The Colony Beach and Tennis Resort on Florida’s Longboat Key announced this week that the resort will close on Sunday, September 27, 2009. Water and power will be shut off to the 237 condo hotel units, the pool will be closed, housekeeping will cease, tennis courts will be inaccessible, and there will be no front desk service or maintenance services. The only exception will be the resort’s restaurant and a few units owned by members of the Klauber family, which took over the resort from original developers in 1972.
Aerial view of the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort
Each of the units were originally sold as fractional ownership, with owners buying a 1/12 share that allowed them to use the units for 30 days each year. Time not used by owners was placed in a pool and rented to the general public by the resort management company, which was paid a management fee by the condominium association. Over the years, the management company spent millions of dollars to maintain and restore the facilities of the resort. In better times, the firm apparently Read More »
For those of us growing up in the 70s — at least those of us who were allowed to watch TV — the iconic Ilikai Hotel was the epitome of glamorous Waikiki Beach, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The hotel opened in 1964 and was touted as the “First Luxury hi-rise hotel in Hawaii.” It was designed by John Graham, who also designed the Space Needle in Seattle. Accommodations at the Ilikai were all about the view, with balconies overlooking the city and beaches. Oahu is losing an icon of the early days of Waikiki tourism.
Even more sad, nearly 200 hotel employees will lose their jobs, at a time when the economic slowdown is sharply impacting the hospitality field. We should all consider it our civic duty to save our pennies and take a vacation in Hawaii as soon as possible! It’s too late to save the Ilikai, but there are plenty of others who need our occupancy before they close, too!
