Florida’s Space Coast is getting a serious upgrade. This week’s Project of the Week is the Westin Cocoa Beach Resort & Spa, a $420 million, 502-room resort currently rising at 1300 North Atlantic Avenue in Cocoa Beach, where the old two-story International Palms Resort once stood. Developer Driftwood Development Partners broke ground in September 2024, and the four-star property is targeting a second-quarter 2027 opening.
Designed for the Space Coast
Gensler is handling both architecture and interior design, drawing from two unlikely but fitting inspirations: NASA’s space program and local surf culture. The result is a language of curving forms and warm-toned textures that carry from the highway-facing facade all the way through to the beachfront courtyard. Landscape architecture falls to EDSA, Inc., while DeSimone Consulting Engineering is on structural duties.
The numbers behind the design are substantial. The 15.7-acre oceanfront site will house 11 food and beverage venues, a full-service spa, multiple pools including a surf wave pool, tennis and pickleball courts, a fitness center, multiple retail locations, and over 500 linear feet of direct beach access. For the meetings and events crowd, the resort will offer 51,500 square feet of indoor space and 72,000 square feet of outdoor space—more than 123,000 square feet combined. An 800-vehicle parking garage rounds out the program.
Construction Progress
The south tower has officially topped out, with active structural work continuing around the entrance and podium and shell work progressing across the north wing and tower. Kast Construction is serving as general contractor, with Baker Construction leading shell operations. Doka is supplying the formwork systems, and Industrial Steel is handling structural steel. Coastal Metal is delivering decorative metalwork throughout the property.
On the aquatics side, Martin Aquatic is responsible for the full suite of water amenities: the main pool, interactive features, entryway fountains, and the surf simulator. Sustainability-focused engineering is being overseen by CMTA, Inc. Driftwood Hospitality Management is set to operate the resort upon completion, with Bayview PACE having played a role in the project’s financing.
