A new hotel may be coming to West Palm Beach, as first reported by the Palm Beach Post. The economy is on the rise. There are signs of growth and new construction almost everywhere you look.
The area in question is now a valet lot for the Hilton on Okeechobee Boulevard behind the condos at Two City Plaza but could it be transformed into a new boutique hotel?
“We're very excited about the possibility of it,” said John Parkinson, the general manager of the Hilton West Palm Beach. “It hasn't been confirmed yet.”
The same developer, Related, owns both properties. A spokeswoman for Related says there are no firm plans yet to construct a hotel but if one is built it would geared toward the convention center crowd.
“It's going to be a high end hotel similar to the Hilton that we have here,” said Parkinson.
Developers are considering a 200-room hotel. It would either be an extension of the Hilton or a different model.
“We haven't talked about a brand,” said Parkinson. “This hotel started to come up as we started to look at growing the convention center.”
The new convention center parking garage is proof that business is booming and Parkinson said so far, the Hilton has been a success. “It couldn't be better,” said Parkinson. “We exceeded all our initial projections the hotel was going to have.”
It's conveniently located across from CityPlace.
“I think it would do well but I think it's very congested,” said Connie McLaughlin, a shopper from Boynton Beach. “I don't know about parking and everything.”
Ruta Varnavicius, of West Palm Beach, added, “I don't mind; the Hilton was a very good addition to CityPlace.”
A spokeswoman for the developer said bookings at the Hilton are up so much because it's a favorite of the national media here covering President Donald Trump.
She says the developer will continue to monitor the need for another hotel.