Editor's note: Since the original publication of this article, Hurricane Milton impacted the west coast of Florida, including the Fort Myers area. Here is what Visit Fort Myers sent to Meetings Today in response to a request for any updates that may be pertinent for meeting professionals:
“Naples Grande Beach Resort is thankful to share that the resort did not suffer any damage following Hurricane Milton. All amenities and services, including The Spa, three pools, restaurants, tennis, golf and Clam Pass Beach are fully open for business. The signature Naples Grande guest experience will not be impacted for any future reservations. The resort experienced only a few group cancellations during the Milton event. In collaboration with the organizations involved, plans are underway to reschedule for a future date, ensuring that guests can still enjoy Naples Grande. To welcome back our neighbors, the resort is currently offering 20% off best available rates, including breakfast for two and complimentary self-parking for all Florida, Alabama and Georgia residents. The resort team is grateful for the support and resilience of the Naples community and would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our hotel staff, first responders and local authorities for their hard work and dedication during this challenging time."
Groups come to Fort Myers for the same reasons we all come to Florida, popularly known as the Sunshine State: sun-kissed, temperate weather nearly year-round, pristine beaches, unique islands, welcoming neighborhoods and historically significant landmarks. And, in the past few years, Fort Myers and its surrounding areas have added a few more reasons to meet here: New hotels and resorts that cater to meeting groups means Fort Myers is poised to compete with many larger Florida destinations.
Take Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach, which opened in December 2023. This 254-room hotel offers 5,000 square feet of meetings-ready indoor event space, and the 43,000-square-foot elevated outdoor terrace overlooking the beach will dazzle attendees at exclusive events. A vast selection of restaurants abounds at Margaritaville that is certain to please any palate. And for refreshments and eats among the hip set, you’ll want to snag a seat at Beachside Lah De Dah Bar, JWB Grill, 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill or Coconut Telegraph Coffee Shop.
[Related: Outdoor Meeting Venues on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel]
For John Gossen, vice president of group sales at Bursch Travel in Waite Park, Minnesota, Margaritaville was the perfect place for his incentive group of 40 couples from up north.
“We come for the sun,” he said, speaking about the March incentive group from a seed company that awarded its top producers with a trip to the destination. “Compared to our weather here in Minnesota, you have no idea how nice it is in Fort Meyers. And we were super impressed by the pristine beaches.”
Add to that the lift into Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, where Gossen said he generally uses Sun Country and Delta airlines for groups.
“We got everyone on one plane for this group and you land into a really nice airport,” he offered.
Working with Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach was a breeze, Gossen added, and his group loved the fact it’s a new property.
“We really picked the hotel because it’s new, the rooms are clean, the service is great and we loved the entertainment,” he said. “The hotel was very responsive any time we needed anything, and they set it up specially so couples had a resort credit and basically full run of the place. They could sample the restaurants on their own or use the credit in the spa or gift shops.
“We also had an opening reception in the outdoor courtyard, which was really well done,” Gossen added.
Countless restaurants mean difficult dining decisions and a plethora of shops are just a short walk from the hotel (or golf cart, which some couples rented), ensuring attendees can experience all Fort Myers has to offer.
“We hardly noticed there was a hurricane here a few years ago; Fort Myers has really bounced back,” Gossen said.
Back in Business
Fort Myers took a direct hit from Hurricane Ian in 2022 but is well on its way to a complete recovery, according to the local DMO.
“All but two of our largest meeting resorts and hotels were up and running within two months of hurricane Ian’s landfall,” said Jill Vance, director of sales for Lee Country Visitor & Convention Bureau. “In addition to the brand-new Margaritaville Beach Resort, another 11,500 hotel rooms have reopened, with more becoming available every day. Although parts of the landscape on our barrier islands may still look a little different, the greater Fort Myers hospitality community has been, and will continue to, deliver memorable conferences and teambuilding events customized to your group’s interests.”
[Listen: Incorporating Wellness into Your Meeting on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel]
Helping Hands
This past July, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association welcomed 200 attendees from all over the country and abroad to Fort Myers for a three-day conference.
It was their first time to the area, and one of the reasons they selected Fort Myers was to support the area after Hurricane Ian. Despite the fact Ian hit in 2022, this charitable group knew there were still people in need, so they came prepared to help.
“We brought the conference to Fort Myers primarily because of the community need after Hurricane Ian,” said Anna Ouellette, director of meetings for the association. “This conference always includes a community service project before we kick off the programming, and 110 volunteers showed up on Sunday morning to work with the Fort Myers Community Cooperative.
“We put together more than 400 'food stable' packages with storm-ready radios, assembled hygiene packs for the unhoused members of the community, did some general clean up, some landscaping and much more,” she added.
The Luminary Hotel was the host hotel, which Ouellette said was a fabulous spot for their group.
“It’s smack-dab in the middle of downtown Fort Myers and has several onsite outlets if you prefer to stay out of the Florida heat,” she said. “We held our conference next door at the Caloosa Sounds Convention Center, so the hotel was the perfect spot for our sleeping rooms.”
The Center also worked extremely well for the group, Ouellette added.
“I’ll be honest, we’re space hogs, and we like to keep our group in one area, not competing with any other group,” she said. “This is exactly what we got at the Caloosa Sounds Convention Center.”
The Oxbow Fort Myers restaurant, just across from the Luminary Hotel, treats diners to casual, dockside dining and panoramic riverfront views overlooking the Caloosahatchee River, where the group hosted an evening event using both floors for a full buyout.
“The food was catered by the hotel and it did not disappoint. The views were spectacular, as well,” she said.
Final verdict on Fort Myers?
“We would come back,” Ouellette confirmed. “The hospitality at the Luminary and the convention center were top notch. Many of the hotel staff had been there for 10-plus years and their experience showed. It’s unusual to see that kind of longevity in the hospitality industry, and it was a welcome change, especially knowing how staffing was affected by the pandemic.”
Latest Fort Myers Area Meetings Venue Updates
The 450-room Ritz-Carlton, Naples (www.ritzcarlton.com) debuted its "Evolution of an Icon" transformation in summer 2023, featuring incredible renovations from a stunning new lobby and lobby bar to an expansive Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge, a redesigned pool area and newly designed guest rooms. Dining venues include the iconic waterfront Gumbo Limbo, luxury dining venue The Grill, the sleek Dusk bar and the new lounge and Mediterranean eatery, Sofra.
AC Hotel Naples 5th Avenue (www.marriott.com) opened in December 2023 on downtown Naples’ unofficial Main Street. The three-story, 150-room hotel includes a ground floor cafe and lobby, 2,500 square feet of divisible meeting space, a rooftop pool and Limón, a destination rooftop restaurant and bar with indoor and outdoor seating and breathtaking views of the area skyline.
The lavish LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort (www.laplayaresort.com), resting between the Gulf of Mexico and Vanderbilt Bay, reopened after Hurricane Ian with 189 fully renovated rooms and suites. The beloved resort offers 10 indoor meeting rooms, seven outdoor venues, the award-winning Baleen restaurant and the relaxing SpaTerre Naples.
Sundial Beach Resort & Spa Resort (www.sundialresort.com) on Sanibel Island reopened September 30 with 146 guest rooms and more than 20,000 square feet of flexible indoor/outdoor space. In November, the resort plans to open an additional 150 rooms.
Sunseeker Resort, Charlotte Harbor (www.sunseekerresorts.com) opened with 785 rooms, 60,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space with 20 restaurants and bars, Level Blue rooftop bar and the private Aileron Golf Club.
Great Wolf Lodge (www.greatwolflodge.com) is opening in Naples. As the 22nd lodge opening in North America, this family-friendly resort features 500 cozy accommodations, an incredible indoor waterpark, multiple onsite dining options and a range of fun activities for all ages. Its 7,500 square feet of flexible meeting space will meet event and meeting needs.
St. Regis Longboat Key (www.marriott.com) opened in August with more than 31,000 square feet of meeting space, 10 meeting rooms and 166 spacious guest rooms. The beachside luxury resort offers onsite AV support and the brand-hallmark St. Regis butler service for all guests. The resort also offers a wide-range of immersive water experiences.
IHG introduced voco Sarasota (www.ihg.com) following a recent rebrand and renovation. The 95-room hotel opened in Sarasota's Rosemary District steps from downtown and combines the familiar comforts of home with the indulgences of a hotel. Additional amenities include an outdoor pool, a fully equipped 24/7 fitness center and convenient access to local attractions via the hotel’s complimentary shuttle and bike rentals. The hotel has 1,190 square feet of versatile meeting and event spaces.
A Captivating Retreat Option
Small groups are well suited to The Island Club at North Captiva, which offers luxurious vacation rental homes ranging from two to six bedrooms. Seclusion awaits after an exhilarating ferry ride from Pine Island that ferries up to 50 guests to homes on 4.5 acres of this island where you won’t see a car in sight. And The Island Club will stock fridges, provide catered fare or hire a personal chef for upscale home cooking to tempt even the fussiest attendees.
“We handle 99 percent of everything for meeting planners,” said Matt Wykes, CEO and owner of The Island Club at North Captiva. “We have a reservations division, we can create menus and take care of securing meeting and breakout space. We even do fishing tournaments for groups.”
Restaurants on the island include The Boathouse Restaurant at the Island Club, and at the beginning of 2025, Mainstay North Captiva Restaurant & Bar will reopen after renovations post-Hurricane Ian.
The Island Club features 10,000 square feet of poolside outdoor space that can be tented. In addition, pool bar Mango's Bar & Grill serves up frosted bevvies and visitors are welcome to make use of complimentary bikes or kayaks as well as jet ski and boat rentals.
Batter Up!
Affectionately known as the Grapefruit League, Florida's MLB spring training season kicks off in February and runs through March. By planning ahead, groups can book front-row seats for five MLB teams in the Fort Myers area, including:
- Atlanta Braves: CoolToday Park, North Port
- Baltimore Orioles: Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota
- Boston Red Sox: JetBlue Park, Fort Myers
- Minnesota Twins: Hammond Stadium at Lee County Sports Complex, Fort Myers
- Tampa Bay Rays: Charlotte Sports Park, Port Charlotte
