Planned Westin at Miami International Airport Is Cancelled After FAA Radar Objection

October 11, 2026 — The 451-room Westin planned for Miami International Airport will not be built. The developers have walked away after the Federal Aviation Administration rejected the 150-foot building over a radar blind spot, and Miami-Dade County is ending the lease and preparing to seek new bidders.

The Real Deal first reported the collapse on October 8, and Hoodline, One Mile at a Time, View from the Wing and The Bulkhead Seat followed on October 9 and 10. Hoodline reports that Ralph Cutié, Miami-Dade’s aviation director, confirmed the decision at a county meeting.

The hotel was a joint project of Stephen Ross’s Related Ross and Jeffrey Soffer’s Fontainebleau Development, which won a 50-year ground lease in 2023. It was to carry Marriott’s Westin flag and connect to Concourse D by a pedestrian bridge. When the airport promoted the plan in January 2024, the opening was set for 2026.

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At a glance

How it fell apart

• August 2024: Plans went to the FAA, which found that the 150-foot structure would create a radar blind spot, Hoodline reports.
• An alternative failed too. The aviation department proposed a different approach, and the FAA rejected that as well.
• Nearly two years of redesign talks. The two sides negotiated a shorter building. One Mile at a Time reports the developers concluded the project was “no longer economically viable.”
• Lease termination. The county expects to finish ending the lease within about a month.
• Open questions. Hoodline reports that county commissioners criticized officials for not keeping them informed and asked whether the county could owe the developers for costs already spent.

Under the lease, the airport would have collected the greater of $2.5 million a year or 3.5% of the hotel’s gross revenue. Related Ross and Fontainebleau declined to comment to Hoodline.

What it means for airline travelers

• MIA keeps one on-site hotel for now. That is the 259-room MIA Hotel at Terminal E, which opened in 1959. County commissioners approved a five-year operating extension for it in May, with a five-year renewal option.
• Short rests are possible in the terminal. Wait N Rest operates short-term sleeping suites and showers in Concourse D under a 2024 county contract.
• Do not expect a new terminal hotel soon. The county wants to expedite a new request for proposals, but any design still has to clear the FAA. One Mile at a Time’s estimate is that nothing opens before 2030; the county has given no date.
• Off-airport rooms are the practical choice for layovers. Separately, hotel operator MCR filed plans in June to add 1,000 rooms in two towers at the Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon, according to Hoodline. No opening date has been published for that expansion.
• Nothing to rebook. The Westin never opened reservations, so no existing bookings are affected.

Sources

• Hoodline — Ross, Soffer Drop Miami Airport Hotel Plan Over FAA Safety Issue
• One Mile at a Time — FAA Blocks Planned Westin Miami Airport Over Radar Blind Spot Fears
• View from the Wing — Miami Airport’s Planned Westin Hotel Scrapped—150-Foot Building Could Create A Radar Blind Spot [Roundup]
• The Bulkhead Seat — Planned Westin Hotel at Miami International Airport Canceled Over FAA Safety Concerns