The Genting Group, the world's largest destination resort developer and operator, has unveiled plans for a multi-use development called Resorts World Miami that would be built along the Biscayne Bay waterfront. Genting, which in May purchased 13.9 acres of land currently occupied by The Miami Herald, provided details of the $3.8 billion project at a meeting last month, along with representatives from the Miami Downtown Development Authority and the mayor's office. The development will be built along a Baywalk beginning at the Miami River and running north to Margaret Pace Park.
“Resorts World Miami is going to be hub for tourists and retailers in an underutilized area,” said Alyce Robertson, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority.
The plan calls for four hotels—one luxury, one contemporary, one family, and one convention—with a total of 5,200 rooms, in addition to two residential towers with 1,000 units each. The resort will sit above eight stories of retail shops, more than 50 restaurants, lounges, bars, nightclubs, a high-tech multimedia entertainment area, and 700,00 square feet of convention and meeting space. Once completed, the 200,000-square-foot ballroom will be the largest in the United States. Developers are still waiting on approval from Florida's legislature and governor to go ahead with a casino addition.
Miami-based Arquitectonica has been chosen to design the waterfront resort. The facade of the buildings will sport designs inspired by a coral reef, a nod to the resort's surrounding environment and the city of Miami. Other project highlights include a 3.6-acre outdoor lagoon and natural sand beaches that will enable guests to swim from Biscayne Boulevard to the edge of Biscayne Bay. “We have a lot of activity going on in the Brickell area, and this will help spread that activity throughout our district," said Robertson.
The developer expects to begin work on the resort site next spring, with the project taking a minimum of three years to complete.
