Once planners have climbed up to the 15th floor to look down on their association’s logo in the sand on the resort’s private beach during a site visit, Christopher Bielski knows he has them hooked. “They always ask, ‘Can we get that during our event?’” says the director of sales and marketing for Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, to which he replies, “Of course!”
“That’s what is so great about owning our own quarter-mile of beach—we can do anything you want out there,” Bielski says. That includes throwing bonfires or evening receptions and serving alcohol and food without having to go through a city permit process like many other beachfront hotels.
The 650-room resort has always courted conferences with its 40,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and 60,000 square feet outdoors, but it recently completed a $7 million renovation that updated almost all of its meeting and prefunction spaces. The massive Ocean Ballroom was the only room left alone, as it was constructed in 2010. Renovations to the property’s signature restaurant, 3030 Ocean, with celebri-chef Paula DaSilva, are next on the docket. But for now, attendees can enjoy the “Hell’s Kitchen” alum’s signature brunch and crispy French toast that delights guests and locals who flock here in droves on the weekend.
During session breaks, sneak out to the enormous pool, walk a few blocks to the water taxi that will take you through Fort Lauderdale’s canals (the city is nicknamed “The Venice of America”) or pop into nearby Funky Buddha Brewery. The beloved local brewery is known for unusual brews like Fire in the Hole Raspberry Habanero Red Ale. It also has an indoor bocce court, and Marriott Harbor Beach’s catering team uses its eclectic concoctions in several of its dishes.
Insider Tip: Try a signature Tipsy Turtle cocktail—$1 from the sale of each goes to the National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation located in Fort Lauderdale. The hotel has also adopted Captain Jack, a local rescued sea turtle, and changes its business practices during nesting season.
