Eastward ho! The restoration of Hollywood: in terms of westward expansion, the city of Hollywood has been built out for years. But the redevelopment of its eastern downtown and beach area has just started to take off. What makes it attractive for developers and new residents is a low-rise, low-stress coastal environment that retains its authentic urban flavor. Plus location, location, location - Hollywood City Report

South Florida CEO, April, 2003 by Rochelle Broder-Singer

The Diplomat, meanwhile, has 209,000 square feet of function space, five restaurants, a nearby golf course and spa--everything except a beach. Erosion has depleted most of its sand. Nonetheless, the resort (which replaced the original Diplomat hotel, closed in the early 1990s) has exceeded its projections since opening in January 2002. Occupancy was more than 90 percent during February 2003.

Small hotelier Boucher says Hollywood needs a couple more large hotels at key points on the beach. Among other things, the Diplomat's advertising has raised the city's profile. "It has already changed our image in the industry, but I think we've only scratched the surface," says Rozeta Rad, director of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce's Office of Tourism.

Mayor Mara Giulianti is confident the empty "casino property" parcel at Johnson Street will one day boast a landmark hotel, but that is a few years away. In the meantime, the former Ambassador/Clarion hotel, currently an eyesore on the Intracoastal, is closed for a $10 million to $15 million renovation. It will reopen in December as the Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach Hotel, absorbing the overflow from the Diplomat that now goes to the Sheraton Bal Harbour.

The Diplomat is certainly not Hollywood's only attraction. Cruise traffic at Port Everglades hit a record 3.4 million passengers in 2002, and, as trade development director Carlos Bucheros points out, "any passenger that rents a car here literally drives three yards and they're in Hollywood." And on the west side of town, the Seminole Indian Tribe has its own attraction under construction: a $200 million, 500-room Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, scheduled to open in spring 2004.

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Ultimately, though, the key to the city's tourism future are the features that made its reputation in the 1920s. "We need to push our assets like the Intracoastal, the beach, the Broadwalk, and the activities and ecotourism that they lend themselves to," says beach CRA director Richard Sala. Hollywood will distinguish itself, says Rad, as an "eco-heritage, historical niche market."--RB

RELATED ARTICLE: The Water Lifestyle

Although much of the excitement in Hollywood today is focused on multi-family housing, the area has plenty to offer in single-family living as well. Communities such as Emerald Hills and the historic Lakes districts (between the beach and downtown) are complimented by the gated Harbor Islands. Its 481 single-family homes and townhouses are situated on a peninsula that juts into the Intracoastal. Homes in the 200-acre development sold for prices ranging from $300,000 to $1.2 million when it was started in the early 1990s, but the 40 remaining houses are now selling for $800,000 to $1.8 million. With a marina, as well as private docks on many of the properties, residents have just a 25-minute boat ride to the ocean via Haulover Cut to the south, or even less time to Dania Cut near downtown Fort Lauderdale. "It's the enjoyment of the water lifestyle," says Harbor Islands' director of operations Steve Knott. "The beach is right here, boating is right there, everything is in the area."--RB