Broward County Convention Center
& OMNI Fort Lauderdale Hotel
Design Reveal

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Located on the vibrant waterfront of the Intracoastal Waterway at 1950 Eisenhower Boulevard, the Greater Fort Lauderdale / Broward County Convention Center is a premier, 1.2-million-square-foot event and conference facility. Following a landmark $1.3 billion expansion completed in 2026, the LEED Gold-certified venue features 350,000 square feet of contiguous exhibition space, the massive 65,000-square-foot Atlantic waterfront ballroom, a sprawling 6.5-acre outdoor waterfront pedestrian plaza, and the interconnected 29-story OMNI Fort Lauderdale Hotel.

Image at sunset with large glass facade perched near water. Green light emits from the building and palm trees line the interior area around building.

Broward County owns both the Convention Center and the adjoining Omni Fort Lauderdale, which acts as the official Convention Center headquarters hotel. This project was developed by Matthews Southwest, in a partnership between the county and Visit Lauderdale. Stantec was the lead consultant for the expansion of the Convention Center and the Omni hotel build, working in collaboration with Fentress Architects for the convention center, and Nunzio Marc Desantis Architects for the hotel.

OMNI Design Concept

The Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel is a contemporary coastal sanctuary that draws inspiration from Florida’s diverse natural landscapes. The hotel’s exterior envelope, shape, and form, crafted by Nunzio Marc DeSantis Architects, reflect the region’s flora, waterways, and expansive skies.

The interior aesthetic, curated by the interdisciplinary design firm EoA Group, centers on a thematic narrative inspired by the 19th-century “Barefoot Mailmen,” which tells the story of a symbolic journey that leads from the Everglades to the shoreline. These mailmen delivered the first U.S. mail to the region, traveling a treacherous 136-mile round trip along the South Florida coast between Palm Beach and Miami between 1885 and 1893. In an enduring effort, walking barefoot on the sand and rowing boats across inlets, 15 men overcame perilous obstacles to ensure delivery of mail over the course of this 9-year period.

The Omni honors this “Gold Coast” heritage through a hybrid design strategy pairing bespoke lighting and luxury hospitality with handmade art from its Public Art & Design collection. The conceptual focus on flora, fauna and nautical motifs, is realized through a palette of calming earth, sand, and sea tones, and complemented with organic materials and layered textures.

Explore

Image at sunset with large glass facade perched near water. Green light emits from the building and palm trees line the interior area around building.

Convention Center

Connectors

Connectors

Madeleine Walton’s Knot Series

10th Floor

Image of interior of restaurant with blue tile pendant lights hovering over tall rectangualr wooden tables with black bar stools. A green wall composed of plants hangs in the background of the ceiling.

Restaurants & Bars

Image of interior space with white walls and wooden panels centered within large white columns. A large sculpture is installed in the center of the ceiling with many circular glass balls in light blue, cerulean blue, and dark blue that hang in an abstract bulbous shape. In the background a panel wall appears to be made of wooden strips with blue paint towards the bottom of the strips appears behind a wooden, geometric front desk.

Main Lobby

All images and video courtesy of the Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel, Visit Lauderdale, and Broward County Cultural Division.