The project initially began construction in July 2005, as Trump International Hotel & Tower Fort Lauderdale.

By that time, lawsuits alleging breach of contract and misleading advertising had been filed against the project by several condominium buyers.

The property was initially occupied by the Merrimac and Gold Coast hotels, which were built on Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard in the 1950s.

[3] In December 2003, Donald Trump was interested in the proposed Gold Coast Merrimac Resort, which had been planned for the site of the two hotels.

[4] The project, to be built on a two-acre site at 551 North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, would include 298 units.

[4] The project, considered essential in transforming the beach area into an upper-class tourist destination, was unanimously approved by the Fort Lauderdale commission on February 15, 2005.

The developer, known then as SB Hotel Associates LLC, stated that the project would likely remain unfinished if less than half of the units were purchased.

[19][5] Buyers were also informed that because of local zoning rules for condo-hotels, they could not occupy their units unless the entire hotel opened.

[19][5] The lawsuits alleged misleading advertising,[19] with buyers stating that they were misled into believing that Trump's involvement in the project was fully confirmed.

[19] By the time of the lawsuits, Trump had told the developers that they could not use his name for the project after they defaulted on the licensing agreement.

By that time, the building had been furnished but remained unoccupied by tenants, and the project had been financed through $182 million in construction loans.

[16] Corus Construction Venture, led by Starwood Capital Group[21] and later known as ST Residential,[22] ultimately took over the mortgage to the property, and in March 2010 filed for foreclosure against SB Associated LLC for defaulting on the loan.

[21] Ultimately, 75 buyers had filed lawsuits against the project,[24] after they spent a combined total of $8 million on deposits for units.

[20] Some investors were upset to learn in 2012 that Felix Sater, a Bayrock Group employee, was involved in the project despite his financial crimes related to the Mafia.

[24] A foreclosure auction was scheduled for March 14, 2012, as requested by Corus Construction Venture, which was owed $165.6 million from SB Hotel Associates.

[29][30] Trump still faced a similar lawsuit consisting of 81 plaintiffs who were suing for the return of the $8 million deposit fees.

[20] In June 2015, Trump sued Stillman for breach of contract, alleging that he lost millions of dollars because of the project's failure and because of legal fees.

[34] CFLB Partnership LLC, which owned the nearby Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort[35] and was an affiliate of Orchestra Hotels & Resorts,[36] purchased the unfinished Trump project for $115 million in December 2013, with plans to open it as the Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach Residences.

[38] In October 2014, plans were announced to open the project as the Conrad Fort Lauderdale Resort and Residences during the summer of 2015.

As of August 2016, the project's opening date was also contingent on Orchestra refinancing its construction loan with a better interest rate, a deal that was expected to close within two weeks.