Kevin Ives, General Manager, Pier Sixty-Six Hotel & Marina

May 2026 — In an interview with Invest:, Kevin Ives, general manager of Pier Sixty-Six Hotel & Marina, discussed Fort Lauderdale’s evolving luxury hospitality landscape, Pier Sixty-Six’s reopening, and the role of talent, food and beverage, wellness, and marina-driven development. “Guests still want to indulge and enjoy themselves, but they also expect thoughtful wellness offerings, elevated fitness experiences, and healthy, high-quality dining options,” Ives said.

How would you describe Fort Lauderdale’s hospitality and luxury resort landscape, and where does Pier Sixty-Six fit?

Fort Lauderdale is going through its renaissance period, which is incredibly exciting to be a part of. There is a tremendous amount of development, specifically within the hospitality industry, and we look at our role as both a partner and a steward of that evolution.

For a long time, Fort Lauderdale existed a bit in the shadow of our South Florida neighbors. It was never quite as posh as Palm Beach or as global as Miami. Today, the market is clearly evolving, and the numbers are reflecting that. Visit Lauderdale’s latest data showed hotel occupancy reaching 85 percent in March, with demand up 9 percent year over year. What is especially encouraging is that this growth is happening alongside a major pipeline of new hotels and residences coming into the market. 

Pier Sixty-Six is at the center of this growth. It is an iconic, landmark property that was highly anticipated by the community because there is a lot of nostalgia around it. It was always a cornerstone hotel. I grew up in South Florida and started in this business 32 years ago, and Pier Sixty-Six was always one of those properties that was part of the landscape and the conversation when you talked about luxury.

Now that Pier Sixty-Six has come back to life, we look at the halo effect of our success as something that can benefit the growth and development of the city. 

What trends are emerging among today’s travelers, and how are those expectations influencing the guest experience you are delivering?

In luxury hospitality today, it’s about giving guests the flexibility to choose the journey that feels right for them. A business traveler arriving late may want a completely seamless digital arrival experience with mobile check-in, a digital key, and direct access to their room, while a couple celebrating an anniversary may prefer a more traditional arrival with a personal welcome, a glass of champagne, and an escorted check-in experience. 

Technology is advancing rapidly across our industry, but the real opportunity is integrating it in a way that enhances convenience without losing the human element that defines great hospitality. Guests want the ability to choose meaningful personal interaction when they want it, while also having frictionless access to services when speed and efficiency matter most.

 There is a much greater focus on overall well-being from fitness and nutrition to mental wellness and sleep. Guests still want to indulge and enjoy themselves, but they also expect thoughtful wellness offerings, elevated fitness experiences, and healthy, high-quality dining options.

That vision is very much reflected in Zenova Spa & Wellness. Beyond traditional spa experiences, we are seeing growing interest in immersive and communal wellness programming with inspired rituals that combine wellness, mindfulness, and social connection in a way that feels both experiential and deeply engaging.

How important is the mix of leisure, group, and event-driven demand to the success of Fort Lauderdale and Pier Sixty-Six?

It is critically important for Fort Lauderdale to have the right mix of leisure, group, and event-driven demand. 

Nearby, the Broward County Convention Center and its $1 billion-plus expansion is ushering in a new era of group business for the destination. If you are coming to Fort Lauderdale for a convention or annual meeting, there are now multiple places to stay and host events, which strengthens the destination overall.

The city has a mix of large-scale hotels and boutique-style luxury hotels. Across the street, for example, Omni is engineered to be a convention hotel. We are not that, but we complement one another well.

Within Pier Sixty-Six, we have 40,000 square feet of meeting space, which positions us to host large-scale programs and events, but we are not a traditional convention hotel. Our focus is on creating an environment where group business enhances the energy of the resort without overwhelming the guest experience.

If we are doing it right, those audiences should coexist seamlessly. A guest visiting for a romantic weekend should never feel like they are staying inside a convention environment. We intentionally limit overt group branding in public spaces, and the property was thoughtfully designed so that different experiences can operate simultaneously without disrupting one another.

What strategies have helped you recruit and retain talent in a high-service environment?

This is probably the topic I am most passionate about. Before opening the hotel, we screened more than 10,000 candidates to ultimately build a leadership team of 100 people. We want to be considered among the best in the industry, and to do that, you have to create a truly exceptional human experience.

Tavistock has created a spectacular, one-of-a-kind destination, but that is only part of the equation. At the end of the day, hospitality is a people business. You have to genuinely believe in taking care of other human beings, because that is what we do every day.

That philosophy applies just as much to how we treat one another as it does to how we serve guests. The same values and standards we have for the guest experience are the values and standards we try to uphold internally. How a team treats each other ultimately translates into how guests feel when they are here.

When we opened, many hospitality professionals in Broward County were commuting to South Beach or Miami every day because that was where the concentration of luxury hotels existed. By hiring locally, we were able to give many of those people valuable time back in their day. Fort Lauderdale is also uniquely positioned because we can draw talent from Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale.

When we read guest reviews, the most consistent feedback is around the warmth and authenticity of our team. Guests remember how they were made to feel from the moment they arrive, and that comes down to having people who genuinely care about hospitality and about one another.

Looking ahead, what are your top priorities for the property, and how do you see it contributing to Fort Lauderdale’s growth?

We are deeply passionate about culinary experiences, and with 12 food and beverage venues across the property, we are building one of the most expansive resort dining programs in the region.

This fall, we’re excited to bring back Pelican Landing, which has long been one of South Florida’s most iconic waterfront destinations. For a lot of people who remember the original Pier Sixty-Six, there’s a real nostalgia attached to it. The vision is to preserve that relaxed, dockside energy through an open-air, two-story restaurant where boaters can pull up straight from the water for cocktails and sunset views, while introducing a more refined culinary experience that feels elevated but still true to the spirit of the original.

Between signature dining destinations like Pier Top, Calusso, Sotogrande and The Nectar Room, our team has done a fantastic job executing world-class culinary collaborations that really elevate the guest experience and bring fresh energy into the resort’s dining scene. We’ve had everything from a successful pop-up with Sushi by Bou, the acclaimed omakase concept, to a rare recreation of the Judgment of Paris at Calusso in partnership with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits Signature Division.