45 Years of History and Highlights
In 1959, Doris and Alfred Kaskel found 2,400 acres of swampland in West Miami and created the Doral Hotel and Country Club as a place for family and friends to enjoy the South Florida sunshine. Where did the name come from? It’ a combination of the founders’ names!
The resort opened its doors in 1962, welcoming golfers to a new clubhouse and the Blue, Red and Par 3 golf courses. That same year the Kaskels hosted the Doral Open Invitational, Florida’s first PGA event, benefiting the American Cancer Society. The Kaskel family also enjoyed tennis, and in 1970 asked legendary tennis player Arthur Ashe to become the Director of Tennis. Keeping with the times, the Kaskel family added the Saturnia International Spa Resort as one of the resort’s amenities in 1987. The Spa became an overnight success, and has since been consistently ranked one of the top spa destinations in the United States.
In 1993, the resort was acquired by KSl Recreation Corporation and renamed the Doral Golf Resort & Spa. A $30 million dollar transformation included redesign of the courses by Raymond Floyd, adding the Tommy Bahama and White Palms shops, and unveiling the Blue lagoon water park. After becoming part of Marriott’s portfolio of sixty prestigious worldwide resorts in 2004, we began work on the fabulous new legends ballroom, which debuted with flair during our 45th anniversary in 2007.
Celebrating Legendary Moments Then & Now
Throughout nearly five decades, Doral Golf Resort & Spa, a Marriott Resort, has hosted scores of famous guests including Tiger Woods, Jackie Gleason, Joe Namath, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Greg Norman to name a few. In 1968, the resort headquartered the Republican National Convention’s Florida delegation for Richard Nixon, himself a frequent visitor to Miami.
In tribute to these legends of the past, the Marriott unveiled the Legends Ballroom in 2007; the $25 million, 60,000-square-foot facility which can accommodate up to 2,000 guests. Consistently raising the bar of excellence to further enhance the guest experience, the resort has invested over $100 million throughout X years.
Laying the groundwork for the property’s golden jubilee in 2012, Doral is currently putting the finishing touches on a $16 million top-to-bottom transformation including:
- New golf course, The Jim McLean Signature Course, added to championship fairways roster
- $5 million renovation of The Spa at Doral
- Bossa Nova lobby bar, Latin-inspired steakhouse, featuring a new executive chef
- Partnership with the PGA Tour’s TPC to rename the Blue Monster: TPC Blue Monster at Doral
- Enhancement of The Great White and Gold golf courses with TifEagle greens
“We are constantly looking for ways to provide amenities and services that will appeal to our current and future guests,” said Mark Jeffrey, general manager. “We have an illustrious history to live up to and want to make each year at Doral surpass travelers’ expectations.”
Come and create your own Doral experience while becoming a part of our history!
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