Rendering courtesy of Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is setting its sites on Fort Lauderdale with a dual-branded development project that will include properties from the company’s new four-star Tribute Portfolio collection and environmentally friendly Element brand.

The 209-room Tribute Portfolio hotel and 114-room Element property are scheduled to open in spring 2017.

“We have a strong and growing presence in South Florida and look forward to bringing both our Tribute Portfolio and Element brands to the Fort Lauderdale market,” said Alison Reid, Starwood’s senior vice president of North America development

Starwood said it hopes to grow the collection of four-star, independent Tribute Portfolio hotels to 100 by 2020. The collection made its debut in April with the opening of the Royal Palm South Beach Miami. In short order, Starwood said it plans to unveil properties in Asheville, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; Savannah, Ga.; and Charleston, S.C.

The Fort Lauderdale Tribute Portfolio and Element properties will share a range of facilities, including a seventh-floor lobby, a restaurant serving three meals a day, a bar, a fitness center and a 24th-floor indoor/outdoor pool deck with cabanas. The development project will also include 12,000 feet of ground-floor retail space.

The hotels will be situated in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s trendy Flagler District.

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