Video Tour of Third Street South in Naples, Florida
Planning a visit to Naples, Florida to find a home? Contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.
Video Tour of 5th Avenue South in Naples, Florida
Planning a visit to Naples, Florida to find a home? Contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.
Seagate’s Monterey model in Isola Bella at Talis Park is open
Seagate Development Group announced that its furnished Monterey model in Isola Bella at Talis Park is now open for viewing and purchase. Isola Bella is an exclusive 4.5-acre enclave being developed by Seagate. The neighborhood features 17 luxury single-family waterfront homesites with spectacular water and golf course views. The homesites can accommodate custom estate residences from 3,500 to more than 5,000 square feet. Seagate is offering a full golf membership worth $97,500 with new home purchases and newly constructed custom residences at Isola Bella for a limited time.
Before entering the Monterey model, visitors will be greeted by a cascading water feature. Once inside, they will be welcomed by a stunning Steinway piano. Priced at $3.995 million furnished, the two-story, 4,414 square feet under air model includes a foyer that leads to a sitting area, a wine room, a VIP guest suite, and an elevator. Beyond the sitting area, the plan features a great room, a dining area with a wet bar and built-in cabinetry, and an island kitchen with a walk-in pantry and laundry area. The living area opens to an outdoor living space with a view of a lake, oak trees, and a dramatic bridge. The outdoor space features a stone fireplace, an outdoor kitchen, covered conversation and dining areas, a pool bath, and a multi-level deck with a spill-over pool and spa. Upstairs, the master suite and a loft open to a sundeck showcasing a scenic view. The master suite features walk-in closets and a bath with separate water closets, separate vanities, a free-standing tub, and a walk-in shower. Two guest suites with private baths and a second laundry room are included upstairs.
The Monterey presents a modern coastal feeling with neutral grey and white backgrounds, dark walnut, natural oak and ebony accents, and wire-brushed oak flooring. The clean-lined interior features reversed-soffit ceiling details with cove lighting in the living areas. The staircase includes cable and iron railings. The home’s landscaped entry sequence offers a soothing water feature. Double doors open to a foyer with a two-story ceiling, an open staircase leading to an open loft, and an elevator. The foyer also provides points of entry to a VIP guest suite, a walk-in pantry and laundry room with built-in cabinetry and a refrigerator, and the three-car garage. A sitting room situated between the foyer and the great room features a reverse soffit ceiling and a view of a glass encased walk-in wine room.
The Monterey’s first floor living area includes a reverse soffit ceiling with cove lighting, an over-sized island featuring counter-height barstool seating in the kitchen, and a dining area that accommodates seating for ten. The kitchen features clean-lined cabinetry with soffits that convey a built-in look, quartzite countertops, a cook-top with an architectural hood, and a built-in wall oven. A wet bar is included in the dining area.
The great room and dining area open to the two-level outdoor living area with an infinity edge pool and a spill-over that provides a soothing water wall for those sitting by the firepit on the lower level. The pool includes a side wall with waterspouts. A custom spa features a sun shelf and LED illuminated bubblers. The lanai’s fireplace, outdoor kitchen, conversation and dining areas, and pool bath enhance the outdoor experience.
The Monterey’s upstairs features reverse soffit ceiling details, a morning bar with an undercounter refrigerator, and a loft that opens to a covered deck and an uncovered sundeck overlooking a water view. French doors in the master bedroom also open to the covered deck. The master bath features walk-in closets, separate water closets, a free-standing tub, and a walk-in shower. Two upstairs guest suites feature private baths and walk-in closets.
Talis Park is located on Livingston Road just north of Immokalee Road in North Naples, one of Naples’ most preferred locations. The community offers easy access to the area’s shopping, dining, and entertainment destinations. Talis Park’s amenities include the Beach Runner, the community’s exclusive beach shuttle that provides service to Vanderbilt Beach.
In addition to the completed Monterey model, Seagate’s furnished Sonoma model is also open for viewing and purchase.
Priced at $3.795 million furnished, the two-story 4,012 square feet under air Sonoma model features an outdoor living area with conversation and dining areas, a fireplace, outdoor kitchen, pool bath, and a custom pool and spa. The first floor includes a great room and dining area that open to the outdoors, an island kitchen with a walk-in pantry, a powder bath, and a VIP guest suite. A glass wall wine room and bar and a custom entertainment wall are featured in the great room. An elevator leads to the second floor that showcases a master suite with a sitting area opening to a sun deck, and a bath with separate vanities, a free-standing tub, and a walk-in shower. Two guest suites, a loft with a morning bar, and a study or exercise area are also on the second floor.
Ruta created a California coastal style for the Sonoma. Wire-brushed oak floors combine with soft white ivory and tan backgrounds and wood beamed ceilings to present a relaxed ambiance. Prior to entering, visitors will experience a landscaped setting and a cascading water wall. The foyer leads to the great room and provides views of the pool and the outdoor area.
Both models feature interiors designed by Theory Design’s Vice President of Design Ruta Menaghlazi. To arrange an in person or virtual tour of these model homes Isola Bella at Talis Park in Naples, contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.
From Caffrey & Associates | Special to Naples Daily News, July 25, 2020
Photos: Seagate Development Group
Tourism in Collier County breaks records in 2019
From the Naples Daily News
Collier County saw record tourism last year.
The county had more than 1.9 million visitors in 2019 — an increase of 5.8% over the year — and the highest number on record.
With more visitors came more room bookings and more spending.
Spending increased 8.1% to more than $2.3 billion, while room nights rose 6.4% to more than 2.5 million over the year. Both numbers set all-time records.
“We saw growth across the board from all of the major markets that we look at,” said Ann Wittine, director of data analysis for Research Data Services, at a Tourist Development Council meeting Monday.
In neighboring Lee County, tourism numbers for 2019 are still being crunched. The statistics are expected to be finalized and released in February.
Wittine zeroed in on increases in visitation from the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, saying they were the most significant.
Those numbers rose:
- 6.8% from the Midwest to 295,673
- 4.5% from the Northeast to 360,832
The report reflects overnight stays at hotels and other vacation rentals.
Wittine pointed to other positives in the annual report. From 2018 to 2019 the county saw:
- A more than 27% increase in visitation from Canada to 47,090
- A more than 5% increase in visitation from Europe to 309,349
While the percentage increase from Canada seems large, Wittine pointed out it’s a much smaller market for Collier County, accounting for less than 2.5% of its total visitation. The growth from that market last year equates to roughly 10,000 additional visitors, which she said is still “certainly a good sign,” as it marks the reversal of a negative trend.
In 2018, the county saw fewer visitors from Canada and Europe than it did in 2017. At the time, analysts with Research Data Services attributed those declines to their weaker economies and a stronger U.S. dollar, as well as a fallout from red tide in Southwest Florida.
Red tide in Collier County wasn’t as severe in 2019 as it was in 2018, so it had little impact on visitation, said Jack Wert, the county’s tourism director, by phone.
“There just seems to be an overall demand for travel right now,” he said, “and we certainly are seeing it in Southwest Florida. All of Florida really is seeing that, but I think we are certainly exceeding even the average numbers for Florida.”
Wert attributed some of the growth to a new marketing campaign launched in the fall with a “vacation well” theme, centered around health and wellness activities and offerings.
In December, the bureau’s marketing agency launched a Chicago Winter Takeover promotion, which is reaching Chicagoans as they’re going about their day and making their cold commutes to work. The campaign includes everything from warming stations blowing out hot air and showing sun-drenched scenes at train platforms to branded coffee sleeves served with cups of hot Joe at local coffee shops that showcase the Paradise Coast.
Occupancy falls
Not every metric in the 2019 Collier County tourism report was positive. Overall, occupancy fell 0.7% over the year to 74.7% in the county.
Wittine attributed the occupancy drop to having more rooms. According to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the county’s inventory of rooms has grown by 533, or 5.3%, since December 2018, driven mostly by the opening of new hotels.
“You guys have had more product to sell,” Wittine said.
While occupancy fell in 2019, it didn’t take as big of a hit as it did in 2018, when the national economy showed signs of slowing and the negative publicity surrounding red tide lingered through the end of the year.
Collier County finished 2019 strong, with a busy December.
Here’s what the county saw in the final month of last year, when compared to a year ago:
- A 6% rise in visitor numbers to 181,000
- An 8.4% increase in room nights booked to 221,000
- A 10.6% spike in total spending to more than $244 million
- A 2.9% increase in occupancy to 76.9%
- A 1.4% rise in average daily rate to $256.60
- Cold weather hit the north sooner in 2019 than it did in 2018, which helped drive more visitation in the final months of last year, from other parts of the United States, as well as from Canada, Wert said.
As for Europeans, he said, they don’t seem to be as concerned about exchange rates anymore.
“The Germans certainly seem to want to travel,” Wert said. “We’ve heard that from our tour operators.”
Tour operators in Belgium and Austria are reporting the same kind of strong demand, which bodes well for Southwest Florida and its international airport, he said.
“The direct flights certainly help but there is a lot of connecting service as well that brings that European visitor to the area,” Wert said.
Another positive when it comes to international visitors? Brexit — Britain’s proposed split from the European Union — doesn’t seem to be having much of an impact on British travel these days, as its residents have grown weary of waiting for something to happen and shrugging it off saying, “I’m taking my holiday,” Wert said.
“The future could change that, when they finally figure out what Brexit is all about, but so far it’s just speculation,” he said.
With more meeting space available, including the addition of first-class space at the JW Marriott Marco Island, Collier County saw strength in its groups and meetings business in 2019, while also attracting more leisure — or vacation — travelers.
While happy with the positive tourism report, council member Clark Hill, general manager at Hilton Naples, expressed a few concerns, including the statistic showing the average age of visitors to Collier County is roughly 50.
“At some point, the 50-year-olds aren’t going to be as plentiful as are the millennials,” he said, suggesting a need for the tourism bureau to continue looking for ways to attract younger generations.
Wert agreed.
“The millennials are getting older too,” he pointed out.
Looking ahead, Wert said he expects to see a strong finish to the busy season, which traditionally runs from November to April.
In the most recent survey, nearly 62% of Collier’s lodging managers said their reservations for January through March were up from a year ago, with 11.2% saying they were down — compared to 24.9% saying so a year ago.
“I think we’re in for a good couple of months here,” Wert said.
By the numbers
Here’s a look at visitor numbers in Collier County by market for 2019, compared to 2018.
- Florida — 686,680, +4.1%
- Southeast — 126,193, +5.4%
- Northeast — 360,832, +4.5%
- Midwest — 295,673, +6.8%
- Canada — 47,090, +27.4%
- Europe — 309,349, +5.3%
- Other — 102,783, +12.8%
- Total: 1,928,600, +5.8%
Source: Research Data Services
Plans unveiled to tear down Naples Beach Hotel,
photo courtesy of: Naples Beach Hotel
Redevelop resort, add condo towers
The landmark Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club has been re-imagined.
The Athens Group has unveiled initial plans to redevelop the 125-acre beachfront resort property owned by the Watkins family for more than 70 years.
Plans call for the storied hotel to be torn down and rebuilt as a smaller, world-class resort — and for luxury residential towers to be added on both sides of Gulf Shore Boulevard.
Meeting space would be cut in half but updated.
The 18-hole golf course would not be touched, other than for upgrades.
HB’s On the Gulf, the hotel’s signature restaurant, and the Sunset Beach Bar & Grill would be renovated and would reopen to the public, preserving the hotel’s longstanding community connections.
“It’s still the Naples Beach Hotel, but it’s in a different form,” said Kim Richards, CEO of The Athens Group. “We’re going to have to close it down for a few years, but it’s still the beach club,” Richards said.
Plans need approvals
The developers have submitted their initial plans to the city. A Design Review Board meeting to present those plans is scheduled for Nov. 28. A vote on whether to recommend approval would come from the board at a later meeting.
Plans also need to go to the city’s Planning Advisory Board before reaching the Naples City Council for a final vote. The hope is to win city approval by April or May of next year.
The project also would require approval from state and federal agencies.
The Watkins family plans to continue operating the hotel and golf club through the 2020-21 season. After that, ownership would transition to The Athens Group, which would redevelop the property in phases.
Construction of the first phase, which would include a new hotel, is expected to take about two years. The new hotel would have 220 rooms — almost 100 fewer than the existing hotel, which has 319.
Most of the hotel’s more than 400 employees would be out of jobs during construction, but preference would be given to those who want to return to work at the new resort, Richards said.
Some employees have worked for the hotel for more than three decades.
The Athens Group has created a redevelopment plan that “embraces the resort’s heritage and respects the traditions of the Watkins family.” The goal is to create “a world-class landmark reflecting the distinct coastal character of Naples,” Richards said.
“It will be nice progress for the future,” said Michael Watkins, the resort’s president and an owner.
In March, the Watkins family, third-generation owners and operators of the Naples Beach Hotel, announced a strategic partnership with The Athens Group, based in Phoenix, to redevelop the property and “enhance its legacy.”
“We plan on continuing the Watkins family legacy,” Richards said. “So the Watkins story is going to continue.”
The Watkins family chose The Athens Group after meeting with other prospective developers around the country to hear their visions for the property.
In October 2016, the Watkins family confirmed it had enlisted “a well respected real estate firm” to look into options for the iconic property, which stretches from the beach to U.S. 41 in the heart of Naples. The family received 15 to 20 proposals from its solicitation, said Henry B. Watkins III, who shares ownership in the property.
“There was a whole lot of interest, to say the least, from many corners of the world — or at least the U.S.,” he said.
Asked whether he thought some might lament the loss of the original hotel, Watkins said: “There’s something to be said for positive change.”
Built in 1880s, later moved
The original hotel was built in the 1880s two blocks east of the Naples Pier. It later relocated to its current site.
The Watkinses have owned and operated the hotel since 1946.
Henry B. Watkins Sr. was a 50-year-old retired toy manufacturer from Ohio when he bought the original hotel, with The Beach Club and its golf course, and then moved it to its location at 851 Gulf Shore Blvd., overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.
Eight buildings, 4 to 7 stories high
The redevelopment plans include building up to 195 residential condos in eight buildings, which would come with hotel services from ironing to room service. Buildings would range in height from four stories to seven, with parking underneath.
There would be five residential buildings on the east side of the property, next to the golf course. The other three would be built on the beach side, near the hotel.
The redevelopment plans also include:
- enhancing the tennis and fitness centers, as well as the spa;
- building a Market Square with activities for families, resident and neighbors, including a small bowling alley;
- creating a lushly landscaped corridor — the Gulf Shore Garden — with bike lanes;
- adding a treehouse and playground;
- replacing surface lots with underground parking.
The Athens Group’s portfolio includes such well-known hotels and resorts as the Four Seasons in Hualalai, Hawaii, and The Ritz-Carltons in Bachelor Gulch/Vail Valley, Colorado, and Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco. The flag — or brand — has yet to be chosen for the new Naples Beach Resort, Richards said.
The plans for the Naples Beach Resort will continue to be refined, based on input from neighbors and others, Richards said.
The developers have begun meeting with city officials, homeowners group representatives and other community leaders to get feedback. So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, Richards said.
Local reactions to plans
Naples Mayor Bill Barnett said he has not heard any complaints from city residents who have seen what’s planned for the property. He said he likes what has seen of the plans.
“It’s really beautiful,” Barnett said. “It’s going to be a first-class resort. No two ways about it.”
Duncan J. Cameron, a member of the Gulf Shore Property Owners Association board, said he appreciates the golf course being preserved, although he’s not a golfer.
“I walk and bike ride and I love the green space that the golf course provides at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club,” he said.
As a member of the Forum Club of Southwest Florida and the Rotary Club of Naples, he said he also likes that developers have promised to continue to allow those groups to use the property’s meeting rooms, as they have done for many years.
Naples ranked No. 1 place to retire in the country
Naples has been named the best place to retire in the nation.
The city is one of 10 that Livability.com has named as “Best Places to Retire in 2018.”
Data scientists with Livability.com examined nearly 2,300 cities across the country and factored in more than 20 data points, including safety, affordability, property tax, natural disaster risk, and nursing home accessibility and quality.
“Naples has the beautiful beaches that many retirees dream about, but it’s so much more than a beach town,” said Winona Dimeo-Ediger, managing editor at Livability.com.
Naples scored high in community engagement, outdoor recreation and percentage of residents over 65, according to the report.
“It’s a place that makes it easy to get involved and feel a strong sense of community, whether you’re a newcomer or you’ve lived there for years,” she said.
Naples has been recognized for the past three years as having the highest overall well-being in the U.S. and has ranked in the top 20 for best-performing cities in the nation.
A real estate research firm also named a Naples neighborhood as the “best neighborhood” in the United States earlier this year.
Originally published in the Naples Daily News.
Babcock Ranch, Southwest Florida
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