Reputation Redo

Every seaside town in Florida has a hotel like the Lani Kai in Fort Myers Beach: It's where everyone goes to drink at the beachfront bar, the rooms are cheap and the party goes on well into the night.

The Lani Kai Island Resort is where prankster guests have been known to dismantle toilets and move them to the patio. Every spring break, the Cincinnati firefighters delight the college crowds with a bawdy show of manly flesh. Hookah pipes are on display in the window of the gift shop. One recent morning, a police detective quizzed the front-desk staff with photos of criminal suspects while guests were checking in.

So it's news when the Lani Kai recently announced plans to broaden its appeal and move upscale.