On the eve of Thanksgiving, officials at Palm Beach’s newest luxury hotel expressed their gratitude as they opened the doors to the Palm House, which has not welcomed guests since closing 17 years ago under different owners. have something to do.
The town issued a “partial” certificate of occupancy to the hotel at 160 Royal Palm Way, which has been extensively renovated, early Nov. 27, according to Wayne Bergman, director of planning, zoning and architecture. He said guests can now occupy 36 of the hotel’s 79 rooms.
The hotel’s official opening time of 3 p.m., which is owned by an affiliate of London-based L+R Hotels and branded as part of the company’s Iconic Luxury Hotel Collection, will be Self-imposed deadlines were met.
Berman said a certificate of occupancy was issued after a building inspection was completed. In addition to the guest rooms, the certificate of occupancy also includes the opening of the hotel’s key public spaces, including the lobby and Palm Bar, pool area, 88-seat dining room, and two kitchens.
The hotel investment and management company purchased the Palm House property in a court-approved bankruptcy sale in 2019 for nearly $40 million. The owners then undertook a three-year renovation project.
Early on Nov. 27, the hotel issued a statement saying the public can expect a so-called soft opening, giving staff time to improve operations and resolve issues.
“Palm House opens today and welcomes guests to experience a new standard of luxury hospitality in the Palm Beach community,” said Chris Jaycock, the hotel’s general manager, in a statement.
“As our hotel team finds its flow for the start of the Palm Beach season, we will prioritize lower occupancy rates in the first few weeks to ensure the highest level of service.”
Bergman said crews have been working for the past week to get approval from City Hall, which requires a building inspection and so-called business tax receipts.
The Palm Beach Daily News could not confirm when the remaining rooms and other parts of the hotel will receive their own certificates of occupancy.
The opening of the hotel marks a new chapter in the hotel’s checkered history.
The building operated as the Heart of Palm Beach Hotel until 2007, when it was purchased by a company controlled by former developer Robert V. Matthews. He is currently serving a 65-month sentence in a federal prison in Pensacola after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering while using investor funds earmarked for property renovations.
Continued renovations over the years under Matthews and briefly different owners came to an abrupt halt in 2014 amid an ownership rift. The property’s complicated history included not only criminal charges, but also local ordinance violations, an SEC investigation, and bankruptcy.
Work did not resume until L&R purchased the property for a record $39.6 million in a court-approved deal five years ago.
Following the sale, L+R Hotels Managing Director Desmond Taljado told the Palm Beach Daily News that the company will transform the property into a “spectacular” destination hotel.
But he acknowledged at the time that construction work on the site would be extensive.
Taljar said there is “quite a lot of work to be done”, including replacing electrical and other systems on the site, as well as extensive interior and exterior work.
The total number of rooms at Palm House includes 21 suites. Rates for a double occupancy room will start at $1,289 during the “peak season” and drop to $499 during the off-season, hotel officials said. The hotel’s website, PalmHouse.com, is already live.
The Palm House is the first U.S. property to open under the iconic luxury hotel brand.
L+R, known as London and Regional Group Hotel Holdings, has a portfolio of more than 105 hotels around the world, including the Marriott Hotel in West Palm Beach.
The iconic luxury hotel portfolio also includes Britain’s Cliveden House, which attracted international headlines in 2018 when Meghan Markle stayed there the night before her wedding to Prince Harry.
The Palm House renovation was designed by Atlanta-based Cooper Carey Architects, with interior design by London-based Muza Lab and art by consultant Minda Dowling. Hedrick Brothers of West Palm Beach is the general contractor.
The Palm House joins 10 other hotels operating in Palm Beach. That includes the oldest and largest, The Breakers, located about a mile north of the Palm House in Midtown. The former Chesterfield, another Midtown landmark hotel, is being renovated and is scheduled to reopen as The Vineta early next year.
Portions of this article previously appeared in the Palm Beach Daily News.
(This story has been updated with a photo.)
dhofheinz@pbdailynews.com
*
This is a developing story. Please check again for the latest information. Portions of this article previously appeared in the Palm Beach Daily News.
*
Darrell Hofheinz is a Florida journalist for the USA TODAY Network who writes about Palm Beach real estate in his weekly “Beyond the Hedges” column. He welcomes information regarding real estate news on the island. Email dhofheinz@pbdailynews.com, call 561-820-3831 or tweet @PBDN_Hofheinz. Please support our journalism. Subscribe now.
