• Luxury Resorts International is developing The Atlantic, a five-star 123-suite hotel and condominium to be managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Luxury Collection on Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard at Terramar  Street. Included will be a gourmet beachfront restaurant, oceanfront pool, private cabanas and a European-style spa. Contact Premier Sales Group at (561) 393-3993, (954) 776-6633. 

• Plans have been unveiled for The Capri, a $150 million convention resort and timeshare residence to be built on Fort Lauderdale Beach.  Dalco Development and Sable Resorts will build the 346-room, 171 timeshare residences on Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard (A1A) between Riomar  Street and Bayshore Drive. The two 26-floor towers will feature approximately 25,000 square feet of flexible meeting space including a 10,000 square-foot ballroom. Contact Joe Biordi at Adache Architects at (954) 525-8133. 

• Construction will begin April 2002 on Costa Dorada, a five-star condo-hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach. The 22-story building will include 278 oceanfront units, a 13,000-square-foot spa, more than 14,000 square feet of meeting space, outdoor heated pool and a fine restaurant.  Completion is scheduled for December 2003. Contact Rosalia Picot at (305)  461-8300. 

• Hospitality Operations, Inc. broke ground in January on a 156-room Hampton Inn, located on N. Andrews Ave. in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The 11-story property is budgeted at $15 million. Expected opening date is  January 2002. Contact Province Park at (305) 663-3543. 

• Hilton Garden Inn, a scaled down version of a full service Hilton, has plans for a 159-room hotel in Dania Beach. For more information, call (561) 241-0059.                   

• Hilton Garden Inn Fort Lauderdale/Miramar will be opening February 2002 and will feature 150 guestrooms and 2,000 square feet of meeting space. Contact Jeff Schneider at (954) 438-7700.            

• A 400-room, four-star, full service Marriott hotel is scheduled to open in Sunrise adjacent to Sawgrasss Mills and the $212 million National Car Rental Center, home to the Florida Panthers hockey team. The property will include 8,000 square feet of meeting space and will be managed by Marriott International. Construction started June 2000. Contact  John Hearns at (954) 525-4000. 

• Renaissance Hotel Plantation will open a full-service 250-room property in Plantation in August 2002. The nine-story property will include 9,875 square feet of meeting space, including a 5,000-square-foot multi-purpose ballroom. Contact Kirk Hart at (954) 723-0300.                      

• The Riverside Hotel, a landmark in downtown Fort Lauderdale since 1937, has started a world class expansion project, which will be completed mid-2002. Included in the expansion are 112 guestrooms and four suites, bringing the total number of rooms to 215. An additional 7,400 square feet of meeting space will be added, bringing the total to 10,000 square feet. A seven-floor valet parking garage with spaces for 500 cars and retail space are also included in the plans. Contact Mary Mathurin at (954) 467-0671.                      

• Plans were announced for a Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Resort in Hollywood. The $300 million project will feature 750 rooms, a health spa, lakeside beach club, gaming facilities and a retail and entertainment complex, including a Hard Rock Café and Hard Rock retail store. The complex will also include a 1,000-seat Hard Rock Live entertainment venue.  Contact Gary Bitner at (954) 730-7730.                    

• Construction of Florida's first St. Regis Hotel, the St. Regis Hotel and Residences, is scheduled to begin in January 2002 with an expected August 2003 opening. A 23-story tower will offer 234-rooms. Major features of the $160 million resort include luxury suites with marble accented bathrooms, a five-star gourmet restaurant, elevated walkway to the beach with air conditioning, a full-service European spa, 22,000 square feet of meeting space including a 12,000-square-foot ballroom, a 29,000-square-foot pool deck and a grand stairway entrance that faces the Atlantic. There will be 29 condominium residences plus 20 quarterly ownership opportunities. Contact Elaine Azen at (561) 447-7188.                  

• Marriott will be opening a Weston Courtyard by Marriott in February 2002. This new generation property will feature 174 king/queen rooms, five meeting rooms, complimentary high-speed Internet access and local phone calls plus business library, lobby bar and 24-hour food selection. Contact Mike Sellge at (954) 343-2225, (407) 509-4555.                   

• The reopening of a South Florida landmark, The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa is scheduled for January 2002. The 1,000-room, 39-story property, managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts, will feature an adjacent 209,000-square-foot convention center including a 50,000-square-foot  Great Hall. The Diplomat Country Club & Spa, which is now open, features 60 guestrooms and an 18-hole golf course. The 30,000-square-foot European spa opened in October 2000. For more information, call (954) 457-2000. 

Hotels Recently Opened or Renovated (20 hotels with approximately 3,200 rooms): 

• The 250-room, business class Crowne Plaza at Sawgrass Mills opened December 2001 in Sunrise. The property includes more than 8,000 square feet of meeting space. Contact Carol Montoya at (954) 851-1020. 

• Residence Inn opened in Weston, December 2001. The property features 100 rooms. Contact Ariadna Vidal at (954) 659-8585. 

• Hampton Inn Fort Lauderdale Airport North opened December 2001. The property features 109 guestrooms and will be managed by Vista Host Incorporated. Contact Nikki Thomas at (954) 524-9900. 

• Towneplace Suites opened in Weston, October 2001. The property features 95 guestrooms. Contact Marchelle DiCaprio at (954) 659-2234. 

• AmeriSuites Weston Hotel & Plaza opened fall 2001. The property features 128 suites and 900 square feet of meeting space. Contact Angele Bentley at (954) 659-1555. 

• Marriott's Harbor Beach Resort and Spa has just completed the second phase of a $36 million renovation to its 637 guest rooms and suites. The resort's new $8 million, 24,000-square-foot world-class spa, the largest oceanfront spa of this magnitude in Greater Fort Lauderdale, opened June 1, 2001. Also new is 3030 Ocean, a chic bistro restaurant and sea bar.   Contact Nancy J. Friedman at (212) 228-1500.                 

• The Wingate Inn recently opened in Miramar and is the city's first hotel. The $8.5 million property features 100 rooms and is geared toward the corporate traveler. Contact Province Park at (305) 663-3543, (954) 441-0122.                     

• A new Comfort Suites in Davie opened June 2001 and offers 77 suites.   Contact Terri Kringel at (954) 689-7177.                    

• The full-service Renaissance Fort Lauderdale owned by Marriott opened June 2001. The 233-room property, located on SE 17th Street across from the Broward County Convention Center, includes 6,000 square feet of meeting space and Darrel & Oliver's Bistro, an upscale specialty restaurant. Contact Chris Pollack at (954) 467-1667.                     

• Marriott Fort Lauderdale North, a 321-room property, launched a $7 million improvement plan. Managed by Allied Hospitality, the first phase -- including upgraded guest amenities, increased guest to staff ratio, full-time concierge and new chef -- has been completed. Phase two includes physical improvements ranging from refurnishing guest rooms and meeting/banquet space to the installation of high speed Internet links in every guestroom. Contact Andrea Knibbs at (954) 428-4477.                   

• Staybridge Suites by Holiday Inn opened in Plantation, November 2000 and features 141 suites with full kitchens. For more information, call (954) 577-9696.                     

• Comfort Suites by Choice Hotels, featuring 70 rooms, opened on Sept. 14, 2000. It is located on Commercial Blvd. near the Executive Airport in Fort Lauderdale. For more information, call (954) 315-2900.                    

• Towne Place Suites by Marriott, a 95-room property, opened in September 1999.                 

• The Radisson Resort Coral Springs opened May 1999. The property features 224 guestrooms, a 17,000-square-foot conference center, restaurant and outdoor terrace. The resort is situated adjacent to the new Tournament Players Club Golf Course in Heron Bay, managed by the PGA and home of the Honda Classic. For more information, call (954) 753-5598.                      

• Crossland opened a 129-room property in Fort Lauderdale on Commercial Boulevard at 31st Street in March 1999. For more information, call (877) 276-7752.                   

• A 168-suite, $12 million SpringHill Suites Marriott opened in Dania Beach, February 1999. For more information, call (954) 920-9696                     

• Extended Stay America has opened several new hotels in Greater Fort Lauderdale over the past several years: The 117- room Extended Stay America Convention Center opened on the 17th Street Causeway in July 1999; a 72-room Extended Stay America StudioPLUS opened in April 1999 in the Cypress Creek area; a 104-room Deerfield Beach property opened in 1998 and a 108-room Extended Stay America opened in Fort Lauderdale in March 1998.