Trending
Phoenix-based firm to redevelop and acquire Naples hotel and golf course
The Athens Group made a deal to redevelop the Naples Beach Resort & Golf Club and to acquire the resort from the family that has run it for more than 70 years
A Phoenix-based group agreed to redevelop and acquire the family-owned Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, a 125-acre landmark in Naples.
The Watkins family will continue to operate the hotel and golf club as it works with Phoenix-based Athens Group on the redevelopment until 2021, after which Athens Group would acquire the property.
While details of the redevelopment are still being determined, the project will include adding residences to the property at 851 Gulf Shore Boulevard in Naples along the Gulf of Mexico.
The Watkins family has owned and operated the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, the oldest resort in Naples, for more than 70 years.
Naples Mayor Bill Barnett hailed the planned redevelopment, which will preserve the resort’s golf course, allaying concerns among some Naples residents that apartments would replace the 18-hole course.
Opened in 1929, it is the oldest 18-hole golf course in Naples. Golfing legend Jack Nicklaus and course architect John Sanford redesigned it in 2016. [Naples Daily News] – Mike Seemuth