DALLAS — Omni Hotels & Resorts, in partnership with Broward County, Visit Lauderdale and developer Matthews Southwest, officially opened the doors of the Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel with a ceremonial ribbon cutting in December, welcoming its first guests.
As the newest epicenter for Greater Fort Lauderdale’s conventions, meetings, and events, Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel offers over 120,000 square feet of elegant, flexible, state-of-the-art meeting and event space.
Its centerpiece is the 30,000-square-foot Waterway Ballroom, the largest ballroom in Greater Fort Lauderdale, with an expansive outdoor terrace that offers panoramic Intracoastal views. Highlights include the 15,000-square-foot Port Everglades Ballroom, 47 distinct spaces, 27 breakout rooms, and scenic outdoor terraces across three levels.
With a prime waterfront location on the scenic Intracoastal Waterway, the hotel features 801 guest rooms, including 82 suites, as well as seven distinctive dining venues, a full-service spa and fitness center, over 120,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, and an expansive panoramic pool deck. The hotel offers direct access to the convention center and is only minutes from area beaches, Port Everglades Cruise Terminal and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Under the direction of Executive Chef Cristian Mosquera, a Greater Fort Lauderdale native and Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, the hotel’s culinary program celebrates regional ingredients and global influences.
The hotel currently features six dining experiences, including Fair Ketch sports bar and Reef 76 Kitchen & Bar, the hotel’s signature restaurant that showcases coastal cuisine and Caribbean influence. Ibis Sky Lounge is a rooftop social lounge with ocean views and craft cocktails, and Hidden Key is the hotel’s sophisticated lobby bar with indoor and outdoor waterfront seating. Tide Coastal Kitchen is a poolside retreat for in-house guests, while Leeward Market offers specialty coffee, pastries and grab-and-go options.
Mokara Spa spans over 8,500 square feet on level 10. The spa features eight treatment rooms, a Hammam, a steam room, a courtyard with an intimate plunge pool, and a relaxation lounge. Steps from the spa and fitness center, the resort-style pool deck features sweeping views of the Intracoastal Waterway, Atlantic Ocean and city skyline.
This debut signals the brand’s flagship arrival to Greater Fort Lauderdale, introducing a new benchmark for sophisticated coastal luxury and elevated hospitality in South Florida. Marking a key achievement in the Broward County Convention Center District expansion, the hotel now serves as its definitive anchor, setting a new regional standard as a world-class destination for meetings, events, and leisure.
“Today’s opening marks an exciting new chapter for Broward County and Omni,” said Kurt Alexander, president of Omni Hotels & Resorts. “We are deeply grateful to the Broward County Board of Commissioners for their vision and leadership, as well as to our construction, design and development partners whose collaboration brought this hotel to life — marking Omni’s proud return to South Florida after more than 20 years.”
This opening marks a milestone in the collaborative effort among Omni Hotels & Resorts, Broward County, Visit Lauderdale and developer Matthews Southwest. Serving as the cornerstone of the Broward County Convention Center Expansion, the hotel stands as a powerful catalyst for economic development, with the entire project poised to generate more than $450 million for the local economy and create more than 3,000 full- and part-time jobs.
For more information, please visit omnihotels.com.
