We stayed at the Il Lugano last week and I must say that it is a great hotel. The rooms are very nicely appointed and spacious, and have a very luxurious feel. We had a large balcony overlooking the intracoastal and had great views of the city and boats passing by, along with fabulous sunsets.
The pool is a bit small and in a shady area beside the property, but they overcome this problem by having the pool heated which was a nice touch.
The staff were very friendly and helpful and were very eager to make our stay enjoyable. There was even a free evening wine/cheese reception in one of the suites. Which was very nice watching the sunset.
The only problem with this property is the location. It sits on a beautiful spot, however, it is a bit far from most of the activities on Fort Lauderdale beach, or downtown (Las Olas area), making taxis a necessity. Also, there is not much in the immediate area to do...so again you need to go further afield to find any kind of night life or restaurant choices with atmosphere.
The other thing is that the valet parking is spectacularly overpriced...it was $30 a day, and it seemed like we were the only people in the hotel! I know that the other hotels in the area charge this, but they are in a much busier part of the beach area...and not sitting in what is essentially an empty shopping centre, with tons of parking!
Having said those things...I feel the hotel is great! I am originally from the area...so I knew how to get around relatively easily...but if you're new or just visiting, it may be a bit in the wrong area.
But definitely take advantage of the opening specials, as it is a bargain!
As it is a mixed use property, condo/hotel...I can see the residence part taking off more than the hotel for some reason. It is just stunning inside and I would even love one! But for a hotel, I think it'll have stiff competition from the others on the beach.
Hopefully not, as the staff and hotel are wonderful

This new hotel/residence in Fort Lauderdale is one of the most luxurious and relaxing vacation havens I have ever visited in South Florida! The hotel just opened in January (as you can tell by the new smell of everything!), however the service and the accomodations are equal to a five star hotel that has been in existence for ages. The hotel has its own boat to chaffeur guests on the Intracoastal Waterway as well as gleaming new Cadillac Escalades to chaffeur guests as well. We used both and felt like the Trumps all weekend! The location of the hotel is right on the Intracoastal and a block from the Beach! It was a wonderful experience and we will be returning there soon!!! I'm glad we took advantage of the grand opening specials!!!