NATIONAL REPORT—Hotels in development in Florida include an additional hotel tower at a Walt Disney World resort, a Radisson hotel in Miami Beach and more.
The Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
The new tower at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort has reached a key construction milestone with the topping off of the project’s top floor. The tower is scheduled to open next summer as a 349-room hotel to complement the resort’s two original properties; it will be called The Walt Disney World Swan Reserve.
Once completed, The Walt Disney World Swan Reserve will offer two presidential suites and 149 suites, all with floor-to-ceiling windows. The hotel will offer its own signature restaurant and bar, lobby lounge, grab-and-go market, health club and pool. Guests of The Walt Disney World Swan Reserve will also have full access to the rest of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin’s amenities, including 18 restaurants and lounges, four signature restaurants, Mandara Spa and five pools, as well as other special Disney benefits.
The Reserve will also offer more than 22,000 sq. ft. of function space, including a top-floor event space with floor-to-ceiling windows providing views of Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Radisson Hotel Miami Beach
Expected to open in the fourth quarter of this year, Radisson Hotel Miami Beach will offer 216 guestrooms and suites, as well as an outdoor pool, butterfly garden and sundeck. Prior to opening, the property is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation.
The hotel will offer 6,000 sq. ft. of event space with additional outdoor options, as well as several on-site dining options and two bars.
Yet-to-Be-Named Hotel in Panama City, FL
The St. Joe Company and the City of Panama City, FL, have executed a long-term land lease to bring a new hotel and restaurant to Panama City’s downtown waterfront district. Under the terms of the lease, St. Joe will lease a city-owned parcel to develop, construct and operate a waterfront hotel and stand-alone restaurant on a portion of the Panama City Marina property fronting St. Andrews Bay.
Current plans for the project include a five-story, branded hotel on the western portion of the marina property with an adjacent restaurant with outdoor dining, as well as an event lawn. Once complete, the planned hotel and restaurant will be managed by St. Joe Resort Operations LLC. St. Joe intends to announce the brand of the planned hotel at a later date. The company intends to break ground in the second quarter of 2021.