Slated to open in fall, 2021, Florida International University is adding a conference center and hotel.
The Florida Board of Governors approved a public-private partnership to establish a new Miami conference center and hotel on the main campus of Florida International University (FIU). The campus is located on the Tamiami Trail, about 15 minutes from Miami International Airport and about 40 minutes from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.
The $66 million privately-funded project will include about 33,000 sf of meeting space and a 150-bed hotel as well as a 13,700 square-foot alumni center. It will be South Florida’s first university-affiliated conference center and hotel. This kind of facility, common in large research universities, is part of a larger vision for development that includes mixed-use buildings.
“This project brings together our vision for an alumni center with a privately-funded hotel and conference center that will serve the university and surrounding business community and will draw added visitors and job creation to our area,” said Kenneth A. Jessell, FIU senior vice president for finance and administration and CFO.
The project will be developed by Concord Benchmark LLC. and designed by Rabun Architects, Inc. The Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund of the State of Florida must sign off on the project before construction can begin.
The new conference center and hotel will be across the street from a planned seven-acre, two-tower mixed-use complex. A third tower will provide housing for faculty and staff, along with several hundred thousand square feet of commercial space focused on uses that are complementary to the mission of the university such as incubators, software development, and training facilities. The first phase of the multi-use complex is under construction.
