Your top choice for compassionateIn-Home Care in Hillsboro Beach, FL

91-room beachfront hotel located on “Millionaire Mile” has undergone a top-to-bottom renovation that has elevated a dilapidated property into a 4-star boutique.

Hillsboro, FL (November 14, 2023) – As South Florida bolsters its position among the world’s top tourism destinations, a 91-key hotel in Hillsboro Beach is getting a new lease on life following a multi-million-dollar renovation. Hillsboro Beach Resort, formerly Hillsboro Beach Resort Mile Hotel, was acquired by BH3 Management in 2017. In the years since, BH3 has undertaken an eight-figure overhaul that has ushered in new guest rooms, event spaces, food and beverage outlets, and a beach club. BH3 has enlisted global hospitality management company Sonder (NASDAQ: SOND), and Fort Lauderdale-based Garrett Hospitality Group to run the property’s hotel, dining, and event operations.

Located at 1159 Hillsboro Mile along Florida’s Gold Coast, Hillsboro Beach Resort is the only operating hotel within the town of Hillsboro Beach. The property is set on a tranquil stretch of sand situated minutes away from Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach. Hotels in the Greater Fort Lauderdale market are experiencing growth in both Average Daily Rate and Revenue Per Available Room (RevPar), which are up 4.5% and 4.9% respectively, according to Visit Lauderdale.

When BH3 purchased the shuttered Hillsboro Mile Hotel, the property suffered from low occupancy rates and below-market room rates. BH3 embarked on a complete renovation, restoring and transforming the sub-standard property to a 4-star boutique hotel. Today, Hillsboro Beach Resort comprises 91 fully renovated rooms and suites featuring stylish décor and modern furnishings, a 24-hour fitness center, resort-style pool deck, private beach access, business center, restaurant, and beach club.

The hotel’s revival is the latest example of BH3’s focus on identifying opportunistic investments and creating value over time. Since 2008, BH3 has invested over $2 billion in capital through its debt opportunity fund. The company has also developed more than 4 million square feet of commercial and residential real estate, with an additional 3 million square feet in the firm’s current pipeline.

“Our team’s experience with Hillsboro Beach Resort is a textbook example of how BH3 uncovers real estate that is ripe for change, and then unlocks value for assets and communities,” said Gregory Freedman, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of BH3 Management. “The hotel benefitted from a stellar oceanfront location but was in dire need of a renovation that would bring it up to today’s market standards. Our investment, along with the leadership of Sonder and Garrett Hospitality Group, will position Hillsboro Beach Resort as a destination for locals and visitors alike.”

Hillsboro Beach Resort becomes Sonder’s sixth managed property along Florida’s Gold Coast and the company’s ninth in Florida. Hillsboro Beach Resort is part of Powered by Sonder, which launched earlier this year and is Sonder’s first dedicated hotel collection, consisting of uniquely designed boutique hotels, powered by Sonder’s technology and operated by Sonder.

“We’re thrilled to add the stunning Hillsboro beach resort to our portfolio in Florida. With an unbeatable position on Boca Raton’s ‘Millionaire Mile’, the property is a laid-back beachfront oasis welcoming guests with stylish design and the latest amenities,” said Khalil Anjarwalla, Area General Manager at Sonder. “We’re excited to continue bringing our design-forward, tech-enabled hospitality to leisure and business guests alike.”

South Florida restaurateur Memphis Garrett will expand his footprint with a new outpost of Ya Mas! Taverna at Hillsboro Beach Resort. The Mediterranean-inspired Ya Mas! will offer a wide array of small plates and mezze platters alongside table-side crafted beverages and large format cocktails. This will be Garrett’s third Ya Mas! location, joining restaurants in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

“Ya Mas! Taverna was born out of a love for travel, the art of hospitality, and a need for more diverse dining options in South Florida,” said Memphis Garrett. “Our restaurant will provide a unique experience for diners, and I’m excited to be able to take the Ya Mas brand inside such a beautiful hotel in an amazing town like Hillsboro Beach.”

Life can be a permanent vacation, especially if you own a hotel-branded residence. Over the past three years, these luxury developments, managed by some of the world’s most exclusive hospitality brands, have skyrocketed in popularity.

One of the next major hotel residence developments is Rosewood Hotels & Resorts’ newly announced project in Southern Florida, which is slated for completion in 2026.

Located on a pristine stretch of coastline between Boca Raton and Pompano Beach in an area known as Millionaire Mile, Rosewood Residences Hillsboro Beach was developed in collaboration with Related Group and Dezer Development. It will be an exclusive enclave of 92 high-end condominiums and villas, as well as 11 private boat slips, with stunning waterfront views and many of the resort-style amenities you’ve come to expect from any Rosewood property.

“Given our legacy as a bespoke hospitality brand, we offer buyers a unique perspective on residential living,” says Brad Berry, vice president, Global Residential Development at Rosewood, in an interview with Travel + Leisure. “We came to this project looking to provide foundations of a luxury resort coupled with the comfort and familiarity of home.”

The exteriors of the two buildings — a sleek, 10-story beachfront structure housing 70 residences and a separate three-story building with 22 homes — are dreamt up by architecture studio Arquitectonica (the design force behind other local projects, including The Ritz-Carlton Residences & Spa in Sunny Isles Beach). The yacht-inspired architecture features curved balconies, floor-to-ceiling windows, and sprawling outdoor spaces. Inside, Dutch design superstar firm Studio Piet Boon has incorporated organic elements through an earthy color scheme, natural materials and textures like wood and limestone, and lush greenery. Residences will range from 2,800 to 6,400 square feet and many will feature spacious living and dining rooms, bedrooms, walk-in closets, and private garages. But those who really want to live it up should consider the penthouses with ocean views and private rooftop pools.

“South Florida now has a neighborhood for everyone. No matter your lifestyle, you can find a market that fulfills you,” Jon Paul Perez, president of Related, tells T+L. “In the case of Hillsboro Beach, it’s an area that’s perfect for those looking for a quiet, beachfront escape that also happens to be a short drive away from the world’s best entertainment, shopping, and dining."

Rosewood Residences Hillsboro Beach, in the spirit of offering residents hotel-like amenities, will have a wellness center with a spa and a beauty salon, tennis and pickleball courts, several restaurants, an oceanfront pool with cabanas, and access to a private beach with food and drink service.

As Rosewood continues to expand, the brand revealed that more than half of its upcoming hospitality projects will include residences for sale. Condos at Rosewood Residences Hillsboro Beach start at $4 million.

A court struck down a building height variance for Dezer Development and the Related Group’s proposed 10-story condo project in Hillsboro Beach.

The Fort Lauderdale court’s move quashed a development order that Hillsboro Beach had issued for the site at 1174-1185 Hillsboro Mile, after the town council approved the height variance.

“It is clear that the essential requirements of the law were not followed in the granting of the subject variance,” Judges John Bowman, Ernest Kollra and Mariya Weekes of the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Fort Lauderdale wrote in their ruling last week.

The impact on the development isn’t immediately clear. “It is our policy to refrain from commenting on ongoing litigation,” a spokesperson for Related Group said in a statement. “We wish to emphasize that the court’s opinion is not final. Consequently, we have no comment at this time.”

Sunny Isles Beach-based Dezer Development, led by Gil Dezer, acquired the two-parcel development site on the Hillsboro Mile section of State Road A1A out of bankruptcy for $28.5 million in 2016. It then sold the assemblage to a joint venture with Coconut Grove-based Related, led by Jorge Pérez and Jon Paul Pérez, for $30 million in late 2020.

The 11.8-acre development site on both sides of Hillsboro Mile touches the Intracoastal Waterway on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on its east. The site is in an area where the town limits building height to 35 feet — or three stories. After winning the height variance in January of last year, Related and Dezer planned to build a 10-story, 130-foot-tall condo building on the east parcel, and a three-story condo building on the west parcel.

Earlier this month, Dezer and Related started marketing the 92-unit boutique condo development as Rosewood Residences Hillsboro Beach in a branding deal with Rosewood Hotels and Resorts.

But three residents of Hillsboro Beach who live within 500 feet of the development filed a complaint challenging the legality of the building height variance that the developers requested for the east parcel.

The New Pelican first reported the ruling.

Related and Dezer Development argued that the variance was justified because a bushy 2.8-acre dune is part of the 6.4-acre east parcel and constitutes a hardship. Broward County has designated the dune as a conservation area since 1992.

But “the record is devoid of any indication by the applicant [Related Group] that, without the variance, no reasonable use could be made of the property,” the court said in its ruling. “In fact, an appraisal prepared by a real estate advisory and valuation service for Hillsboro shows that a low-rise structure conforming to the requirements of Hillsboro’s code is entirely possible and profitable.”

Tourists and locals alike were stunned on the Pompano Beach pier Monday when a large American Crocodile swam right under them.

For some it was downright scary.

"That’s absolutely crazy, I’d never think a croc would be in the ocean, I go swimming here all the time,” said Jayna Butcher, who lives near Pompano Beach.

But reptile researchers say the sighting shouldn’t come as a surprise. Crocodiles are known to wander, and it’s common for them to swim out inlets and into the ocean.

"Something like the pier will be a place for them to hide, a place for food to eat, they do that and it’s not an unusual behavior,” said Frank Mazzotti, who has studied reptiles for decades.

In fact, an American Crocodile came up onto Hollywood Beach in 2019, causing quite a stir. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers removed it and returned it to a safer spot.

Mazzotti says it’s the reason why they come out to the ocean that remains a mystery.

“For example, this time of year it’s not seeking mates, maybe it’s looking for food. I don’t know, but they show up near piers in a lot of places isn’t unusual because once they get out they’re attracted to structures,” said Mazzotti.

American Crocodiles are more docile and reclusive compared to other crocodiles around the world.

“They’re not aggressive and what they eat are crabs, fish," Mazzotti said. "Mammals like us are not on their diet."

But he warns if you see one, you should calmly move away. Everyone we spoke to on the beach said now that they know, they will have their eyes peeled.

“Just knowing that could be in the water makes you think twice," said Butcher. "I’ll stay in the shallow end."

“I would go back in the water, just not out very deep,” laughed Cheryl Lister, visiting from Kansas.

Mazzotti says there are about 2,000 American Crocodiles in South Florida, mainly in southern Miami-Dade County and Monroe County. There are some in Broward County, but in much fewer numbers.