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How’d they do that? West Palm debuts unlikely entertainment option: outdoor ice skating

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How’d they do that? West Palm debuts unlikely entertainment option: outdoor ice skating

Skaters have flocked to Winter Wonderland across from The Ben Hotel in downtown West Palm Beach to enjoy outdoor ice skating.

It was 80 degrees Wednesday afternoon when Daniel Grill and his 3-year old daughter, Quinn, were wrapping up a fun day in downtown West Palm Beach.

The pair had been enjoying the city’s newest and, in many ways, most unlikely entertainment venue: an outdoor ice skating rink.

Located next to Elisabetta’s Ristorante on Banyan Boulevard and across the street from The Ben, an upscale hotel on North Narcissus Avenue, the 40-foot-by-70-foot rink is the result of an audacious idea brought to life by technology.

The Ben is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection of independent hotels, and Marriott’s goal for them is to be “exactly like nothing else.”

Winter Wonderland at The Ben, which includes lounge areas, food, drink and souvenir stalls — and that outdoor ice skating rink in sunny and perpetually warm West Palm Beach — hits that target. The rink is the only outdoor ice skating rink in South Florida.

“It’s ‘exactly like nothing else’ in West Palm Beach,” said Riley Wilkins, associate director of luxury sales and marketing at The Ben.

So far, the ice hasn’t melted, and the skaters offer bemused yet rave reviews.

Grill, 40, said he heard about the rink from his sister-in-law. “I thought it sounded awesome — and weird,” he said.

Having moved from New York to South Florida 10 years ago, Grill said he has skated at Central Park and at Rockefeller Center, where holiday ice is an expected, annual tradition.

Winter Wonderland isn’t Central Park or Rockefeller Center, but it’s not trying to be. And Grill said that’s just fine with him.

“I think they’re doing a really great job,” he said. “It’s so festive.”

Quinn was pleased, too.

“This was her first time ice skating, ever,” Grill said. “She loved it. I was sweating. She took right to it.”

In addition to skates for older children and adults, there are plastic seals with skates on the bottom that parents can use to push their children around the ice. That’s how Quinn navigated the rink.

Sabine Louissaint, 37, and her 6-year old daughter strapped on skates to get around the rink. Joined by another mother and daughter, Louissaint said the four had a great time.

“This is just a great addition for the city,” she said. “It’s close to the water, right downtown. It’s a smaller version of a big ice skating rink, but it’s a cute version. We’ve been thinking about coming back when it’s a little bit cooler, closer to Christmas.”

Rink gets an ice resurfacing every 90 minutes

Given West Palm Beach’s warm weather, some accommodations have been made to make sure the ice remains frozen and smooth.

Every 90 minutes, there is a break in skate time so the ice can be resurfaced. Ice-America, which has built portable rinks in various locations across the country, used ice-floor technology developed by Ice World International in The Netherlands to build West Palm Beach’s rink.

A public relations specialist working with The Ben said the rink’s “highly engineered system utilizes a combination of aluminum piping, foldable hose sections, high flow, and low pressure to achieve substantially improved chilling capacity, enabling us to freeze water in high heat load locations where previously available systems could not.”

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It took about three weeks to construct the rink, a process that included setting up a leveled base, installing ice panels and assembling surrounding decorative elements to give visitors the idea that they’re in a winter wonderland in the heart of steamy West Palm Beach.

The rink is open Monday through Friday from 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on weekends from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. A 90-minute skating session costs $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12.

Winter Wonderland is expected to remain in operation through March 1.

“It’s been a tremendous hit in the 10 days since it’s been open, especially on the weekends,” Bernardo Neto, general manager of The Ben, said Wednesday. “We’ve seen groups of friends. We’ve seen a lot of dates happening. I have not seen a proposal yet, but I’m sure that’s coming.”

Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.

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