Rooms for guests

Visitor only pays housekeeping fee

The 100-unit luxury Riva condo project in Fort Lauderdale offers cabana studio units just for visitors.

When Grandma comes for a visit, there’s no reason to open the sofa sleeper or send her to a hotel.

The 100-unit luxury Riva condo project in Fort Lauderdale, which was completed in February, is among the few with built-in spaces for visiting guests to use.

Three furnished cabana studio units — with bedroom, bathroom and desk space — are situated on the fourth floor of the Riva. Guests who stay there have access to the “luxury amenities deck,” which includes a swimming pool with river views, spa with treatment rooms, sundeck and fitness center.

The 400-square-feet guest cabanas are as luxurious as the residential units, said Vivian Bonet, spokeswoman for the developer, Premier Riva. Guests can stay for up to 10 days and pay a housekeeping fee for clean sheets ($150 for the two studios that each have a king bed and $250 for the studio with two queen beds).

“They are booked for the next 30 days,” she said. “It’s the most sought-out amenity in this building.”

The idea is to help homeowners provide privacy for their guests and spare them from having to shuttle people to hotels.

“You’re in the same building but not in the same house, which is very important,” Bonet said. “The inlaws come in and you have a beautiful place to put them, and they’ll be very happy.”

Real estate analyst Jack McCabe said offering guest suites has been common for condos or apartments for “several years.” But Riva is atypical, he said, for offering the units for only a housekeeping fee.

Adding unique amenities is a growing trend for developers seeking a “competitive advantage to market their units in a market with over-saturated inventory,” McCabe said.

The 15-story Riva over-

looks the Middle River and George English Park. Residences range from twobedroom units priced from the $700,000s to penthouses starting at $2 million. Homeowners began moving into the building in March. There are more than 30 units still available, Bonet said.

Other amenities include a promenade that leads to two, 70-foot dog runs, and an owners’ dock with private boat slips. There is a

“The in-laws come in and you have a beautiful place to put them, and they’ll be very happy.” Vivian Bonet, Premier Riva

two-story owners’ lounge, complete with a wine room and “The Cucina,” which is space for events and private dinner parties.

One of the units is dubbed the “River Loft,” a four-bedroom, 4 ½-bathroom unit that occupies two stories of prime waterfront real estate. It has a private outdoor kitchen, private dock, elevator from the lobby and a private two-car garage. That unit has not yet been sold; it is listed at $5 million, Bonet said.