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Tags: Digital Nomad Hotels / Hotel WiFi / Hotel Lobbies / Fort Lauderdale Hotel Reviews / W Hotels / → All Tags

Digital Nomad Lobbies: WiFi By The Beach At W FLL

There has been a lot of talk recently about the lifestyle of digital nomads -- folks who work from wherever they might roam. HotelChatter has been covering hotel wifi since the beginning, but as we cited in our 2009 annual hotel wifi report times they are a changin'.

Hotel: W Fort Lauderdale

Location Layout: There are three main lobby, or living room levels and the pool/patio area. The property is vast, which is great for a digital nomad because you can tuck yourself away and bother no one.

Outlets: Peppered around the lobby. Get this, at Steak 954, the onsite restaurant they actually offered to move me with a seat near an outlet.

Furniture: Couches, chairs, stools, you name it you can find it.

Digital Nomad Tolerance: High. You can move from floor one to floor two, even outdoors to the patio where you will find plenty of shade that allows you to read your screen with ease.

Phone Calls: Not a problem, pick a quiet spot and go for it.

Overall Mood: Business at the beach.

Digital Nomad Grade: A
Tons of furniture choices, the inside outside option, enough outlets, other business meetings going on, and, they offer free wireless internet in the lobby if you don't have a broadband card.

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The Only Luxury Hotel in Fort Lauderdale That Lives Up to the Hype

If you haven't heard already, the new AAA Five Diamond list is out and while the usual suspects are on the list, there is one notable addition for 2010—The Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale.

While Florida is well-represented by a number of Ritz-Carltons, this is quite the milestone for Fort Lauderdale, which is still trying to do-away with its Spring Break reputation. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been to Fort Lauderdale recently, however. Have you seen the size of those yachts tied up on the Intracoastal?

Even more interesting is that this honor comes just over a year after the property joined the Ritz-Carlton family. Prior to August 2008, it was a St. Regis—and even then only for a year. So maybe Ritz-Carlton should carefully consider their restructuring strategy.

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Which View Do You Prefer at the W Fort Lauderdale: Ocean or Speedos?

Looks like the W Fort Lauderdale is starting to find its groove. The hotel finally opened on April 30th and Flickr member Tom Barnes dropped this snapshot into the HotelChatter Flickr Pool of the W's terrace bar.

The terrace is part of the hotel's living room where you can drink and snack on light fare from 11am to 2am. But if watching the action outside on Atlantic Avenue is boring for you, you can relax on "mattress-inspired" seating under the hotel's pool which has portholes for you to spy on the swimmers.

Board games, free internet and a pool table also round-out the amenities but um, we'll settle for some speedo-watching instead.

Room rates for this weekend start at $309 a night.

Tags: Hotel Openings / W Hotels / Florida Hotels / Fort Lauderdale Hotels / → All Tags

W Fort Lauderdale Finishing Up For April 30 Opening

Ready for another W Hotels grand opening? They have been on a roll as of late, first debuting the W Hoboken last month and now prepping to reveal their first two Florida properties within several weeks of each other.

Due to finally debut (after a delay from a previously-announced April 2nd date) is the W Fort Lauderdale on April 30, with the W South Beach riding its hype coattails on June 2. Let's focus on the Fort Lauderdale property for now at least, as it's got a hefty size to it: weighing in at 346 hotel rooms and 171 condo-hotel apartments, this will be the largest W resort to date. As the first W in Florida, it will be bringing a few other firsts of its own to the scene, including the first Stephen Starr restaurant and whiskey bar in the state.

Thankfully, all signs point to "yes" for an on-time April 30 opening. Hotels.com is already taking reservations for that night, ringing up rooms at $289 — though rates appear to be coming down significantly to $215 in the middle of May. Not bad, especially since there wil be liquor flowing downstairs and a beach on which to bake outside. Count us in.

[Image: W Fort Lauderdale]

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W Fort Lauderdale Needs a Little Bit More Time

Right now, we're humming our favorite go-to karaoke song which is "Hold On" by Wilson Philips. If you aren't familiar, allow us to lay down the lyrics right here:

Dont you know?
Dont you know things can change
Thingsll go your way
If you hold on for one more day
Can you hold on for one more day
Thingsll go your way
Hold on for one more day

Well, we certainly hope that things will go their way for the W Fort Lauderdale. Tipster Tony pointed us to this Sun-Sentinel article which said the hotel is now opening four weeks later on April 30. The hotel blames the delay on the delay in getting a certificate of occupancy from the city.

Our advice for W Ft. Lauderdale? "Yeah, I know that there is pain but you hold on for one more day and you break free, break from the chains." And oh yeah, you better open on April 30. We've been waiting long enough!

[Photo: Mike Stocker, Sun Sentinel]

Tags: W Hotels / Hotel Openings / Fort Lauderdale Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags

W Fort Lauderdale Will Open in April, Seriously

While today is the day that W Hoboken opens its doors (but not its guestrooms), there's some news that the long-awaited W Fort Lauderdale, which should have opened this month, is now going to finally open on April 2. Hallelujah!

The W will have 346 hotel rooms and 171 condo-hotel units along with the standard W amenities like restaurants, lounges, pool, shops and a spa. The Sun-Sentinel reports on what's inside:

The new resort can't be confused with traditional luxury, as in doilies or white-glove service. Its design is playful and witty - more South Beach and urbane than usually found in Fort Lauderdale. The lobby area, for example, is dubbed The Living Room and features lounges, bars, billiards, games and music. Visitors can look up through a beamed, see-through ceiling into the main swimming pool. Or they can stroll onto an oceanfront balcony, warmed with a fire pit. Disc jockeys will play Tuesdays through Sundays to help create a relaxed, party atmosphere that welcomes locals, said sales and marketing director Chris Tompkins.

Uhoh we hope the neighbors are cool with the DJ during the week. Remember W Scottsdale?

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W Fort Lauderdale Has Some Advertising Issues

Every once in awhile we come across a hotel which never seems to have good news coming from it. We hate picking on hotels like this, but sometimes they make it so easy. Like the W Fort Lauderdale Hotel & Residences.

We're picking on this W Hotel not because of the usual culprit (construction delays), but because of the way they are advertising their residences. In a recent story from the Sun-Sentinel:

"You may be in violation of the terms of your site plan approval," city Planning and Zoning Director Greg Brewton warned in a Dec. 15 letter to John Yanopoulous, CEO of developer DYL group.

The hotel, at 3101 Bayshore Drive, was approved in 2002 as the Capri. Advertising literature for the W is not clear about how long "owners" can inhabit the units. But Brewton's letter alleged the units were advertised as "year-round."

Apparently, year-round homes are not permitted on the beach in that part of Fort Lauderdale. A year-round home is one where the owners are able to live there 365 days a year.

We just visited the W Fort Lauderdale's sales website and while it doesn't explicitly state anywhere that you can live there year round, it also doesn't say that you can't. Not only that, but the site is filled with blurbs like "Home Sweet Home" and the "Legal" section contains every disclaimer known to man except that you cannot purchase a condominium unit as your primary residence.

Sales agents probably weeded out all those primary residence purchasers before they made a commitment, but that's not the point. This sounds like false or misleading advertising, not what we'd expect from a hotel with the W name on it.

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Starwood Keeps On Dropping 'Em Like They're Hot

After we'd heard about Starwood pulling out of Bora Bora, Morea and Tahiti resorts and the W Honolulu losing its W flag and Starwood branding, we received word that S-wood has pulled out of yet another property.

This time they'll be ditching the Atlantic Resort and Spa in Fort Lauderdale, part of their Luxury Collection. Per the resort's website:

The Atlantic Resort & Spa, Fort Lauderdale will be leaving the Starwood system on January 27, 2009. Reservations for dates on or after January 27, 2009, will not be eligible for Starwood Preferred Guest membership benefits, award redemption or accrual.

There's not a whole lot of info out there as to exactly why they've been dumping specific properties as of late, but at any rate, it looks like Starwood is going through some spring cleaning...a little early.

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W Fort Lauderdale Already Strutting Its Stuff in a Parade

A wonderful tipster who we hope gots lots of presents from Santy Claus sent us this YouTube video link of the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade which took place in Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 13th. And the W Fort Lauderdale made an appearance! From our tipster:

Every year in Fort Lauderdale, they hold the Winterfest Boat Parade, and the last boat is always the Santa barge sponsored by a different local company. This year the new W Fort Lauderdale sponsored it, and basically made a huge floating nightclub out of it. The thing was massive and impressive, and was awesome for a temporary barge.

Watch Santa Claus get down on the boat with his sexy helpers. And is that the W Living Room Soundtrack that we hear?

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W Fort Lauderdale Opening in Early March, So They Say

The last bit of news we heard on the W Fort Lauderdale was that it would be opening in January 2009. But according to this article on the W Talent Show--otherwise known as a hiring fair--that the hotel is holding, doors won't be open to guests until early March.

W Fort Lauderdale will be the brand’s introduction to the Florida market. Located on Fort Lauderdale’s beach, the 517-room, 23-story, two-tower hotel will offer ocean, Intracoastal Waterway and downtown views. The hotel will include a Stephen Starr restaurant, a 4,000-square-foot Bliss Spa and its signature bar, Whiskey Blue.

That will be two new Ws for Fort Lauderdale South Florida this spring as the W South Beach is expected to open in late April. Meanwhile, the talent show is being held at the Galleria Mall from now through Saturday from 10am. to 7pm.

Now, there's just one thing that makes us a weeee bit concerned. The hotel's own website says it's opening March 1st but that reservations aren't being taken until June 1st. Oy. Hopefully, that's just a typo.

Tags: Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Fort Lauderdale Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags

The Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale, Formerly the St. Regis, Now Open

As promised the one-year-old St. Regis Fort Lauderdale stopped operating on August 11th and a Ritz-Carlton has slid in and taken its place.

From the official press release:

The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale opened August 11, 2008 as the Gold Coast's newest oceanfront luxury hotel and the 10th Florida hotel for the company named by The Luxury Institute as "The Most Prestigious Luxury Brand."

Envisioned by legendary architectural firm Arquitectonica and hospitality interior design leader Hirsch Bedner Associates, the 24-story, dramatically tiered and glass walled hotel has sweeping curves that are reminiscent of a grand luxury liner.

Pretty much everything else in the 192-room hotel has remained the same, minus the St. Regis branding everywhere. Even the Cero restaurant, the Wine Room and the spa are still intact. Only thing missing? The St. Regis butler service.

Rates are currently starting at $259 a night.

Tags: St. Regis Hotels / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Hotel Closings / Fort Lauderdale Hotels / → All Tags

Photographic Evidence that St. Regis Fort Lauderdale, Soon to Be a Ritz, is Not On the Beach

Yesterday when we announced that the St. Regis Fort Lauderdale was to become a Ritz-Carlton on August 11th, one of the noted concerns was that the property was not actually located "on the sand" but rather across the street. And despite this, the Ritz would probably have higher prices than a sister Marriott property that is on the beach. Booo.

A few commenters wondered about the photograph that we used, saying the shot looks totally deceiving. So we had to dig up a better shot of the hotel to prove it was not on the beach.

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