West Palm Beach’s biggest developer has completed its purchase of one of the city’s most prominent hotels.
Related Ross announced Friday, Feb. 27, that it had acquired The Ben, the trendy 202-room downtown hotel that has become a centerpiece of the city’s burgeoning waterfront entertainment scene.
With a popular rooftop bar and restaurant, a seasonal ice-skating rink and views of the ocean and Palm Beach, The Ben is a popular location for business events and visiting tourists.
Located at Narcissus Avenue and Banyan Boulevard, it sit next to Elisabetta’s, the popular waterfront Italian restaurant, and just across Flagler Drive from the planned site for a private membership club that Related Ross says it will construct next to the Palm Harbor Marina.
“The Ben sits in a special position along the waterfront, and we see it as an important asset not only for visitors, but for the broader community and regional economy,” Kenneth Himmel, president of Related Ross, said in a prepared statement.
The purchase price was not disclosed.
The Ben, part of the Marriott Autograph Collection luxury brand, opened in 2020 and was purchased the following year by Wheelock Street Capital, which now has sold the property to Related Ross.
Related Ross, owned by Palm Beach billionaire Stephen Ross, has been on a buying spree, acquiring properties across the city center even as it builds its own office towers and luxury condo buildings. It is also in negotiations with the county government to build a second hotel alongside the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
The Palm Beach Post first reported in October that Related Ross was in negotiations to buy The Ben as well as an 18-story office building at 250 S. Australian Ave. on the downtown’s other waterfront, Clear Lake.
The company said in a statement that its acquisition “continues its strategy of thoughtfully integrating hospitality into the mixed-use ecosystem of downtown West Palm Beach, supporting the city’s evolving urban fabric and economic momentum.”
Andrew Marra is a reporter at The Palm Beach Post. Reach him at amarra@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Related Ross acquires The Ben hotel on West Palm Beach waterfront
Reporting by Andrew Marra, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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