What is the plan for restaurants and retail facilities, including HB’s on the Gulf and the Sunset Beach Bar?
Athens will be retaining and renovating the very popular HB’s on the Gulf and the Sunset Beach Bar for the enjoyment of the hotel’s guests and the community. Athens is also planning additional food and beverage concepts. In addition, Athens is planning a restaurant with a small bowling alley and an artisanal grab n’ go facility in Market Square. This restaurant will replace Broadwell’s, and the grab n’ go facility will replace Seminole. The hotel will also have a small sundry shop. There may also be some boutique retail shops on the northern edge of the hotel and possibly in Market Square.
What is Market Square and what will it consist of?
The resort will feature a small Market Square for its guests, residents and neighbors that will be anchored by a restaurant with a bowling alley that will replace Broadwell’s along with the resort’s comprehensive spa and fitness facility. A recreational outfitter and an artisanal grab n’ go food and beverage facility that will replace Seminole will round out the offerings, along with the possibility of a few small retail shops. Additional Market Square facilities may be limited to the resort’s guests and residents.
Will public enjoyment of the beach be impacted by the project?
Public access to the beach will not be limited or impacted by the new resort.
What is the status of the golf course and the tennis courts during the development period?
The golf course will be closed during the initial phase of construction in order to accommodate the on-site construction access road, the construction staging area, and employee parking. Once Athens acquires the property, it intends to keep the tennis center in operation through April 2023.
How much meeting space will the resort have?
The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club had approximately 24,000 square feet of meeting room space, and the new hotel will have approximately half that amount at 12,000 square feet. The new hotel will still be able to accommodate the local Naples groups that have enjoyed the property in the past such as the Naples Rotary Club, the Forum Club, and Minnesota Breakfast, along with the City’s social and charitable events. The existing conference center will be redeveloped, and it will be renamed the Clubhouse.
What is the status of the conference center during the development period? Will local groups still be allowed to use it?
During the initial phase of construction, the conference center will be closed for renovation and improvement, including a new arrival experience, the creation of the Market Square along its northern end, the construction of additional on-site parking in a garage underneath the Market Square podium, and the construction of a new, hidden loading dock facility that will eliminate the need for delivery vehicles to make their turning movements on Gulf Shore Boulevard North. The conference center will be renamed the Clubhouse and will reopen concurrently with the opening of the new hotel.
Will the Forum Club, Minnesota Breakfast, Naples Rotary and other similar organizations and non-profits still hold meetings and events at the hotel? What about the Naples triathlon and Senior Skip Day for Naples High School?
The Athens Group plans to continue to accommodate important local organizations’ meetings and events, as well as local traditions such as the triathlon and Senior Skip Day, after the new hotel opens. Athens recognizes, however, the need to study how these events affect existing parking conditions so a parking management plan can be developed that better accommodates these groups. During the construction of the first phase of the project, Athens will not be able to accommodate these organizations and events, as most of the current hotel’s facilities will be demolished and the conference center will be closed as it is renovated.