Turnberry Associates just announced it will expand and renovate its Turnberry Isle Miami hotel resort and rebrand it as a JW Marriott as part of a $175 million redevelopment of the Aventura property.
Turnberry, led by siblings Jeffrey and Jackie Soffer, will be adding a new 16-story tower that will bring its room count to 680, Jeffrey Soffer told The Real Deal. The plan will add 282 rooms to the 398-room hotel at 19999 West Country Club Drive.
The resort sits on 300 acres between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The expansion will provide an additional 110,000-square-feet of meeting space and upgrades to the hotel’s pool, front driveway and main lobby and building, Soffer said.
The new tower will be designed by Nichols, Brosch, Wurst, Wolfe and Associates, according to a release. Soffer said Turnberry will be investing $175 million into the expansion.
“Miami’s really turned into a strong 10-and-a-half-month [of the year] business market,” Soffer said. “There’s $2.2 billion in potential business from groups coming to South Florida. If you don’t have the rooms and the meeting space, you don’t get [the business].”
Rebranding to JW Marriott from Marriott’s Autograph Collection is also aimed at attracting groups and conventions. “A lot of companies want that brand and booking system,” he said. Turnberry is also building a hotel in Nashville that will carry the Marriott flag.
The expansion is set to be completed by the end of next year. The resort and services for members and guests will remain open throughout the project.
Turnberry Associates closed on a $248.9 million loan for the expansion last week. Bank of China provided the financing for the resort, which added onto a $112 million mortgage Turnberry secured for the property in 2015. Wells Fargo was the lender for the previous loan. Bank of China is provided the additional $136.9 million in financing.
Turnberry’s developments include Turnberry Ocean Club, Turnberry Ocean Colony, Porto Vita, Fontainebleau Miami Beach and Aventura Mall, which is expanding with a new wing. Turnberry, together with LeFrak, also plans to build SoLē Mia, a mixed-use, master-planned community in North Miami.