Small space draws large list of interest

Sarasota commercial real estate broker Eric Massey is in unfamiliar territory for recent years: He secured a long list of potential tenants who will want to vie for the opportunity to lease a mere 355 square feet of space.

The catch is the space is next to the gift shop inside the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. The space has never been made available to non-Ritz entities.

Just past the lobby, it's also a space local Ritz executives want to be particular about, given the chain's luxury reputation. “A lot of thought has been put into who we market to,” says Massey, an agent with Sarasota-based Michael Saunders & Co.