Sadly, one of the area’s most famous resort landmarks is set to close its doors. Having grown up playing tennis in the area, my family and I were well acquainted with the resort, which was home to many of the top young tennis players in the world in the 70’s and 80’s. Budding talent from the era such as Jimmy Arias and Carling Basset trained with Nick Bolletieri at the Resort, as well as super star Bjorn Borg, during his comeback attempt.
Located directly on waterfront property on the Gulf of Mexico, it was a setting of almost fantasy and a point of pride for the Sarasota/Manatee area. Its sad to see the Resort close. Management is blaming cranky and uncooperative unit owners for the demise of the Resort. The root of the friction and financial issues undoubtedly has to do with a dramatic reduction in guests and club revenues from a very sluggish tourist economy. It will be interesting to watch the upcoming bid for the Resort’s assets. Will the Condo owners seek another operator and open for business as usual? Or, will they sell off the crown jewels to investors to try and reinvent the operation?
Exerpt from the Tampa Bay Business Journal….click here for more information:
The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort will close its hotel, shops, conference center and fitness center Sept. 27.
The venerable resort on Longboat Key will keep its restaurants open for dinner and Sunday brunch, according to published reports. (More)
