Construction has begun on the new Royal Palms Resort on Fort Lauderdale Beach. Richard Gray, proprietor of the original Royal Palms when he purchased the property in 1991, is in the process of adding two more properties to the Royal Palms legacy.

The original Royal Palms is located on the corner of Terramar Street and Birch Road, while the new property spans from Breakers Avenue to Birch Road on Vistamar Street. The two properties are not connected geographically, but are connected in their commitment to quality and living up to the tradition of the Royal Palms.

Gray says the new addition to the Royal Palms will make it the largest luxury gay resort in Fort Lauderdale with 62 rooms, three pools, a jacuzzi, bar, café, spa and gym. “We’ll be spoiling everybody here,” said Gray.

The two new properties will match and be seamlessly connected, giving the impression that they were built together.

The “front building”, the two-story property located on Breakers Drive, will have a pool area that will be an unparalleled experience for guests. Pool boys will be on hand to assist guests with everything from applying suntan lotion to providing them with cold towels with eucalyptus, lavender and chamomile.

The pool area will feature three cabanas and a lounge with furniture described as “very trendy, very streamlined and very sleek.” The front building will have 23 king-size bedrooms with the second floor featuring two additional rooms with an ocean view. It will also house a complete gym and fullservice spa offering massages, treatments, manicure/pedicure area and more.

The three-story back building will feature an additional 27 king and double queen rooms plus another pool. Both buildings will be white with lushly landscaped grounds. Guests will also find the Royal Palm’s traditional orchids scattered throughout the property.

Gray describes the guest rooms as being “minimalist” with gray tiled floors, gray walls, 42-inch televisions and beds with white leather headboards running from floor to ceiling. Shag carpet around the beds and Dennis Dean images on the walls give the rooms an added flare. The contemporary bathrooms will feature rain showers.

“They will be very sleek, very stylish, very sexy, very minimalist and very different for Fort Lauderdale and the gay market,” said Gray. “There’s going to be nothing like this in the United States for the gay traveler.” Gray also hopes that the new room décor will attract a slightly younger demographic to his properties.

After the new properties are completed, Gray will be remodeling the rooms in the original Terramar location. One of the rooms in the original location is decorated with the new theme as a “model” where Gray has been able to test out his vision for the new rooms. Gray also will unveil a redesign of the Royal Palms logo, which he described as being sleeker with a stainless steel look, moving away from the current copper logo.

Gay tourism is an integral part of Fort Lauderdale. Approximately 1 million LGBT tourists come to Fort Lauderdale every year, spending approximately $1 billion. Gray, who also sits on the Greater Fort Lauderdale Visitor and Convention Bureau, says the gay travel market is no longer a niche market but a market in its own right.

“Unquestionably, Fort Lauderdale is known in the U.S.A.,” said Gray, “but we want Fort Lauderdale to be equally known in Europe. And I think we’re on our way to doing it.”