18 Updates for The Palm Beaches

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (May 24, 2018) – The Palm Beaches of South Florida continues to expand upon its variety of world-class experiences. With something for everyone, this slice of paradise invites visitors to come discover what’s new, as it continues to prove that this destination is “The Best Way to Experience Florida®.” Conveniently located between Miami and Orlando, America’s First Resort Destination® is a collection of 39 diverse cities and towns that spans more than 2,300 square miles and stretches across 47 miles of pristine Atlantic Ocean beaches, from Boca Raton to Jupiter and Tequesta. Visitors can savor flavors of the farmland and freshly-caught seafood from the Atlantic coast; indulge in shopping at traditional malls or along historically charming avenues; unwind at any of the many sporting events ranging from golf and polo to baseball and croquet; and enjoy more than 200 cultural and family-friendly attractions. The Palm Beaches are accessible through three major airports, including Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), Miami International Airport (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL).
 
With a growth in development and destination offerings, it’s no surprise that Palm Beach County, commonly referred to as “The Palm Beaches,” saw a significant growth in visitation and visitor spend in 2017. In 2017, the destination welcomed 7.89 million visitors, of which 745,000 were from international markets. All top domestic markets showed an increase. These included New York, Miami – Fort Lauderdale, Boston, D.C. – Baltimore, Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia. Top international markets that also showed an increase included Canada, Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil and Colombia, while the United Kingdom showed a slight softening. Moving into summer 2018, Discover The Palm Beaches hopes to keep these figures trending upward.
 
The destination has new offerings to tout in Summer 2018, with an impressive selection of new hotel, dining and attraction developments. Here, we’ve compiled a listing for your consideration:
 
NEW PLACES TO REST YOUR HEAD:

 
Boca Raton Mandarin Oriental – Boca Raton, Florida
Set to debut in Downtown Boca Raton in 2020, the 164-room property will include two adjacent towers that will form part of an upscale mixed-use development. The property will feature 65,000 square feet of luxury lifestyle retail, as well as a world-class private club, which will offer social, fitness, spa and championship golf amenities. It will also offer extensive banqueting and meeting space, including an expansive 4,500 square-foot ballroom and a variety of adaptable conference rooms. This will be Mandarin Oriental’s second property in Florida. 
 
Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences – Singer Island, Florida
Scheduled for completion in Spring/Summer of 2019, Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences offers a new paradigm of mindful living on Singer Island for those who are pursuing an unparalleled wellness lifestyle or a relaxing spa getaway. Amrit, which is Sanskrit for “elixir of life,” totals 351 units (hotel and residences) between two towers (Tower P – Peace and Tower H – Happiness), and includes a 100,000-sqaure-foot space that will consist of an outdoor spa and wellness amenities like a meditation garden and outdoor yoga studios. Developed in partnership with ESPA and the Himalayan Institute, it merges Eastern traditions and inner science with Western luxury, all enhanced through modern technologies and personalized programming. Arguably the most wellness-immersive development currently under construction in the United States, the property will offer a bounty of wellness offerings, including mood-enhancing aromatherapy and posture-supportive heat reflexology floors, and vitamin C-infused showers. The property will also feature an exterior sound intrusion block and dawn simulation lighting, as well as wellness programs such as aromatherapy, body and beauty treatments, helping its guests and residents to learn to live consciously, and educating them about how blue light education and technology’s effect on sleep. Residences are priced from $700,000 to more than $4 million.
 
The Ray – Delray Beach, Florida
Scheduled to open Winter 2019, the new property will be located in the Pineapple Grove Arts District of downtown Delray Beach. The project will include 141 rooms and suites, three restaurants (one of which will be a rooftop restaurant), a rooftop pool and lounge area, fitness center, two levels of underground parking, and an elevated glass-enclosed event space for up to 300 guests, all within the finest hotel and interior design of any new hotel in Palm Beach County. Ground breaking is scheduled for August 2018.

Banyan Cay Resort & Golf, A Noble House Resort – West Palm Beach, Florida
This 150-room luxury hotel and conference facility will open in November 2019. The property will include the 300^th Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, a new par-72 design to feature five sets of tees to accommodate all skill levels, and course yardage from 4,800 yards to 7,200 yards. A full-service clubhouse, state-of-the-art practice facility, and a signature spa and restaurant will also be elements of this property. 
 
REVAMPED PROPERTIES:

Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach – Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach Island’s only Five-Star, Five-Diamond resort will undergo a multi-million-dollar renovation beginning this June. The resort-wide enhancement by interior designer Martin Brudnizki and architect Leo Daly will include a redesigned arrival experience and landscape architecture, an enhanced beach experience and remodeled pool deck including the addition of a second pool, providing an adult only offering. New culinary offerings will include a new signature restaurant in partnership with a world-renowned Michelin star chef as well as a new beachfront restaurant concept that will capture a warm fresh elegance just steps from the sand. Newly redesigned guest rooms will evoke Palm Beach’s charm and mid-century glamour and a new category of first floor guest rooms will be introduced, offering expanded balconies leading directly onto the pool deck. The property is scheduled to re-open this November.
 
The Breakers’ historic Ocean Course – Palm Beach, Florida
Florida’s oldest golf course is currently undergoing a full-scale renovation by famed golf course architect Rees Jones. Originally laid out by Alexander H. Findlay in 1897 and redesigned in 2000 by Brian Silva, the vintage-style Ocean Course will feature new green complexes, water features and expanded undulations, new salt-tolerant grass turf, more native sub-tropical landscaping, an upgraded water-conserving, reverse-osmosis irrigation system, as well as renovation and expansion of the John Webster Golf Academy. In 2006, Jones redesigned the resort’s sister championship course, The Breakers Rees Jones® Course, which will remain open for the enjoyment of hotel guests and club members. The course is scheduled to reopen in late 2018.
 
NEW EXPERIENCES TO SAVOR, SEE OR TRY:
 
1000 NORTH – Jupiter, Florida
In January 2018, highly-anticipated restaurant and private club 1000 NORTH opened its doors. The development is the collaboration of some of the biggest names in sports, top wine experts, and the region’s leading developers. Investors include Michael Jordan, Ernie Els, and Rickie Fowler, just to name a few. 1000 NORTH offers modern American regional cuisine with impeccable service. The first floor of the 340-seat restaurant has an indoor and outdoor bar, and is open to the public, while the second floor is dedicated to members and their guests only.
 
Basque – West Palm Beach, Florida
Recently opened on March 22, 2018, this 132-seat cozy restaurant specializes in Spanish style small-plates, tapas, entrees and beverages. Charcuterie and cheeseboards include Ibericos, cured Spanish meats from the famous black-footed pig. Basque is a joint venture between Hotel Biba and Collab Hospitality. The restaurant features both open-air and indoor seating. Spanish-born (native of Santander, Spain) Executive Chef, Miguel Angel Rebolledo cooks out of a 22-foot, state-of-the-art mobile kitchen, parked in front of the restaurant. The truck has more burners and space than some local restaurant kitchens and serves paellas, squid-ink fideua, grilled octopus, scallops and more. Chef Rebolledo has cooked under the visionary chef Ferran Adria at El Bulli on Spain’s Costa Brava. Rebolledo also served as executive chef for celebrity Jose Andres’ restaurant group in Washington D.C. before helping to open a string of Spanish gastro pubs (Bulla) in Greater Miami and Tampa.
 
Grandview Public Market – West Palm Beach, Florida
Grandview Public Market (“Grandview” or “GPM”) is a multi-vendor food hall located within the newly-developed “Warehouse District” of West Palm Beach. As a repurposed 14,000-square-foot mid-century warehouse, GPM provides uniquely-curated dining and shopping experiences where visitors choose from a wide variety of food options from local and national vendors. The 15 independent vendors are a mix of established local brands with loyal followings, including three concepts from nationally recognized New York-based hospitality company, Three Kings Restaurant Group, comprised of Top Chef alum Dale Talde, and his partners David Massoni and John Bush. GPM is fashioned on similar models across the country, like NYC’s Chelsea Market and Krog Street Market in Atlanta; old buildings remodeled to create a thriving, community-driven town center with a focus on small and/or independent businesses.

The Norton Museum of Art – Palm Beach, Florida
A cultural icon in the destination since its founding in 1941, the Norton is set to debut its transformative $100 million Norman Foster-designed expansion in February 2019. The expansion and renovation, which began in February 2016, will further serve visitors by enhancing its 6.3-acre campus with an additional 12,000 square feet of gallery space for exhibitions, an education center with two new classrooms and student gallery, a 210-seat, state-of-the-art Stiller Family Foundation Auditorium, the Leonard and Evelyn Lauder Restaurant (which includes a garden terrace), an adjoining 9,000-square-foot sculpture garden, a 4,000-square-foot soaring Great Hall, and six restored 1920s-era historic houses to accommodate an artists-in-residence program and the Director’s home. The museum will close temporarily on July 16 and reopen on February 9 with five new exhibitions and numerous works of art from its collection that have not been on view in more than two years.
 
Kravis Center for the Performing Arts – West Palm Beach, Florida
This month, the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts broke ground on a $50 million expansion. The project will increase the size of the lobby by 5,200 square feet, create a new pedestrian-friendly plaza complete with expanded sidewalks and bike path as well as a waterfall fountain, and add a new valet parking garage. Work is scheduled to be completed by February 2020.

Surf Ranch Florida – Jupiter, Florida
Construction is expected to begin in western Jupiter this year for an inland wave park planned by surf icon Kelly Slater and the World Surf League (WSL). The park will be built on 80 acres, along Jupiter’s Beeline Highway in northwestern Palm Beach County. The project will have a 16.6-acre lagoon with man-made waves using Kelly Slater Wave Co. technology, a learning center, a clubhouse and a high-performance training center would also be part of this development. The park will host local, regional and world-wide surfing competitions that are expected to draw an estimated 50,000 guests annually. Slater and the WSL have already built a test facility in rural California. The expected completion date for Surf Ranch Florida is 2019.
 
Arts Warehouse – Delray Beach, Florida
Located in the Pineapple Grove Arts District of Delray Beach, the 15,000-square-foot rehabilitated warehouse is home to an Arts Incubator | Gallery | Studios | Programs and more. The Arts Warehouse, which opened in December 2017, is committed to edgy contemporary art, and is quickly becoming a hot spot for artists, enthusiasts and program participants.  
 
NEW WAYS TO TRAVEL
 
Brightline – West Palm Beach, Fla. to Fort Lauderdale, Fla and Miami, Florida
This express inter-city passenger rail service launched service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Florida in mid-May. The highly-anticipated train connects West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale in approximately 35 minutes, and connects West Palm Beach to Miami in about 60 minutes. Phase Two of Brightline will connect West Palm Beach directly to the Orlando International Airport in just two hours. Brightline’s mobile app and website make it easy for guests to seamlessly personalize and book their travel experience, check train times and ride. Brightline’s trains are state of the art and include many features, including wide leather seats, complimentary wi-fi and in-station and on-train food and beverage service.
 
OneJet Comes to Palm Beach International Airport – West Palm Beach, Florida  
The air transportation network that provides consumers with increased access to nonstop travel in small and medium markets has introduced non-stop service between Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) four times weekly. The OneJet Plus service provides a premium service experience onboard retrofitted ERJ 135 aircraft, including pre-assigned seats, extended legroom at every seat, complimentary 4G high-speed Wi-Fi, streaming entertainment gate to gate, and complimentary beer, wine and premium snacks en route. Flights are available on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
PIT to PBI: Departing 11:20 a.m. ET and arriving 1:50 p.m. ET
PBI to PIT: Departing 2:20 p.m. ET and arriving 4:50 p.m. ET
 
DEALS TO USE
 
Free Nights Deals – Palm Beach County-wide
The highly-anticipated “Free Nights” hotel promotion for Summer returns again to The Palm Beaches. For a limited time, 13 hotels are offering guests a free night, while prices start from about $115 to $700 per night – a savings of almost 50 percent compared to winter rates for some of the participating properties. This diverse collection of hotels and resorts provides travelers of nearly any budget an opportunity to enjoy the wealth of experiences available throughout The Palm Beaches. Participating properties range from luxury resorts to trusted brand hotels, including the Best Western Palm Beach Lakes Inn, The Boca Raton, The Brazilian Court Hotel, The Breakers, Casa Grandview, The Chesterfield Palm Beach, Delray Sands Resort, Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, Hawthorne Suites by Wyndham West Palm Beach, Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa, PGA National Resort & Spa, Tideline Ocean Resort & Spa, and Wyndham Grand Jupiter at Harbourside Place.

Sea Turtle Hotel Packages – Palm Beach County-wide
Several properties throughout The Palm Beaches have created special packages benefiting the area’s beloved sea turtles. Packages range from spa treatments, plush sea turtles for purchase, discounts, sea turtle tours, to sea turtle hatchling releases — all benefiting the area’s Loggerhead Marinelife Center and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. Participating properties include Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa, Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa, The Boca Raton, and Hilton hotels in The Palm Beaches.

Spa & Wellness Month – Palm Beach County-wide
Celebrated for its award-winning spas and wellness offerings, The Palm Beaches of South Florida will host its third annual Spa & Wellness Month in October 2018. The month-long promotion will highlight the array of wellness-focused offerings available throughout America’s First Resort Destination®. Some of this year’s spa participants include: The Breakers, Eau Spa, SiSpa at Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa, and The Spa at PGA National Resort & Spa. Wellness participants include Manatee Lagoon and Ultima Fitness. Offers include “60-minute Crystal-Free Microdermabrasion Facial for $99 per treatment,” one-hour yoga classes, “50-minute Power of Pink Reflexology Experience for $99,” “Comfort Care Classics,” “Fitness Crawl,” as well as discounted massages, facials, and treats.

About Discover The Palm Beaches
Discover The Palm Beaches, formerly the Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau, is the official not-for-profit tourism marketing corporation that promotes the collection of 39 cities and towns commonly referred to as “The Palm Beaches,” which spans more than 2,300 square miles and 47 miles of pristine, golden beaches from Boca Raton to Jupiter and Tequesta. Tourism is among Palm Beach County’s major industries, generating $4.7 billion in direct visitor spending and supporting 70,000 jobs with an economic impact of about $7 billion. Once recognized as a tropical escape for elite travelers in the late 1800s, America’s First Resort Destination® is making its resurgence as The Best Way To Experience Florida®, welcoming a record-breaking 7.89 million people in 2017. The Palm Beaches are home to nearly 17,000 hotel rooms, ranging from historic resorts to boutique inns. The destination features more than 100 family-friendly attractions, world-class luxury and antique shopping experiences, 125 miles of peaceful waterways for on- or in-the-water activities, more than 150 artificial reefs that line the Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf Stream current, 160 golf courses, award-winning restaurants and a thriving entertainment scene boasting more than 200 art and culture organizations.
 
Situated along I-95, The Palm Beaches are also home to Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), with more than 200 daily direct flights to 27 domestic and international destinations in the United States and Canada. The Palm Beaches are also conveniently located next to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Miami International airports, each one only an hour away. In addition, with the new Brightline train, transportation into The Palm Beaches from Fort Lauderdale is even faster and more convenient – with connections to Miami and Orlando coming soon.
 
For more information about The Palm Beaches, visit www.ThePalmBeaches.com and connect on social media via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @PalmBeachesFL, YouTube at Discover The Palm Beaches and the hashtag #ThePalmBeaches. Tune in to The Palm Beaches TV for 24/7 streaming content of the destination’s hotels, attractions, restaurants and experiences. 
 
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Ashley Svarney
Senior Director, Public Relations & Communications 
Discover The Palm Beaches
asvarney@ThePalmBeaches.com
Office: +1 561-233-3030; Cell: +1 954-592-6683
 
Veronica Arrieta
Manager, International Public Relations & Communications
Discover The Palm Beaches
varrieta@ThePalmBeaches.com
Office: +1 561-233-3002