This Iconic Florida Hotel Just Reopened After a $1-billion Renovation—With a Rotating Rooftop Bar and a Massive Superyacht Marina

• The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hotel closed after Hurricane Irma, but has reopened after $1-billion renovation.
• It now has a spa, three pools, and 12 restaurants.
• With a new tower, there Pier Sixty-Six has 325 rooms and 88 residences.

Pier Sixty-Six with its eye-catching midcentury modern design, has been one of Fort Lauderdale’s most beloved hospitality destinations for decades. In 2017, the hotel was forced to close after it sustained heavy water damage from Hurricane Irma. But as of January, Pier Sixty-Six is officially back open for business after a massive, $1 billion renovation.

The 32-acre property that the hotel sits upon was originally developed in the 1950s by Phillips 66 Petroleum, who used the land as a fuel dock. The hotel, with its iconic 66-spire facade, made its debut in 1965 with an expansive marina and its signature rotating rooftop lounge, the Pier Top, that attracted celebrities from Walter Cronkite to Frank Sinatra with its glitzy views of the Atlantic.

After its extensive makeover, the hospitality mega-complex now boasts a new additional hotel tower, 325 rooms, 88 private residences, a new 13,000-square-foot spa, three pools, and 12 restaurants. Fort Lauderdale is known as the “Yachting Capital of the World,” and a crown jewel of the property is the Pier Sixty-Six Marina, one of the largest superyacht marinas on the East Coast—it has 164 slips that can accommodate vessels up to 400 feet in length. But perhaps the most hotly anticipated feature of the hotel is the historic, rotating Pier Top, slated to reopen in March—and it’s leaning heavily into its luxury x-factor.

“Pier Top reveals 360-degree views of the Atlantic Ocean, skyline, cruise port, and marina and [offers] modernized dishes like retro caviar pie, featuring 125 grams of Golden Osetra caviar, house-smoked salmon, whipped crème fraîche, œufs mimosa, chives, all served in a tart shell like a pie and topped with gold leaf,” Colm O’Callaghan, Pier Sixty-Six vice president and managing director, said in a statement to Travel + Leisure.

However, while the Pier Top is preparing for its debut, there are still plenty of other restaurants to check out, ranging from Calusso, offering French and Italian Riviera-inspired seafood and pasta options, to Sotogrande, specializing in southern Spanish coastal cuisine and eastern Mediterranean flavors. 

“Pier Sixty-Six is Broward County’s first property in two decades with this many food and beverage destinations,” O’Callaghan said. 

After eating to their heart’s content, guests can relax and unwind at the expansive, soon-to-debut Zenova Spa & Wellness facility, which will feature body treatment rooms, a VIP suite, as well as a “snow room,” a fun alternative to a cold plunge. And if you’re looking to plan a get-together, the revamped Pier Sixty-Six has one of the largest event spaces in the city, with over 40,000 square feet for guests to utilize. 

To O’Callaghan, Pier Sixty-Six’s revival, with all of its shiny new amenities, is a larger symbol for the future of Fort Lauderdale.

“Pier Sixty-Six serves as a bridge between Fort Lauderdale’s past and the present cultural renaissance unfolding,” O’Callaghan said.

Nightly rates at Pier Sixty-Six start at $599.