Miami International Airport seeks Zzzzz payoff at sleep centers

Awakening to a global trend, Miami International Airport plans to contract with a Boynton Beach company to offer sleep center amenities to waiting passengers who aren’t looking for the full overnight amenities of the airport’s internal hotel.

After advertising for bidders and getting just one that met airport specifications, the Airport and Economic Development Committee this week was to vet a deal that county Chief Operations Officer Jimmy Morales wrote could bring in $10 million over 10 years from two sleep centers.

The county’s offering of the operation of the centers does not specify the $10 million as rent. In fact, there’s no rent at all. The centers’ operator must simply pay the airport 25% of gross revenues – the more Z’s from exhausted fliers, the more the airport gets. Weather or mechanical delays at the airport could build sleep centers’ take and the airport’s share.

Miami International Airport is late to wake up to the popularity of sleep centers. Airports around the world offer such amenities. But like pajamas, one size doesn’t fit all: some airports have tiny sleep pods at low rates, others offer mini-rooms with a bed, desk and chair. Some charge extra for a wake-up shower. Costs range across the board, and the Miami International deal gives the operator broad leeway to set its own fees and list of services.

What the county is aiming for, Mr. Morales wrote, is “a clean, quiet, relaxed, secluded place to rest and work.” The winning bidder, Hotelzo LLC, doing business as Wait N Rest, must “finance, design, construct, manage, operate, and maintain” sleeping centers on the third floors of the South and North Terminals that are open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

The contract is under the Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprises program. When competing bidder Nap Bar was asked to fill out paperwork for the program, it instead dropped out of contention.