Naples Beach Hotel is coming down. What's coming next? A 5-star resort and luxury condos

The landmark Naples Beach Hotel is coming down.

After overcoming a few challenges, The Athens Group, the new owner and developer, has started demolition.

The longstanding hotel, which opened in 1946, closed its doors on May 23, 2021 — nearly a year ago — to make way for a multimillion project, known as the Naples Beach Club.

Demolition began Monday. 

In a company statement, The Athens Group said "there will be no 'wrecking ball' or blasting" involved in the dismantling of the longstanding hotel buildings, west of Gulf Shore Boulevard North.

Further, it shared that the current demolition should be completed by the end of July — and that work on the new hotel's foundation should begin by mid-May. 

The more upscale hotel is anticipated to be completed in late 2024.

The Athens Group plans to build a smaller five-star 216-room resort with "best-in-class" residential condos along both sides of Gulf Shore Boulevard North. The development could include up to 185 homes.

Late last year, the developer secured an agreement with Four Seasons, a global luxury brand, to operate the highly-anticipated resort.

"We are extremely pleased to have begun the demolition process. We look forward to the construction and completion of our world-class resort on the beach in Old Naples that will be a wonderful addition to the city," said Jay Newman, The Athens Group's chief operating officer, in a statement.

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The Athens Group cleared an important hurdle

Last week, The Athens Group cleared an important hurdle, finishing required work on water mains that held up the completion of its "haul road," or construction access road, for the new development.

The new road will run from U.S. 41 through the property's golf course, as the developer promised to lessen the impact of construction on the surrounding neighborhood.

"We discovered that two water mains along 41 were too close to the surface and needed to be relocated to avoid any potential disruption of water service, due to the future truck traffic on the road," Newman said in a statement.

Bob Middleton, the city's director of utilities, said a 20-inch water main and a 12-inch reclaimed water main, as well as a fire hydrant, had to be relocated at the developer's expense to make way for the new access road.

He said he feared the mains could get damaged by the heavy truck traffic, so he required the developer to move them and put them deeper into the ground.

"A 20-inch water main break could take out all of U.S. 41, along with a dump truck and whatever else is in its path, so that would not have been a pretty sight," Middleton said.

The pipes have been moved farther away from U.S. 41, to the west, he said.

The work only took seven days on each pipe, or about two weeks, but the developer had a months-long wait on getting the new pipes, due to supply shortages.

"With the economic conditions we're in and the lack of available materials, it took a little while to get the materials here," Middleton said.

An 'iconic destination in Naples for decades'

While the former hotel will be lost, its memories will live on, said Elaine Reed, CEO of the Naples Historical Society, in an email.

The Naples Beach Hotel, she said, was an "iconic destination in Naples for decades," creating and nurturing "important connections with the local population because of its popular beach bar, free events on Watkins Lawn, and HB’s," parts of which will be preserved by the new ownership.

"The Beach Club will evoke treasured memories for a long time," Reed said. "Memories created over decades are stories to be told to future generations. Passing along stories is one of the best ways we can honor family members and friends, other important people in our lives, and iconic buildings like the Beach Club. RIP."

The Athens Group and MSD Partners acquired the nearly 125-acre hotel property in October for more than $362 million.

The Watkins family owned the property for more than 70 years.

After a search for a buyer, the family announced in March 2018 that they'd chosen The Athens Group for a strategic partnership because it proposed a redevelopment plan they felt would protect their legacy of hospitality, while ensuring their prized property remained a crown jewel in Naples.

Naples City Council approved the plan to redevelop the site in 2019.