County set to seek 4-star Miami International Airport hotel offers

Three local firms shortlisted to build a 4-star, 350-key hotel at Miami International Airport have wrapped up individual negotiations with Miami-Dade County and a request for proposals (RFP) is to go out before Dec. 31. A response is due in early 2022, with one of the three to get the contract.

FDR Miami Hotel, Mainsail Development International and Parmco Airport Hospitality all have local ties and are interested in designing, building, operating and maintaining a hotel at the airport under a project agreement, with the chosen developer paying rent to the county.

“Once one of the firms is awarded the contract with approval by the Board of County Commissioners and it has obtained the necessary permits, the construction is expected to take three to three and a half years,” Greg Chin, Aviation Department communications director, emailed to Miami Today.

An Internal Services Department package issued in July 2020 says the project is a 53-year term contract, and the proposed hotel must functionally and aesthetically integrate the project with the airport. “The project should be consistent with world-class standards for international airports and capable of accommodating both the present and future needs of MDAD’s airports,” says the document.

Although details of the proposals the county received are unknown because a cone of silence bars much communication regarding an RFP, county specifications in the project package cite a pedestrian bridge connecting the new hotel to Concourse D.

“Concessionaire will be responsible for a new connector or provide for a climate-controlled space into the Dolphin Garage and connecting to the existing terminal connector from the garage to the third floor of the terminal,” the document says.

The county seeks a 4-star hotel with at least 350 rooms, a full-service restaurant and bar, 24-hour prepared food and beverages, business center services to travelers, and at least 20,000 square feet of meeting or banquet space.

Also, the county seeks a fitness center, perhaps a few concession opportunities, and valet parking. The Aviation Department would reserve 100 spaces for the hotel, so the developer wouldn’t need to build parking structures.

FDR Miami Hotel whose filing with the Florida Division of Corporations lists the New York address of global real estate developer The Related Companies, is founded and led by Miami Dolphins principal owner Stephen Ross.

Mainsail Development International is a subsidiary of Tampa-based hotel builder and operator Mainsail Lodging and Development, whose Miami-born founder and president, Joe Collier, previously worked for Marriott.

Parmco Airport Hospitality is owned by investor-developer Darryl Parmenter and real estate economic advisor Paul Lambert. The company holds controlling interest in hotel designs from a now-defunct $512 million MIA development plan called Airport City.

“The concessionaire should have a proven track record of undertaking and successfully accomplishing project investments and developments of similar scope, cost, and complexity of schedule,” the county document says.

Plans for a new hotel in the airport have been discussed since at least 2013, but it was in 2020 that the county commission directed former Mayor Carlos Giménez’s administration to start what was to be a three-month bid solicitation.