Construction begins on The Dunes Fort Lauderdale along A1A
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, August 16, 2025
Moss has started construction on The Dunes Fort Lauderdale, a 16-story, 205-room oceanfront hotel at 441 South Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard to be managed by Marriott’s Autograph Collection. The roughly 206,000-square-foot project, developed by G. Holdings (Granite) and costing more than $175 million, includes ocean-facing dining, a mezzanine event venue, a third-floor pool deck, a rooftop bar, and subterranean valet parking. The groundbreak comes amid a cooling national hotel pipeline driven mainly by higher financing costs, prompting more renovations and conversions while many planned projects remain stalled.
A 16-story, 205-room hotel called The Dunes Fort Lauderdale has started construction, marking the first Autograph Collection property in Fort Lauderdale. The project is being built by a construction manager on behalf of the developer and will be operated by a major international hotel company. The hotel sits at 441 South Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard along A1A and is estimated at more than $175 million.
The Dunes will rise approximately 206,000 square feet over 16 stories and will include an ocean-facing restaurant, a mezzanine-level event venue, a third-floor pool and bar deck, a rooftop bar and dining space with panoramic views, and a valet-operated subterranean parking garage. The building’s design is by a noted architecture firm, while interiors are handled by a known hospitality design studio. No official public construction timeline has been released.
The developer is listed as G. Holdings/Granite, with the construction manager leading the on-site work and Marriott International set to operate the property as part of its Autograph Collection. The construction company has offices across Florida, Texas and Hawaii and has overseen several other large hospitality projects in Florida, including resorts and branded luxury properties.
While this hotel has moved forward, the national picture for new hotel construction remains strained. Roughly 139,000 hotel rooms were actively under construction at the end of the most recent quarter, a drop of about 15,000 rooms compared with the same point last year. At the same time, more than 615,000 rooms are stuck in planning or final planning stages, with rooms in final planning up nearly 10 percent year over year.
The biggest barrier is financing. Elevated interest rates have made loans harder to secure and more expensive, putting many deals out of reach. Developers and brands still show interest in new properties and in pushing new concepts, but a gap has opened: project budgets and lender terms are not lining up, and many projects are being delayed or reworked.
Labor and material costs remain factors, but they have not been the main cause of the recent slowdown. Instead, most delays are tied to tight lending and higher borrowing costs. As a result, many developers are prioritizing property conversions, renovations and projects with clearer financing paths rather than breaking ground on entirely new builds.
The heavy backlog of planned rooms is a sign that overall supply growth could stall further if many of those projects never reach construction. Industry professionals remain hopeful that conditions will improve by 2026, but until borrowing costs ease and lenders return to bigger new-build bets, the pipeline will likely stay congested.
For Fort Lauderdale, The Dunes brings a high-end flag and new hotel product to the beach corridor, adding meeting and food-and-beverage space along with rooftop and pool amenities that aim to capture oceanfront demand. For the broader market, the split between projects moving forward and the large planning backlog means investors, lenders and developers will face a long period of sorting which plans can be retooled, financed or shelved.
The Dunes Fort Lauderdale is an example of a project that has secured enough backing to reach construction. Meanwhile, nationwide hotel expansion is being constrained by financing pressures that are leaving many projects in planning limbo. The coming months will test whether the market can convert a portion of the large planned pipeline into actual construction starts.
The Dunes is a 16-story, 205-room hotel at 441 South Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard. It is estimated at more than $175 million and about 206,000 square feet. The project includes a rooftop dining venue, ocean-facing restaurant, mezzanine event space, third-floor pool and bar deck, and valet-operated subterranean parking.
The developer is listed as G. Holdings (also referenced as Granite). Marriott International will operate the property under the Autograph Collection banner. A regional construction manager is overseeing the build.
New construction has slowed. About 139,000 rooms were under construction at the last count, down roughly 15,000 from a year earlier, while more than 615,000 rooms remain in planning. Many planned projects are delayed due to financing issues tied to higher interest rates.
The main cause is elevated interest rates and tight lending, which make many deals unworkable. Labor and material costs play a role but are not the primary reason for the recent deceleration. Developers are shifting toward conversions and renovations where financing is easier to secure.
Some developers expect conditions to improve by 2026, but that depends on interest rates, lender appetite and broader economic trends.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Project name | The Dunes Fort Lauderdale |
| Address | 441 South Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard (A1A) |
| Rooms | 205 guest rooms |
| Stories | 16 stories |
| Size | About 206,000 square feet |
| Estimated cost | More than $175 million |
| Operator | Major international hotel operator (Autograph Collection) |
| Developer | G. Holdings / Granite |
| Construction manager | Regional construction firm with Florida, Texas and Hawaii offices |
| Main public features | Ocean-facing restaurant, mezzanine event venue, third-floor pool/bar deck, rooftop bar/dining, subterranean valet parking |
| Construction status | Ground broken; construction underway. Official timeline not released. |
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