Major Changes Planned at Boca Raton (Fla.) Resort & Club

MSD Partners, which purchased the Florida property for $875 million from Blackstone in June 2019, plans to demolish the resort’s Great Hall ballroom, which totals 41,900 sq. ft., and replace it with a 10,000-sq.-ft. event space for meetings, conferences and special events. Pools, a surfing simulator, slides, cafes, cabanas, a lazy river, a kid’s “splash pad” and an outdoor restaurant are also in the plans.

MSD Partners is seeking to make major changes to the Boca Raton (Fla.) Resort & Club, The Real Deal reported. Billionaire Michael Dell’s New York-based development group plans to significantly reduce the hotel’s banquet space and instead add more space to the pool area. The plans were filed with the city of Boca Raton in May and will go before the Planning and Zoning Board on July 9.

Last year, a Fitch Ratings report revealed MSD Partners planned to invest $75 million into the 34.4-acre Boca Raton Resort & Spa, The Real Deal reported. MSD Partners purchased the 1,047-room resort for $875 million from Blackstone in June 2019. C+RB reported on the transaction at the time.

The plans would change some of the restaurants at the property and would move the upscale Morimoto sushi restaurant to another location at the resort, The Real Deal reported. The new Morimoto restaurant location will replace the existing Monkey Bar and will include a 3,550-sq.-ft. expansion to the existing outdoor Bocce courts, according to the proposal.

The developer is also looking to demolish the resort’s Great Hall ballroom, which totals 41,900 sq. ft., The Real Deal reported. It will be replaced by the Mizner Ballroom, a 10,000-sq.-ft. event space for meetings, conferences and special events.

The resort also plans to add pools, a surfing simulator, slides, cafes, cabanas, a lazy river, a kid’s “splash pad” and an outdoor restaurant, The Real Deal reported.

“Despite the tear-downs, renovations and improvements made over the years, the Boca Resort … is not the global player in the luxury hotel market that it once was,” the proposal said. “Significant renovations internal to the building, improvements to the property and new world-class amenities are required to transform the property back to such a world-class resort.”

About The Author

Rob Thomas

Rob Thomas, Editor-in-Chief, is based in Cleveland, Ohio. He's a member of the Golf Writers Association of America and a long-time golf course rater. Married with three children, Rob enjoys golf when not participating in activities with his family. Follow him on Twitter (@AmGolferBlog) and listen to him on the Club + Resort Talks podcast.

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