Marriott at Miami Worldcenter to Cost $800M; More Hotel Projects…

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Hotels are shaping up here and abroad. Big-city developments, boutique properties and brand debuts are all in the works:

Marriott Marquis to Break Ground at Miami Worldcenter

A Miami hotel plans to break ground this year at Miami Worldcenter. The Marriott Marquis Miami Worldcenter Hotel & Expo Center would include 1,723 rooms and 500,000 sq. ft. of convention space located in downtown Miami Florida at 664 N Miami Ave. A financing package is now being finalized, by the developer MDM. The hotel will be managed by Marriott International. Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates is the project architect. Callisonrtkl is the interior designer. Coastal Construction Tishman is the construction manager. The project will cost $800 million to complete.

Boutique Milwaukee Property Set to Open 

The team developing the Charles A. Koeffler, Jr. House on Marshall St. in downtown Milwaukee into an independent boutique hotel has revealed the name of the property as Dubbel Dutch. The name is a play on the original architecture of the historic side-by-side or double house, designed by Milwaukee’s famed Ferry & Clas in 1898. Dubbel Dutch draws its inspiration from the unique Flemish-style shaped gables crowned with finials and the Flemish-Dutch spelling for “double.” The hotel is set to open in May.

The team transforming the historic house includes Juli Kaufmann of Fix Development, Andy Braatz of Braatz Building and Patrick R. Jones of Ramsey Jones Architects. They are joined by local collaborators. Sharon Kevil of Forti will design the interiors and create the property’s guestroom furniture. The property will have 17 guestrooms, fully restored by Braatz Building in keeping with national historic standards.

IHG and Pro-invest to Bring Voco brand to New Zealand in 2021

IHG’s Voco brand is coming to New Zealand in mid-2021, following the signing of a franchise agreement between IHG and Pro-invest. Voco Auckland City Centre will have 200 guestrooms, an all-day restaurant and bar and guest gym. The property was originally announced as an Even hotel in 2017. The property will be dual-branded, sharing its site with an IHG-branded cousin, the 294-room Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre. The two hotels will have separate branding and guest entrances, but will share facilities to provide a better guest experience.

The signing of Voco Auckland City Centre continues the growth of the brand since it launched in June 2018, complementing Voco hotels in Australia’s Gold Coast, Yarra Valley, Hunter Valley, Melbourne and Sydney.