Resort, sold for a $250M redevelopment project, faces last season

NAPLES — The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, with a storied history that goes back to just after World War II, has officially announced a closing date of May 23 to make way for a new development on the site.

The owners of the 125-acre beachfront property, the Watkins family, sold the property to The Athens Group in 2019. The Phoenix-based development firm intends to supplant the existing 319-room resort with a new 220-room luxury hotel and as many as 195 condominiums in a series of four- and seven-story buildings. The $250 million redevelopment, approved by the Naples City Council in April 2109, also includes refurbishing Naples Beach Hotel’s retail and restaurant offerings, including its signature restaurant, HB’s on the Gulf.