South Florida-based B Hotels & Resorts® is on the move with two additions to their portfolio and a new ‘value-full-service’ category, b2 hotels. At the 34th Annual NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference, B Hotels & Resorts® announced its first b2 hotel and the third location for the parent B brand.
B Hotels & Resorts® announced it will open its next hotel in the Downtown Disney® Resort area in the fall of 2013. The B in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, is going to offer a family-friendly lifestyle experience within one of the most popular tourist destinations, the Walt Disney World® Resort. The B resort, currently the 394-room Royal Plaza, is ideally situated within walking distance to Downtown Disney®, and easy access to all Walt Disney World® and Orlandotheme parks, as well as numerous shopping, dining, entertainment and nightlife venues. The property was acquired by InSite Group and Cube Capital in December 2011and will remain operational during a complete renovation and repositioning. It will be officially launched as part of the B Hotels & Resorts® family in the fourth quarter of 2013, joining the AAA Four Diamond Rated B Ocean Fort Lauderdale which opened March 2011, and the B South Beach which is planned to open first quarter of 2013.
The company’s first b2 hotel will debut in downtown Miamiat the site of the former Continental Bayside Hotel located at Biscayne Boulevard. The 243-room property, which will undergo an extensive renovation and open as b2 miami downtown, is steps from the Port of Miami, the shops and restaurants of Bayside Marketplace, world-class cultural and arts venues, and the American Airlines Arena (home of the NBA’s Miami HEAT). b2 miami downtown is in a prime location to benefit from leisure travel including its proximity to the largest passenger cruise port in the world. Surrounded by 16 million square feet of office space and city, state and federal court houses, it will also attract corporate travel and local business opportunities. The property was acquired by InSite Group and affiliates of The Carlyle Group in September 2011. The hotel is expected to open as b2 hotel in the first quarter of 2013.