Colony coup with St. Regis

If a deal to include a St. Regis Hotel within a revamped Colony Beach & Tennis Resort on Longboat Key comes to fruition, it would be a true coup for the 19-acre property.

That's because St. Regis, the luxury brand under the Starwood umbrella — now a part of the world's largest hotel company, Marriott International Inc. — is fairly discriminating when it comes to new properties.

The brand is only attached to 16 hotels in North America, for instance, and just 60 worldwide.