A Sarasota-area resort sits amid posh properties nearing completion in such idyllic places as Cabo San
Lucas, the Maldives, Thailand and a handful of Grecian isles on the Robb Report’s “50 Most Hotly
Anticipated Luxury Hotel Openings in 2024.’’
The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort checks in at number 38 on the uber-exclusive list of properties planned to open in the next 12 months. Immediately above the St. Regis Longboat Key: the Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, Australia ($3,400 a night). Immediately below, a resort in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.
“The only new St. Regis to open in the U.S. next year is coming to the white sands of a barrier island in the Gulf Coast off Sarasota,’’ the list, published earlier this month says. “The 18-acre project is a redevelopment of the former Colony Beach & Tennis Resort and is the largest project on the island in over 50 years.’’
The 17.3-acre site on Longboat Key has been under construction since 2021. When completed this summer, it will offer 166 rooms along with a range of restaurants topped off by the CW Prime Steakhouse. Outside, a saltwater lagoon will feature tropical fish and stingrays. Additionally, a bar will pay homage to the Colony’s famous Monkey Bar.
Resort General Manager Winfred Van Workum recently posted on LinkedIn seeking candidates for such staff positions at the resort as Director of Finance and Accounting; Director of Food and Beverage; Executive Chef; Spa Director and Director of Marketing.
The Robb Report notes that double rooms at the St. Regis Longboat Key will start at $1,200 a night.
Developer Chuck Whittall, CEO of Unicorp National Developments, said in 2023 that the hotel would aim to reach the level of a Forbes magazine five-star rating and added inquiries as early as last fall had been received about planning events at the site.
In addition to the hotel, which will occupy the northern two-thirds of the property, 69 condominiums occupy the southern third. All are spoken for.
No. 1 on the list is Amyth of Nicosia, Cyprus, a 10-room boutique hotel built “within Nicosia’s medieval Venitian Walls. A per-night rate was listed as TBD.
According to its own website, “the Robb Report is the leading voice in global luxury, synonymous around the world with the best of the best. Its unrivaled coverage of the latest superlative products and experiences has built a discerning audience with a shared appreciation and desire for craft, heritage, fine design, and exclusivity. With 17 international editions, Robb Report is recognized throughout the luxury industry as the definitive authority on taste and quality.”
Eric Garwood is the executive editor of the Community News Collaborative in Sarasota. Reach out to him at egarwood@cncfl.org.
