Evidently, Starwood Hotel & Resorts is bullish on our little burg. Thumbing their noses at pesky, persistent rumors that the southern tip of Florida will eventually be as completely submerged as the Lost City of Atlantis, the optimists at Starwood have debuted two luxury resort/residences here in the past month — first the $210 million the Resort at Singer Island, opened in early April, and last week the $225 million St. Regis in Fort Lauderdale, which rose on the site of the late lamented Candy Store Lounge, purportedly home of the world's first wet T-shirt contest, on Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard. The business plan for these two "luxury collection" resorts looks nearly identical — a moneymaking scheme of hotel suites and posh residences, with the hotel rooms equipped for easy conversion to condos should the market for $800-a-night sea-view boudoirs suddenly tank. Plus tropical pools, plush spas, and each with its own high-end restaurant focused on gourmet... More >>>