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Project Overview
Bringing Iconic Spaces to Light
Since opening in 1954, Fontainebleau Miami Beach has been a symbol of luxury and glamour. With the largest meeting and convention space in Miami Beach, the hotel has hosted global celebrities, cultural icons, and landmark events for decades. But maintaining a reputation of this caliber requires continual evolution — especially behind the scenes. When Fontainebleau needed to modernize its outdated lighting systems across public and meeting spaces, it turned to ZIO. The task was clear: overhaul aging infrastructure, dramatically improve efficiency, and enhance the event experience — without disrupting a single guest or event. That’s exactly what ZIO delivered.
By The Numbers
Project Impact
90%
Energy Reduction
100%
Light Quality Improvement
50%
Off-Peak Usage Reduction
<2yr
Projected ROI
01
The Challenge
While the hotel remained a beacon of luxury, its lighting and control systems were past their prime. Incandescent fixtures and obsolete dimming controls were unreliable and energy intensive. Lights were often left running 24/7, leading to skyrocketing utility costs. Meeting rooms were noticeably underlit — even at full brightness — resulting in complaints from guests and event clients about poor visibility. Inflexible controls and recurring failures further compounded operational challenges. As a designated historic landmark, any system upgrade had to maintain the hotel's iconic architectural aesthetic. After a high-profile event client voiced concerns over the lighting quality and performance, the hotel's operations team knew it was time to modernize — without disrupting ongoing events or compromising the guest experience.
02
Our Solution
ZIO engineered and executed a complete modern LED lighting and control transformation, completing the entire upgrade on a condensed schedule with zero disruption to guests. Working closely with property teams, ZIO coordinated dozens of technicians to operate behind the scenes — sometimes quite literally. At one point during the installation, while a celebrity guest made a high-profile arrival just steps away from active work zones, ZIO's team kept the environment flawless. Key components include a full LED retrofit throughout event and public areas, a web-based lighting control platform with remote scheduling, scene control, and diagnostics, dramatic lighting scene changes for elevated event experiences, and historic preservation-minded fixture replacements for architectural consistency.
03
The Result
Fontainebleau Miami Beach now operates with modern lighting systems that are smarter, more efficient, and easier to manage — without changing the soul of the space. Lighting scenes can be customized for each event and adjusted instantly by hotel staff. Meeting clients experience elevated ambiance and control. And energy savings were immediate and measurable. The hotel achieved up to 90% energy reduction in meeting spaces, 100+% improvement in meeting space light quality, and automated scheduling that reduced lighting use by an estimated 50% during off-peak hours. ROI is projected in under 2 years through energy savings alone.
Fontainebleau Miami Beach partnered with ZIO to enhance the lighting in the resort's numerous meeting rooms, and the results have been outstanding. Their team delivered an innovative system that provides exceptional visibility and enables our clients to customize each space's ambiance to their unique needs. Since completing the project, we've received continuous positive feedback about the addition to our state-of-the-art meeting experience.Vice President of Event Management, Fontainebleau Miami Beach
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