U.K., Germany, Argentina and Brazil.

Gray called Greater Fort Lauderdale the top LGBT destination in Florida with the state’s largest lesbian and gay population and 150 gay-owned and operated businesses.

Attracting African-American business
The Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB has spearheaded a partnership between African-American tourism and economic development.

The Urban League’s new state-of-the-art community center is part of the historic Black Fort Lauderdale Sistrunk Boulevard corridor, a hub of cultural and economic revitalization which includes the landmark African American Research Library and Cultural Center and the Midtown Business and Arts District.

The CVB is also promoting the destination as a meetings venue for African-American organizations. The Urban League announced it will hold its annual conference in Fort Lauderdale in July, 2015.

The American Tennis Association, the country’s oldest organization for black tennis players, is considering making Greater Fort Lauderdale the permanent home for recreational tennis and creating a Black Tennis Hall of Fame.

New website
Greater Fort Lauderdale has introduced a revamped website featuring a new design and enhanced features.

The site allows for greater engagement and easier navigation with familiar “app-like” experiences for users. It features greater mapping capabilities, while each main section has highlighted points of interest making it easier to jump from page to page.

An enhanced Trip Planner allows users to save hotel, dining options and activities to itineraries on a daily basis. Hotel listings include new sorting features, while deals are easier to find. The site can be found at http://www.sunny.org.

Special promotions
Super Summer Savings deals through Sept. 30 are available at more than 30 attractions. The promotion includes two-for-one offers like an airboat ride through the Everglades, a scenic kayaking excursion, a visit to thousands of butterflies at Butterfly World, catamaran cruises, golf and fishing and diving.

A Vacation Like a VIP package offers guests staying at one of the upscale properties in the Lauderdale Luxe Collection, a free room upgrade, complimentary valet parking, a $25 American Express gift card and a $100 resort credit.

Summer fun
Isle Casino Presents Saturday Nite Alive: Every Saturday through Aug. 3, musical entertainers take over the sidewalks of Fort Lauderdale with performances from 7 to 11 p.m., plus art vendors set up stalls, and restaurants and bars offer specials.

Moonlite Turtle Walks: The Museum of Discovery and Science is hosting turtle walks on the evenings of July 10. 15 and 18. The adventure begins at 9 p.m. at the museum, where participants learn about sea turtles in a hands-on educational session.

They then head to sea turtle nesting sites at Fort Lauderdale Beach for a chance to see a 300-pound loggerhead turtle emerge from the sea to lay her eggs. Participants must be at least nine years old, and advance reservations are required.

Starlight Musicals Concert Series: Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, this free outdoor concert series takes place Friday nights through Aug. 2 in Fort Lauderdale’s Holiday Park.