South Florida’s biggest hotel lobbying organization lobby is cheering a Fontainebleau makeover now headed to preservation review in Miami Beach.
The Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association (GMBHA) is urging the city’s Historic Preservation Board to approve Fontainebleau Miami Beach’s proposed “family-friendly improvements,” arguing the project would help keep the city competitive as a global hospitality destination.
In a letter to the Board, GMBHA President and CEO Curtis Crider framed the plan as a reinvestment play for the broader hotel ecosystem, calling such projects “essential” to Miami Beach’s economic future.
The group said the proposal would enhance the guest and resident experience while respecting the resort’s historic character.
“Projects like this are not only beneficial, but they are also essential,” Crider wrote. “On behalf of the hotel community, we believe this initiative strengthens the city’s competitiveness, supports sustainable economic growth, and reflects the evolution necessary to ensure Miami Beach’s continued success.”
Fontainebleau Development, led by Chair and CEO Jeffrey Soffer, said the proposal is designed to “responsibly repurpose” existing outdoor areas without expanding the hotel’s amenity footprint or altering its architectural character.
“Fontainebleau is an institution in Miami, from its iconic design to the incredible experiences it has long offered, and it remains as a part of what makes Miami Beach so special,” he said in a statement.
Anthony Stahl, Fontainebleau’s Senior Vice President of Development, said the goal is a “thoughtful evolution” that preserves what makes the Fontainebleau iconic while ensuring “it continues to resonate with today’s families.”
GMBHA’s endorsement adds organized industry support as the long-running debate over Miami Beach’s identity — party town, family destination, or both — continues to shape major redevelopment proposals.
The Fontainebleau, designed by architect Morris Lapidus and opened in 1954, is one of Miami Beach’s signature MiMo-era landmarks and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The city’s Historic Preservation Board reviews alterations affecting designated historic properties and recommends guidelines for evaluating proposed changes.
Recent reporting has described Fontainebleau’s plan as a sweeping rework of its outdoor pool deck aimed at attracting more families, including a proposed water-park concept featuring 11 waterslides — one reportedly about 120 feet tall — along with other pool-deck upgrades.
The concept has drawn attention because it would require Preservation Board scrutiny for work on a historically significant site, even as the developer argues it can be achieved through reconfigured, existing outdoor spaces rather than an expanded footprint.
A Preservation Board hearing on the project was scheduled for Jan. 13, but the city canceled the meeting Monday. The Board’s next meeting is on Feb. 10, though the construction of a new fire station building is currently the only matter on the agenda.
