Fort Lauderdale Beach’s former Shell Motel is reopening as the Ikona Hotel. Following a multimillion-dollar revamp, the midcentury modern structure now boasts a modernized interior from Montclair, New Jersey-based designer Blanche Garcia—a host of the Travel Channel’s “Hotel Impossible.” Ikona Hotel is part of the new Gzella Collection, a group of beachside hotels in Fort Lauderdale.
The contemporary space is reminiscent of a seaside cottage, with custom furnishings and wood and metal finishes featured across its 24 guestrooms, family apartment suites, and penthouses. The three-story hotel overlooks a private pool and courtyard garden, and features indoor-outdoor event space including a second-story balcony.
Ikona’s sister properties the Fortuna Hotel, which opened earlier this summer, and the Mirra Hotel, slated to arrive in 2017, round out the Gzella Collection. Also featuring midcentury modern style, the colorful 35-room Fortuna offers two private pools, a sundrenched lobby, and ample outdoor space.
