Donald Trump has completed the purchase of the Doral golf resort in Miami, and his firm is ready to start work on a US$200 million renovation of the 800 acre property.
The renovation will cover the resort’s 700 guest rooms, ballrooms and meeting facilities and spa, as well as all five golf courses. Architect Gil Hanse has already been appointed to lead the reconstruction of the famous Blue Monster course.
“Every year, my father and mother would take me to Doral for a weekend. It was the ultimate treat for me. It was beautiful,” said Trump. “My ambition is to bring Doral back to its first 20 years and then top it by a wide margin. When the renovation is complete, Doral will be the greatest resort anywhere in the country. With almost 800 acres in the middle of Miami – and home to the Blue Monster and four other soon-to-be-great courses – nothing will be able to compete with it. This amount of land in this prime a location can never again be assembled.”
“Few courses on Tour can claim such a long history and can span the generations of Tour players from Nicklaus and Palmer to Woods and Mickelson,” said Hanse. “We intend to focus on these traditions as we seek to update the course to meet the demands of modern day tournament conditions.”
Trump has hired design firms WATG and Wimberly Interiors to refresh the resort’s architecture and design. Trump – along with his daughter Ivanka – will oversee all aspects of the renovation.
“The architectural inspiration for the resort is Spanish Revival, with Floridian details and motifs,” said Mark Yoshizaki, vice president of WATG and the lead architect. “The property's facade will be enhanced with coquina stone, elegant outdoor walkways and decorative tile work.”
All four golf courses will be completely rebuilt, and the driving range will be lengthened and expanded to more than twice its current size. The property will remain fully operational during the renovation, which is expected to conclude in late 2013, although the Blue Monster rebuild will not begin until after next year's WGC event in March.