JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa
A luxury resort in Aventura, Florida, combining hotel accommodation, golf, spa, dining, meetings, tennis, and family-oriented water attractions.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa is a large luxury resort in Aventura, Florida, associated historically with the Turnberry Isle Resort and Club name. The property occupies a 270-acre site and is positioned as an integrated destination rather than simply a conventional hotel. Its facilities combine guest rooms and suites with two golf courses, a spa, tennis amenities, restaurants and lounges, meeting and event space, and a waterpark. The resort was developed by Donald Soffer, Mark E. Mason, Eugene Lebowitz, and Edward J. Lewis through Oxford Development. Its ownership and management history has changed several times. In 1988, Donald Soffer sold a 50 percent interest in the property to Rafael Hotels for $20 million. A major renovation and expansion followed in 1996. The remaining interest was subsequently sold to Rafael Hotels, after which the property was managed by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group following Mandarin Oriental's acquisition of the Rafael Group. Turnberry Associates reacquired the property in 2005. In August 2011, Turnberry removed Fairmont Hotels and Resorts as the hotel's manager. The resort joined Marriott's Autograph Collection in May 2012, placing it within a soft-brand collection intended to preserve individual hotel identities while providing access to Marriott's distribution and loyalty infrastructure. In 2017, Turnberry announced plans for a further expansion and a rebranding as a JW Marriott property, with Nichols Architects involved in the design work. The redevelopment was completed in 2019. The resulting resort was reported to include 685 guest rooms, two golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, approximately 120,000 square feet of meeting and event space, six restaurants and lounges, a 25,000-square-foot spa, and a waterpark. These elements support several overlapping customer segments: leisure travelers, golf and wellness guests, families, weddings and social events, corporate meetings, and visitors seeking a full-service South Florida resort experience. The property’s positioning is built around scale, recreation, and destination convenience. Golf and spa facilities provide traditional luxury-resort anchors, while tennis, dining, events, and water attractions broaden the offer for multigenerational and group travel. Its association with the JW Marriott brand places the resort within Marriott International’s luxury hospitality portfolio, while the Turnberry identity remains important to the property’s local and historical character.
History
The resort originated as a major South Florida development associated with Oxford Development and developers Donald Soffer, Mark E. Mason, Eugene Lebowitz, and Edward J. Lewis. From its early identity as Turnberry Isle Resort and Club, the property developed around the idea of a self-contained luxury destination offering lodging, golf, recreation, and social amenities in the Miami metropolitan area. In 1988, Donald Soffer sold a 50 percent interest in the property to Rafael Hotels for $20 million. The resort underwent renovation and expansion in 1996, reflecting the continuing development of the site as a large-scale hospitality and leisure complex. Rafael Hotels later acquired the remaining interest. Management subsequently shifted to Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group after Mandarin Oriental acquired the Rafael Group, giving the resort an association with an internationally recognized luxury-hotel operator. Turnberry Associates reacquired the property in 2005. The ownership change restored the resort to the Turnberry organization and preceded further changes in its operating structure. In August 2011, Turnberry ended Fairmont Hotels and Resorts' role as hotel manager. In May 2012, the property entered Marriott International's Autograph Collection. This affiliation allowed the resort to retain a distinct identity while benefiting from Marriott's global reservations, marketing, and loyalty systems. A new phase began in 2017, when Turnberry announced plans to expand the property and rebrand it as a JW Marriott resort. Nichols Architects was identified as part of the design effort. The redevelopment was completed in 2019 and produced the current large-format resort configuration reported in reference material: a 270-acre property with 685 guest rooms, two golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, about 120,000 square feet of meeting and event facilities, six restaurants and lounges, a 25,000-square-foot spa, and a waterpark. The resort’s evolution illustrates the way large destination properties can move among ownership groups, hotel-management companies, and brand affiliations while retaining a local name and physical identity. Its business model is diversified across room stays, golf, wellness, food and beverage, meetings, weddings, leisure activities, and family travel. The JW Marriott association places the property within Marriott International’s luxury segment, while the Turnberry name continues to connect it with the site’s development history and broader resort identity.
- 2019
Redevelopment completed
[1]The expanded resort was completed with 685 guest rooms and extensive golf, spa, dining, event, and waterpark facilities.
- 2017
JW Marriott expansion announced
[1]Turnberry announced an expansion and planned rebranding as a JW Marriott property.
- 2012
Autograph Collection affiliation
[1]The resort became part of Marriott's Autograph Collection.
- 2011
Fairmont management ends
[1]Turnberry removed Fairmont Hotels and Resorts as the property's hotel manager.
- 2005
Turnberry Associates reacquires the property
[1]Turnberry Associates returned to ownership of the resort.
- 1996
Renovation and expansion
[1]The resort underwent a renovation and expansion as its hospitality and leisure facilities continued to develop.
- 1988
Rafael Hotels acquires a 50 percent interest
[1]Donald Soffer sold half of the property to Rafael Hotels for $20 million.
Products and positioning
A large-scale luxury destination resort in South Florida, combining JW Marriott hospitality with golf, wellness, dining, meetings, family recreation, and event facilities.
Luxury accommodation · 2019
Guest rooms and suites
The resort's accommodation inventory forms the central hospitality product of the property. Following the 2019 redevelopment, the resort was reported to contain 685 guest rooms, supporting leisure stays, golf trips, family holidays, corporate travel, weddings, and other group business.
Golf and recreation
Golf courses
Two golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones are among the resort's signature attractions. They reinforce the property's historic country-club and destination-resort positioning and serve both individual golfers and golf-oriented leisure travel.
Wellness · 2019
Spa
The resort includes a 25,000-square-foot spa. It extends the property beyond golf and accommodation into full-service wellness, providing a core offer for relaxation-focused travelers, couples, groups, and resort guests seeking on-site treatments and amenities.
Hospitality events · 2019
Meetings and events
Approximately 120,000 square feet of meeting and event space supports conferences, business gatherings, weddings, celebrations, and other organized events. The scale of the facilities makes group business a major component of the resort's operating model.
Food and beverage · 2019
Restaurants and lounges
Six restaurants and lounges provide on-property dining and social venues for hotel guests, club users, event attendees, and local visitors. The outlets support the resort's destination positioning by allowing guests to combine accommodation, recreation, and dining within one complex.
Family recreation · 2019
Waterpark
The waterpark broadens the resort's appeal beyond traditional luxury and golf audiences. It adds a family-oriented leisure component and helps position the property as a multigenerational destination with activities for children and adults.
Brand decisions
2017
Expand and rebrand as JW MarriottStrategyBackground
Turnberry sought to expand the resort and reposition it within a globally recognized luxury-hotel brand.
Action taken
Turnberry announced a major expansion and planned rebranding as a JW Marriott property, with Nichols Architects involved in the design.
Aftermath
The redevelopment was completed in 2019, producing a 685-room resort with enlarged event, spa, dining, golf, and waterpark facilities.
2012
Join Marriott's Autograph CollectionStrategyBackground
After changes in ownership and hotel management, the resort needed a major distribution and brand affiliation while retaining an individual property identity.
Action taken
The property became part of Marriott's Autograph Collection in May 2012.
Aftermath
The affiliation connected the resort with Marriott's reservation and loyalty ecosystem before its later transition to the JW Marriott brand.
Recent events
- 2019
Expanded resort completed[1]
Product generation · Product launch
The completed redevelopment resulted in a 270-acre resort with 685 guest rooms, two golf courses, expanded meeting facilities, restaurants and lounges, a waterpark, and a large spa.
- 2017
JW Marriott rebranding and expansion announced[1]
Product launch
Turnberry announced an expansion and a planned transition of the resort into a JW Marriott property, with Nichols Architects involved in the project.
- 2017
Turnberry announces expansion and planned JW Marriott rebranding[1]
Other
Turnberry announced plans to expand the resort and convert its branding to JW Marriott, with Nichols Architects associated with the rebranding and design work.
- 2012
Resort joins Marriott's Autograph Collection[1]
Other
The property became part of Marriott's Autograph Collection in May 2012, adding the resort to the group's individually styled hotel portfolio.
- 2011
Fairmont management is removed[1]
Leadership change · Other
Turnberry ended Fairmont Hotels and Resorts' management role at the property in August 2011.
- 2011
Turnberry removes Fairmont as hotel manager[1]
Leadership change · Other
Turnberry ended Fairmont Hotels and Resorts' management role at the property in August 2011.
- 2005
Turnberry Associates reacquires the resort property[1]
M&A · Other
Turnberry Associates reacquired the resort after a period in which the property had been associated with Rafael Hotels and Mandarin Oriental management.
Sources1 sources
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