W Fort Lauderdale – Carpe Nocturne

June 22, 2009 at 8:48 pm (Florida, Fort Lauderdale, South Florida) (954, bar, Broward, Broward County, Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Ft. Lauderdale, Hotel, Living Room, new hotel, Rande Gerber, South Florida, Sweat, upscale hotel, W, W Fort Lauderdale, W Hotel, Wet, Whiskey Blue)

The W Fort Lauderdale is quite beautiful. We joined a few friends at Whiskey Blue, the sexy and sophisticated bar owned by Rande Gerber. The atmosphere is fantastic, chrome colored fixtures hang from the ceiling – some of which end with a gentle blue glow, there’s semi-private seating available, and an overall good vibe to the place. After spending some time there our group explored the hotel. Not being a guest I cannot speak for the rooms, but the fitness area and spa entry looked very well done.

During our exploration we made our way to the pool deck on the ocean side of the building. This is not your ordinary swimming hole. A glass-enclosed staircase bisects the pool allowing patrons to look at swimmers as though they were fish in a giant tank. The staircase leads to the Living Room underneath the pool. The trendy lounge setting of the Living Room is complete with books, board games, and even billiards! Tensile structure ceiling pieces define small VIP areas that fall in front of the linear bar, and did I mention there’s an outdoor terrace complete with a fire pit!

I plan to go visit the hotel again during daylight hours to see swimmers in the pool, and continue to explore their “balance of style and soul.” Thanks to my friends at O’Connell & Goldberg for recommending a visit to the hotel.