Feb. 26–Delray Beach, a sizzling tourist destination, now is a target of boutique hotel chains — the biggest trend in the lodging industry.

One hotelier already has a spot: Aloft, the funky boutique hotel chain owned by Starwood Hotels, is slated to be built at 202 S.E. 5th Avenue, two blocks south of Atlantic Avenue. In addition, three national hotel companies with an upscale boutique brand are eyeing downtown. They include Radisson’s Blu Hotels, Marriott’s Autograph Collection, and Hilton’s Curio Collection.

Starwood aficionados might be familiar with its more established brands, including the W, St. Regis, Westin and Sheraton.

But Aloft, founded in 2006, is intended to set a different vibe, one with a “loft-inspired design and free-flowing energy,” according to the company’s Facebook site. The hotel has the Millennial crowd’s wishes in mind: A social, tech-savvy environment for people who like design and travel.

Downtown Delray Beach already has its share of hotels, ranging from established chain brands to unique destinations.

But boutique chains are a new twist. “It’s a trend everywhere, and Delray Beach is a very good marketplace,” said Steven Michael, a principal with Delray Beach-based Hudson Holdings, a major downtown landowner.

Starwood Hotel’s website has pegged January 2018 as the opening date of Aloft Delray Beach.

The four-story property will be a mixed-use center. It will have 121 hotel rooms, 35 condominium units, a restaurant and retail space, according to Estelio Breto, senior planner with the city of Delray Beach. The project is owned by a Starwood franchisee, Samar Hospitality, a New York-based hotel development group. Last year, Samar paid a whopping $4.6 million to assemble the land, which stretches along the west side of 5th Avenue, from S.E. 2nd Street to N.E. 3rd Street.

Michael said boutique hotels are “desperate” to be downtown. He should know: Hudson Holdings owns property on S.E. 1st Avenue, slated for a hotel. Michael said he already is negotiating with an unidentified high-end boutique hotel.

Hotel interest in Delray Beach is inevitable, given the city’s increased profile as a popular vacation destination.

Now, with the rising influence of Millennials, hotels are seeking a more playful tone with guests. That’s consistent with the Delray brand, which is an eclectic, entrepreneurial environment, said Mayor Cary Glickstein.

Location is important. These smallish boutique hotels target urban areas that offer lively places to eat and drink.

But there’s no place along Atlantic Avenue for a new hotel. So the fact that Starwood will operate a hotel not directly on the avenue, but a couple of blocks south of it, speaks to the strength of the town’s draw, Michael said.

Mayor Glickstein said he wasn’t surprised boutique hotels are looking at downtown Delray Beach. Instead, Glickstein said, “I’m surprised it’s taken them this long to get here.”

Art show heads south

Ah, Boca Raton. The shopping, the beaches, the shopping….the art?

Yes, indeed. Boca Raton’s cultural scene is about to get a jolt with the addition of two major art shows.

Art fair organizer David Lester plans to offer the American International Fine Art Fair on Jan. 28-Feb. 7, 2016, a two-weekend format. Expect paintings, sculpture, drawings and 20th century design. In addition, Art Boca Raton will take place March 17-21, 2016. This is a Boca Raton version of Lester’s Art Palm Beach, featuring contemporary, modern and emerging art, sculpture and photography.

Lester would not yet reveal the location of the fair. But he spoke enthusiastically about the market, as well as the fair’s partnership with the Boca Museum of Art.

Lester believes Boca Raton is the perfect location for his art shows, which feature high-end dealers selling art for thousands or millions of dollars. “It’s a lot of new money, younger money,” Lester said. “It’s aspirational money.”

Put another way, it’s the type of money that likes to buy and showcase important, and pricey, artwork.

Last month, Lester’s Palm Beach America’s International Fine Art & Antique Fair bowed out after 18 years of shows in West Palm Beach. The decline in the antique market, plus a failed joint venture with a Dutch firm, were among the reasons for the last-minute cancellation.

That left the newer, successful Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show as the only show of its kind at the Palm Beach Convention Center last month. This year the show had more vendors than ever before.

Lester used to hold his Palm Beach Fine Art Show in decorated tents in downtown West Palm Beach. When the convention center opened, the show moved there, but Lester said the venue is too big: “I don’t need thousands of people. I need hundreds of people.”

The right people, as Lester said say. He’s not interested in the great unwashed.

So dealer size at the Boca Raton shows will range from 60 to 70, to assure quality and exclusivity.

Lester has two goals for the move south.

He hopes to draw buyers from wealthy enclaves in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, as well as buyers in Palm Beach County, of course. He also hopes dealers, who pay heavy fees to ship art to fairs, will be persuaded to stay four months in Palm Beach County, hitting his Concept Art Fair in Miami in December, Art Palm Beach in West Palm Beach in January, and then the Boca Raton shows in February and March.

Alexandra Clough writes about the economy, real estate and the law.