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- Formerly The Chesterfield, the hotel is expected to host a soft opening in December, with a full brand launch likely in January.
- Room rentals are expected to begin in March, though some work is expected to continue beyond that.
- The majority of exterior work is expected to be complete by Thanksgiving.
After two years of construction, multiple project delays, and neighborhood concerns over noise, parking, and traffic, the Vineta Hotel is expected to make its Palm Beach debut this winter.
John Hart, a project executive with Delray Beach–based Mouw Associates — the project’s contractor — told the Town Council in September that the hotel plans a December soft opening, with a full brand launch in January.
The hotel could begin renting rooms ahead of the March expiration of its third six-month building permit extension, Wayne Bergman, the town’s planning, zoning and building director, told council members at that meeting.
Mouw Associates sought the extension to allow additional time to complete the detailed, high-quality finishes required for the 41-room “masterpiece” hotel — previously The Chesterfield — while still meeting town work rules, Hart told council members.
The “vast” majority of exterior work should be completed by Thanksgiving, he added.
Officials with Oetker Hotels, the Germany-based luxury hotel brand that is managing the Vineta, originally targeted a late 2024 reopening date, which was then pushed to the first quarter of this year. The company’s website now says the hotel is “set to open in 2025.”
Here’s more on the rehabilitation of the four-story landmarked Vineta Hotel building at 363 Cocoanut Row:
Who owns the building and when was it purchased?
British billionaire brothers David and Simon Reuben acquired The Chesterfield in April 2022 for $42 million.
The Reubens control Reuben Brothers, a London-based company that bought the hotel through a limited liability company. Reuben Brothers is a private-equity and real-estate investment and development firm.
According to a statement on the Reuben Brothers website following the purchase, the company said it expected to “carefully reposition” The Chesterfield Palm Beach into its global portfolio of diversified investments.
Reuben Brothers closed the hotel for renovations in September 2022 and unveiled its new name a month later.
What is included in renovation plans?
Previously 57 rooms, the Vineta will open as a 41-room luxury hotel with restaurant, nightclub and pool space.
Renovation plans include external sitework improvements, façade renovations and alterations, and interior demolition and alterations that include enlarging the existing hotel rooms on the second, third and fourth floors. Also planned are interior layout changes to the ground floor to accommodate an expanded food and beverage program.
Why were renovation plans so controversial?
Residents who live near the hotel raised numerous concerns during the approval process about restaurant seating, potential noise, parking availability and increased traffic.
Restaurant seating was a particular sticking point for the council, which voted in April 2023 to grant a variance for an overall dining seat count of 172.
That figure was 20 less than requested by the hotel in its original plans, but 59 more than its license allowed.
Residents had asked the council to maintain a licensed seat count of 113, telling members that the additional seats would intensify restaurant, bar and nightclub uses, and disrupt their quality of life.
What caused construction delays?
The hotel obtained its first building permit in May 2023, then received a six-month extension in August 2024 after changes to the scope of the project and unexpected structural and utility issues emerged with the nearly 100-year-old building, Hart said.
The council granted a second six-month extension in February due to continued structural, utility, and supply-chain problems.
A third extension was approved Sept. 10 to allow Mouw Associates additional time to complete the detailed, high-quality finishes required for the hotel while still meeting town work rules.
“The biggest delays have come from this almost being design-build with a 100-year-old balloon-frame wood building, and from the changes that have had to occur, both structurally and finish-wise, to accommodate that and maintain the landmark status,” Hart told council members. “The rooms are mostly complete.”
He added that overseas construction items have played a major role in delaying the project, but the final boat shipment is headed to Miami and finishes should be installed by late October.
Bergman said punch-out work is expected to continue even after the hotel opens and is occupying rooms.
What other hotels does Oetker Hotels manage?
In addition to the Vineta, Oetker Hotels manages 11 other “masterpiece” hotels in Europe, the Caribbean, and South America. They include: Palácio Tangará in São Paulo, Brazil; The Lanesborough in London; Le Bristol Paris in Paris, France; The Woodward in Geneva, Switzerland; Hotel La Palma in Capri, Italy; Château Saint-Martin & Spa in Provence, France; Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France; Jumby Bay Island in Antigua & Barbuda; Eden Rock-St Barths in St. Barthélemy; L’Apogée Courchevel in Courchevel, France; and Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden, Germany.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
