WHAT'S NEW in Greater Fort Lauderdale

Summer and Fall Deals for All

Greater Fort Lauderdale's 2015 summer value season kicks off with a bang on May 1 with multiple programs that showcase the best of our resorts, attractions and culinary scene for individual visits and pre-and post-cruise stays. NEW IN 2015 is the extension of our Summer Savings Season to October 12!

Summer 2-for-1 Savings program grows to include restaurants and spas!

Enjoy 2-for-1 deals at more than 30 attractions, restaurants and spas from May 1-Oct 12. When combined with summer hotel values and low fare air service into FLL, summer in Greater Fort Lauderdale is fun, easy and affordable. To request a 2-for-1 Summer Savings card or to print a voucher, visit  sunny.org/summer

Vacation Like a VIP

Go luxe for less with a signature 'Vacation Like a VIP' package at our finest resorts, including room upgrade, complimentary valet parking, $100 resort credit, $25 American Express gift card and a glass of Prosecco for two at Villagio Ristorante in The Colonnade Outlets with valet parking at Sawgrass Mills, and 2-for-1 Summer Savings Card. The VIP package is offered exclusively at Lauderdale Luxe Collection hotels, including the Diplomat Resort & Spa, Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, Fort Lauderdale Marriott Pompano Beach Resort & Spa, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six, Lago Mar Resort & Club, The Pillars Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale, Sonesta Fort Lauderdale, W Fort Lauderdale and the Westin Beach Resort & Spa Fort Lauderdale. The VIP Package is valid May 1-Oct 12 with two-night minimum stay. Visit sunny.org/vip

September Value Month includes Dine Out Lauderdale

Also new in 2015 is the introduction of a special month-long “September to Remember,” promotion including 2-for-1 spa treatments, hotel deals, and Dine Out Lauderdale restaurant month! These are in addition to the Summer 2-for-1 Savings and “Vacation Like a VIP” already in progress, making September an unbeatable time to stay and play. Dine Out Lauderdale is a six-week celebration of the area's top restaurants, chefs and cuisine. From Sept 1 through Oct 12, a selection of Greater Fort Lauderdale restaurants will offer specially-created, three- course menus at a $35 fixed price. sunny.org/dineout. Enjoying the local restaurant scene is easy with the FREE Fork Lauderdale dining app free for Apple and Android users. 

Center  Stage

The live music scene heats up this summer with Lauderdale Live, a music festival in downtown Fort Lauderdale, June 20-21, with headliners Phillip Phillips and O.A.R.

The BB&T Center in Sunrise welcomes New Kids on the Block (June 4), Imagine Dragons (July 11) and Ariana Grande (July 18). The Hard Rock Live in Hollywood presents Bette Midler (May 8-9), Huey Lewis & The News (June 12), Alice in Chains (Aug 11). The Broward Center for the Performing Arts shows include West Side Story (May 1-2), Anything Goes (May 5-17), ESPN's Chris Berman (May 20), Peter Pan (July 3-11), Love Letters (July 21-26).

Broward 100: Broward County is celebrating its 100 year “sun”tennial in 2015, with year- round events and activities that highlight the “art of community,” including Inside Out, VisualEYES, Calendar 100 and a grand finale event, “Duende,” October 2-4, 2015, that will showcase Greater Fort Lauderdale's diverse talent in an exciting   way. Visit broward100.org for details, and to wish Broward County a happy  birthday.

Port Everglades, set to receive 4 million visitors in 2015, is upgrading facilities, including the recent $24 million Cruise Terminal 4 renovation with revamped transportation area, the adjacent Slip 2 will be extended to 1,150 feet of berth length to accommodate larger cruise ships. In December 2015, Costa Cruises will return to Port Everglades with the 2,826-passenger Costa Delizios. Royal Caribbean's newest Oasis-class cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, will replace Oasis of the Seas to offer a seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itinerary though its inaugural season beginning November 5, 2016. Holland America Line's ms Koningsdam will sail from Port Everglades on 10 and 11 day sailings following her inaugural season in the Mediterranean also in November 2016.

Cruise & Play: passengers can enjoy pre-and post cruise deals by simply showing their cruise documents or cabin keycard at participating attractions, hotels and venues for special offers. Visit  sunny.org/cruiseandplay

FLL news: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is in the midst  of a major renovation, including a new runway, new restaurants and concourse, and renovated terminals and skywalk designed by a local artist -- all designed to enhance the visitor experience. On the international front, flights from outside the U.S. now total 17% of traffic to the airport -- a direct result of new international service from Latin America and the Caribbean, including JetBlue Airways daily non-stop flights from Lima, Peru; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Punta Cana, DR also began this year. Copa Airlines began service from Panama City, Panama in July, increasing connectivity to key feeder markets in Central and South America. Azul Airlines debuted new service from Campinas/Sao Paulo, Brazil on Dec 2. TAME Airlines launched new flights from Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador this fall. Volaris kicked off new flights from Mexico City and Guadalajara in Dec. Norwegian Air Shuttle continues flights from Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, and London Gatwick. New nonstop domestic service: JetBlue from Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Jacksonville; Southwest from Dallas Love Field; Spirit from Houston and Cleveland; Allegiant from Syracuse and Columbus; Frontier flights from Cleveland, Washington Dulles and St. Louis.

hotel refresh

With more than $725 million in new development, and $222 million in reinvestment and renovations, the Greater Fort Lauderdale hotel landscape is undergoing an exciting metamorphosis. See round-up at sunny.org/newdevelopments. Highlights for 2015 include:

The 290-room, $34 million beachfront Conrad Fort Lauderdale Resort and Residences will feature a Conrad Spa, signature oceanfront restaurant and 15,000 square feet of event space with ocean views. A five-story, glass-enclosed “Jewel Box” connects east and west towers and will include 20,000 square feet of ballroom, event and meeting space. Expected opening late Fall 2015.

The new $147 million, 349-room Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort opens Summer 2015 on the Broadwalk as one of the first resorts to span the Intracoastal Waterway and the beach. It will feature seven restaurants/bars, multiple pools, full-service St. Somewhere Spa, double surf wave rider and 30,000 sq. ft. of flexible function space.

The former B Ocean Fort Lauderdale is now officially Sonesta Fort Lauderdale, the first in Fort Lauderdale; and the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, reflagged in December as the B Ocean Fort Lauderdale, with a multi-million six- month revitalization project including the addition of a beachfront terrace, reconfigured health club and reception  area.

Beachwalk Resort opens May/June 2015 along the Intracoastal Waterway in Hallandale Beach, with 216 resort units, infin- ity pool and restaurant. Its beachfront sister property, HYDE Resort will feature 367 resort units with pool with sweeping ocean views, spa, restaurant and access to the shared new Beach Club located on Hollywood beach.

The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale, a five-diamond resort, will undergo an extensive renovation to its guestrooms and public spaces in Summer 2015.

The 998-room Westin Diplomat Resort, was acquired by Thayer Lodging Group and reopened as the Diplomat Resort & Spa Hollywood, Curio Collection by Hilton, with a $100 million enhancement on tap.

A $5 million renovation for the Pelican Grand Beach Resort is underway, adding a new penthouse with 65 ft. oceanview terrace, new full-service oceanfront spa and new 1,400 sq. ft. Atlantic Ballroom, and 2,055 sq. ft. Ocean View Ballroom.