- September 11, 2024
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Jaymie and Tommy Klauber, Winfred van Workum, Chuck Whittall, Tony Capuano and Katie and Michael Moulton celebrate the Aug. 16 soft opening.
Photo by Kat WingertThe bar at the main entrance of the resort.
Photo by Kat WingertThe St. Regis Longboat Key resort.
Photo by Kat WingertChuck Whittall, CEO and president of Unicorp National Developments, Inc.
Photo by Kat WingertThe sabring of Champagne was a part of the unveiling ceremony.
Photo by Kat WingertFire Chief Paul Dezzi, Tara Pavgouzas and Lisa Boggs
Photo by Petra RiveraMayor Liz Alpert and Jim Barber
Photo by Petra RiveraMichael Saunders and Chuck Whittall
Photo by Petra RiveraSusan Phillips and Steve Branham
Photo by Petra RiveraJoe Micals playing piano in the resort's main lobby.
Photo by Petra RiveraBert Tucker and Sherry Weatherington
Photo by Petra RiveraGeneral Manager of The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort Winfred van Workum
Photo by Petra RiveraEthan Lundberg feeding resident tortoise Jack at The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort
Photo by Petra RiveraYvanna Paez feeding the stingrays at The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort.
Photo by Petra RiveraThe mural above the resort's main entrance bar, painted by muralist William Savarese.
Photo by Carter WeinhoferA surprise performer paid tribute to Sarasota's history with the Ringling Brothers circus.
Photo by Carter WeinhoferA sabring of a Champagne bottle adds to the grandeur of the St. Regis Longboat Key unveiling ceremony.
Photo by Carter WeinhoferThe sabring of a Champagne bottle is a St. Regis tradition.
Photo by Carter WeinhoferThe pasta bar at the resort's Italian restaurant Riva.
Photo by Carter WeinhoferThe St. Regis Longboat Key opened to the public on Aug. 16.
Photo by Carter WeinhoferThe 350,000 gallon saltwater lagoon is a unique feature that will be a hotspot for guest experiences.
Photo by Kat WingertA sculpture of sea turtles greets guests of the St. Regis Longboat Key.
Photo by Kat WingertPrivate cabanas are available for rent by the pool.
Photo by Kat WingertThe hallway leading up to the resort's ballroom.
Matt WalshWith the sabering of a Champagne bottle, as is its tradition, the St. Regis Longboat Key unveiled the new resort to a select group of community members and media on Friday.
The event served as a celebration and a soft opening for the resort, which will have an official grand opening later this fall.
Now that the resort is in a soft opening stage, General Manager Winfred van Workum said it will be a gradual ramp up to get the resort to its full service. Most dining options in the resort are open to the public but will have more limited seating than usual during the soft opening.
The Monkey Bar, located on the property's beach, will be open in the coming days, and the coffee shop within the resort will open in a few weeks, according to van Workum.
Van Workum said he wants everyone to know that the other bars in the resort — namely the main bar in the lobby — are open to the public and serving signature St. Regis Longboat Key cocktails.
The St. Regis, which sits on the site of the former Colony Beach & Tennis Resort, has been more than a decade in the making, as pointed out by its developer, Chuck Whittall of Unicorp National Development.
“It was 14 years to the day since the Colony closed,” Whittall said, with a nod to The Colony’s longtime owner, the late Murray “Murf” Klauber. “This is a new legacy.”
Members of the Klauber family were there to celebrate the new resort that replaced the iconic one owned by their father.
“There’s magic here,” said Katie Moulton, Klauber’s daughter who served as general manager for The Colony. “There’s fairy dust in the sand that just needed to be stirred, and they did.”
That magic shone in every detail of the five-star property, which features 168 hotel rooms, 69 condo units, a ballroom, spa, two restaurants, a beach grill and three bars, not to mention a 4-acre saltwater lagoon complete with tropical fish and stingrays. There are even two resident tortoises that guests can pet and feed scraps of lettuce.
“It feels amazing,” van Workum said about the opening. “It’s been a lot of work, especially in the last couple of weeks, to put this together, but it’s so incredible to showcase and see the reactions.”
During the opening ceremony, he also gave credit to Whittall for his perseverance in seeing the project through. "He has more tenacity, more passion and more grit than anyone I've ever met," van Workum said.
Throughout the buildings were nods to Longboat Key and the Sarasota area, everything from lights leading up to the ballroom designed to look like circus hoops to the large sea turtle sculpture above the fountain that welcomes guests to the hotel entrance.
Whittall said 60 of the hotel’s rooms are open and it will continue opening rooms as construction completes on the property prior to its official grand opening. Until then, some guests are able to enjoy the resort, which has an average rate of $1,200 per night.
Encompassing 18 beachfront acres, the development is the largest on Longboat Key in more than 50 years.
Van Workum said that over the last few days, the staff has been preparing for this moment, training all the skills necessary for the five-star service.
“I think most satisfying for me, right now, is seeing the team in their performance, seeing them interact with guests and see all of that come to life,” van Workum said.