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THE CONRAD FORT LAUDERDALE BEACH – THE NEWEST LUXURY PROPERTY IN TOWN

By Maggie Halligan

The Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach, a Hilton property, opened in 2017 and is the newest luxury property in Fort Lauderdale.  This is an all-suites hotel with an abundance of amazing upscale touches.  The property sits north of the major hustle and bustle of the area and has a number of great dining options nearby and inside the hotel.  We feel this is a great option for leisure, small meeting groups or incentive travel.  Right next door, the Four Seasons is currently doing construction on a new luxury hotel and private residences, anticipated to open in late 2021. 

When we arrived to the property, the driveway was filled with luxury vehicles with everything from a Rolls Royce down, so we knew we were in the right place!!!  Shown below are some of the photos we took within a 24 hour period.

Upon arrival we found the staff to be extremely accommodating.  Our room was a Junior Suite, which is their lowest level of suites, and we found it to be extremely spacious.  These suites have a partial ocean view, living room, a marble bathroom with a shower and a bathtub, and the suite was completed with a kitchenette with Sub Zero and Wolf Gourmet appliances, which included a small cooking range, microwave, sink, refrigerator, etc.   Typically the rooms would have a full mini-bar, but due to the current COVID-19 restrictions these have been removed.  However, you are able to pick-up everything you need, including alcohol, from the Cornacupia Gourmet Market on property.

CORNACOPIA GOURMET MARKET

The property has a variety of suites:

  • Studio 2 Queens:  2 Queen Beds – 500 sq. ft.
  • Junior Suite Partial View King | King Bed & Sofa Bed – 650 sq. ft.
  • Junior Suite Poolside Duplex | King Bed & Sofa Bed – 650 sq. ft.
  • 1 Bedroom Residence Intracoastal/Oceanview | King Bed & Sofa Bed – 770 sq. ft. + Terrace
  • 1 Bedroom Residence Duplex | King Bed & Sofa Bed – 1,100 sq. ft. + Terrace
  • 2 Bedroom Residence Oceanfront | 1 King, 1 Queen & Sofa Bed – 1,200 sq. ft. + Terrace
  • 3 Bedroom Residence Intracoastal/Oceanfront | 1 King & 2 Queen Beds – 1,700 sq. ft. + Terrace

If you are an American Express Card holder, you will receive the complimentary benefits courtesy of the FINE HOTELS & RESORTS® program.  Since the hotel was sold out, we were not able to obtain the upgrade, but the other benefits were absolutely amazing:

  • Noon check-in, when available
  • Suite upgrade upon arrival, when available
  • Daily Breakfast for two people: Continental breakfast for two daily (a total value of $60/night)
  • Complimentary in-suite WiFi
  • Guaranteed 4pm late check-out
  • FHR Special Amenity:  $100 property credit to be used during your stay (excludes Benneto Uomo, valet parking and resort fee)

The culinary mission of the property is to serve authentic cuisine with an emphasis on sustainability and empowering the local community. On-property you will find the Atlas Cocktail Lounge (lobby bar), the Spinnaker Pool Grill, Cornucopia Gourmet Market and the Takato Restaurant.

  • Takato features an upscale Japanese-Korean fusion experience.
  • Cornucopia Gourmet Market has specialty coffees, freshly baked pastries, homemade pizza and more.
  • Spinnaker Pool Grill serves casual fare and fresh cocktails poolside
  • 24 hour in-suite dining
  • Atlas Cocktail Lounge is more of a speakeasy lounge type atmosphere with craft cocktails. 

The Takato Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is an absolutely fantastic place to enjoy the breeze coming off the ocean. The food and cocktail menus have been carefully crafted.

The Atlas Cocktail Lounge was a great place to relax and have their craft bartenders entertain us with amazing cocktails.

THE ATLAS COCKTAIL BAR
SMOKEY MAKER’S MARK OLD FASHION AT THE ATLAS COCKTAIL LOUNGE

The Spa features 3 treatment rooms. However, they are able to set-up Junior Suites to add additional space and treatment options.  The fitness room has high-tech fitness equipment and wellness classes. 

If you are looking to bring a meeting or incentive group to the property, they have a variety of options to accommodate any needs you may have.  The Office, which is right off of the Atlas Cocktail Lounge and has a private entrance, is perfect for private check-ins, hospitality suite or a gifting room.

THE LIBRARY

The board room is on the main floor with private bathrooms, a white board, private foyer area, and a ton of space.  This room also has amazing natural light and we feel would be a great option for board retreats, etc.! 

BOARD ROOM

In terms of additional meeting and event space, we were particularly impressed with the conference space, which boasts an abundance of natural light and high ceilings are found in almost all of the meeting rooms. A top of the line Video Room has also been set-up to accommodate hybrid meeting videos, cooking demonstrations, etc.  The Video Room also has the ability to be set-up with a live audience.

VIDEO ROOM

The pool on the terrace is set back on the side of the hotel in order to make room for the Ocean Front Terrace. During the day, this space is used for additional lounge chairs.  There is an amazing amount of space in this area with different levels to create various options for your event set-up. Around the pool there are Junior Suites, which may be transformed into hospitality suites.  Each suite overlooking the pool comes with 2 reserved lounge chairs, which is key!!! When you go to the pool bar, be sure to ask for Miguel. 😉

Between the hotel and the beach is N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd, also known as A1A. On the beach the hotel offers complimentary beach lounge chairs and umbrellas.  This service on the beach is run by an outside company for all of the properties along the beach in this area.  They open at 9am and it is advised that you get out there early to select the seating you want, but you can come back later for your fun in the sun.  Now, technically, alcohol is not allowed on the beach.  But……….I bring my water bottle and drink it out of my own big cup with a lid and straw.  😉  You can always walk across the street and go to the pool bar to order drinks and food.  Another alternative is to have the Cornucopia Gourmet Market make you picnic baskets with food and drinks to take with you to the beach.   

Overall, we had an amazing experience and I would absolutely go back, whether it is for business or leisure.