Balfour Beatty is preparing to begin construction on the Grand Hyatt Miami Beach Hotel, a 996,130-sq-ft development that will serve as the central anchor of the city’s Convention Center District. Approved by voters in 2018, the project will serve as Miami Beach’s first major convention hotel adjacent to and connected with the newly renovated Miami Beach Convention Center.

The construction services contract, valued at nearly $385 million, calls for Balfour Beatty to deliver a 17-story, 800-room hotel designed for a joint venture of local developers Terra Group and Turnberry, Balfour Beatty announced April 29. Designed by Bernardo Fort-Brescia, of lead architect Arquitectonica, the project will include four floors of indoor/outdoor convention and meeting space totaling 100,000 sq ft, more than 50 suites with views of the city, a resort-style pool deck, ground floor retail areas and a climate-controlled pedestrian skybridge linking the complex to the Convention Center. Parking for more than 300 vehicles will also be provided.

Balfour Beatty was selected for the project in 2023 and has completed site preparation work. The developers’ recently secured $392-million construction loan for the project follows a $75 million grant awarded through the Miami Beach Redevelopment Agency in late 2024, underscoring the project’s role as an economic driver for the region. Though no overall project cost has been announced, estimates range as high as $600 million, according to news reports. Construction is scheduled for completion in late 2027.

According to the Convention Center, the development also plans to introduce new public spaces, pedestrian-friendly promenades, bike-sharing stations and connectivity to public transit, aligning with Miami Beach’s broader sustainability and resilience goals while providing access to other attractions such as the New World Center, the Bass Museum of Art and Miami Beach Botanical Garden.

The start of the Miami Beach Grand Hyatt project comes as Balfour Beatty nears completion of the $1.2-billion Broward County Convention Center and Hotel Expansion in Fort Lauderdale. Along with adding more than 525,000 sq ft of meeting and event space, the project includes a new 29-story, 800-room Omni Hotel and a 36,000-sq-ft central energy plant.