The 125-acre Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club has recently completed the remodeling of the guest rooms and suites in two of its six wings. All of the remodeled rooms and suites are decorated with southwest Florida décor, says Jim Gunderson, general manager of the 318-room resort, which is southwest Florida's only beachfront resort to have an onsite championship golf course, plus a well-regarded spa and tennis center.

The 35 guest rooms and suites in the Florida Wing now have all-new furniture, new soft goods, and fresh paint in tropical colors. The suites in the Cabana Wing now have new tile, plus larger, redesigned bathrooms.

The best room, Gunderson says, is room number 193, a suite on the second floor of the Cabana Wing that has a direct, slightly elevated view of the golf course. It is a one-bedroom suite with large porch area, he says. Rates for this room are $425 a night in the off-season (from June to September) and $735 a night in the peak season (from Christmas through Easter).

Gunderson says the renovations have been in the works for the last 10 years and still aren't completely finished. Additional upgrades to guest rooms, guest corridors and improvements to the golf course area will come shortly.

These latest improvements follow a five-year $40 million enhancement and expansion, which was completed in 2005. That project included a $6 million remodeling of the lobby, so that it now provides a view of the Gulf of Mexico.

The resort, which offers agents a 10 percent commission, attracts couples, usually baby boomers. But most guests are families, Gunderson says, sometimes traveling with three generations.

"It's probably not as appealing to the younger crowd looking to just party," Gunderson remarked. "We offer a lot more than that. And the fact that we are a family-owned establishment makes us even more appealing to those clients."

Recreational Offerings

Owned and operated by the locally based Watkins family for 60 years, the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club has 1,000 feet of white sand beach on the Gulf of Mexico and many recreational possibilities including an 18-hole, par 72 PGA championship golf course; spa and fitness center; a large beachfront swimming pool; a tennis center with six Har-Tru courts; Beach Klub 4 Kids, a complimentary recreational program for children ages five to 12; and the Orchid House, where guests can surround themselves with more than 5,000 tropical plants.

The resort has four restaurants. The seafood restaurant HB's on the Gulf, Naples' only beachfront restaurant, has sunset views; Broadwell's, on the ground floor of the Clubhouse, overlooks the golf course. The Seminole Store serves deli sandwiches, ice cream, gourmet coffees and a variety of freshly baked pizzas, pastries and desserts in a café atmosphere. In addition, there are three bars, including the popular Sunset Beach Bar.

As for shopping, the resort is in walking distance to the fashionable

Fifth Avenue
and historic
Third Street
shopping districts. VenetianVillage, Waterside Shops, Bayfront and TinCity are also only minutes away.

Featuring 34,000 square feet of event space, the resort is a consistent recipient of meeting industry awards.

Get in Touch

The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club 851 Gulf Shore Blvd. North, 800-237-7600 or 239-261-2222 The property's travel agent liaison, Karen Connelly, reservations manager, may be reached at ext. 2223 www.naplesbeachhotel.com