Designated a National Historic Landmark, the hotel opened in 1926 and will now be part of a total of $25 million in improvements for the Miami property. “You want to keep the hotel as the icon, but not be old and musky and dreary,” the Biltmore President and CEO said in describing the planned improvements for the building.
In addition to the restoration project that it recently announced for its historic Donald Ross course (http://clubandresortbusiness.com/2018/07/miamis-biltmore-hotel-restore-historic-donald-ross-course/), The Biltmore in Miami has also kicked off a $25 million improvement project to modernize its hotel, which is a National Historic Landmark.
According to the Miami Herald, more than $500,000 in renovations to the hotel lobby have already been done in collaboration with D’Shakil Designs and Studio 5 Design +, which are both based in Coral Gables, Fla. The work includes adding new drapery and furniture, including custom-built pieces in green and blue velvet.
The new decoration is inspired by the architecture of the historic hotel, Gene Prescott, President and CEO of the Biltmore Hotel, told the Herald although some modern touches play into South Florida’s natural landscape to enhance the Mediterranean architecture of the hotel, which was built by George Merrick, the founder of Coral Gables founder George Merrick, and hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman.
The renovations will also extend to the Biltmore’s 275 rooms and hallways, the Herald reported.
Prescott is also President of the Biltmore Hotel Limited Partnership, which has to uphold the city of Coral Gables’ 99-year lease with the hotel, the Herald reported.
“We have a good market, but it’s competitive. You’ve got to be prepared,” Prescott told the newspaper. “You want to keep [the hotel as] the icon, but not be old and musky and dreary.”
According to the Herald, about $10.5 million of the #25 million in renovations will be used to protect the hotel’s historic value. That includes $5 million alone to replace all of the hotel’s approximately 800 windows.
New TechnoGym equipment has already has been installed in the fitness center and new products are offered in the spa, the Herald reported.
The hotel is to remain open during renovations, which the Herald noted are scheduled to be completed by December.
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