(Picture from the hotel's website)

Ft. Lauderdale Beach is continuing it's quest to become more of an 'upscale' destination.  The Sheraton Yankee Trader Hotel will close on June 1 for some major renovations that will take until early 2009.  Once complete, the property will emerge as a Westin four-star resort.  The hotel currently has 459 rooms and will lose 26 during renovations.  This will pave the way for larger meeting rooms, a spa and a few other upgrades yet to be disclosed.  The price tag of the renovation is estimated at around $65 million.

This will be quite the improvement and the new rooms might average $250 to $400 a night.  There have been rumors of the fate of the property since it was bought by Starwood Capital Group in 2005.  Along with the major changes at the Trader, the hotel's 'sister' property the 600 room, Sheraton Yankee Clipper, will be getting a 'multi-million dollar' renovation that could start later this year. 

I've walked into each of these hotels and they are in desperate need of an upgrade.  The reviews on TripAdvisor have been pretty harsh.  Lets just hope there will be a good enough mix of upscale and mid-priced hotels on the beach so that more people can enjoy our beaches.  Ft. Lauderdale Beach has sure come a long way in 20 years.  Some people think it's for the better...some think it's for the worse.  I'll do what I can to bring you updates as the construction begins...and of course some pictures once it opens.