Florida Hotel Plans to Convert Half of Its Rooms Into Apartments, Add Padel Courts

Photo byNuVo Suites Hotel

A Sweetwater hotel in Miami-Dade County is planning a significant transformation by converting half of its rooms into apartments and adding a padel court facility. The owners of the NuVo Suites Hotel, located at 1750 N.W. 107th Ave., have submitted a proposal to the city of Sweetwater seeking approval to turn 184 of their 368 hotel rooms into residential apartments. Additionally, they aim to build a sports complex featuring 11 padel courts across the street from the hotel, along with a tandem parking lot at 10711 N.W. 18th St.

The special use permits required for these changes are on the agenda for the Sweetwater City Commission's meeting on September 9. According to city officials, both Sweetwater Zoning Director Jorge L. Vera and the Planning & Zoning Board have endorsed the proposal.

Adapting to Industry Changes

NuVo Suites Hotel, a nine-story extended-stay property completed in 2008, is situated just over nine miles from Miami International Airport. The hotel has seen a decline in occupancy in recent years, a shift attributed to the evolving hospitality industry, particularly the rise of Airbnb and other short-term rental platforms. In a letter to Sweetwater city officials, the hotel owners' attorney, William W. Riley, explained that the owners are seeking to adapt to these changes by diversifying their business model. If approved, the hotel would be split equally, with 184 rooms retained for hotel use and 184 rooms converted into residential apartments.

This move comes as South Florida continues to experience a high demand for rental housing. The influx of high-income households from across the country and around the world, which spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, has slowed but remains steady. Miami-Dade County is still considered one of the most challenging places for renters to find available housing, with studies from RentCafe showing high occupancy rates across the region.

South Florida’s Growing Rental Market

As of July, the average rent in South Florida was $2,806 per month, ranking as the ninth-highest in the nation, according to the Waller, Weeks & Johnson rental index. With limited availability and high demand, apartment units in the area are filling up quickly, making the NuVo Suites’ proposal to add residential units particularly timely.

The conversion of hotel rooms into apartments isn't the only shift happening in Miami-Dade’s real estate market. The rise of short-term rental platforms has also spurred developers to design new condominium projects that permit short-term rentals, making the model an increasingly popular and lucrative option.

Padel Courts and Parking Expansion

In addition to the apartment conversion, the hotel owners also plan to tap into the growing popularity of padel—a fast-growing racquet sport similar to tennis. Padel and pickleball courts have become a hot commodity in South Florida, with entrepreneurs and developers racing to build more facilities to meet demand in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

The proposed 11-court padel facility would be located across from the hotel, adding an athletic component to the property that could attract both local residents and tourists. To accommodate the increased demand for parking, the hotel’s owners are also seeking approval to create a tandem parking lot nearby.

The property at NuVo Suites was purchased by Kheeyami Group LLC and One SP LLC, both managed by Doron Marom and Chen Nagid, for $1.68 million in June 2022, according to the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser’s records. These entities also acquired additional lots, including a 1.23-acre industrial lot for $2.2 million in August 2022, and a smaller 10,517-square-foot lot north of the hotel for $350,000 in March 2016, which is earmarked for tandem parking.

Looking Ahead

As the Miami-Dade County real estate market continues to evolve, the decision to repurpose hotel rooms as apartments reflects broader trends in the region. With the rising cost of rent and the enduring popularity of alternative hospitality options like Airbnb, the transformation of the NuVo Suites Hotel offers a glimpse into the changing landscape of the local housing and hospitality industries.

If approved, the project could meet the region's growing need for residential units while also capitalizing on the surging interest in recreational activities such as padel. All eyes will be on the Sweetwater City Commission as it prepares to review the proposal in the coming weeks.