BOCA RATON, Fla. — The Boca Raton, the vast resort that has welcomed thousands of well-heeled guests since the 1920s, has reopened its signature pink 27-floor Tower hotel in what amounts to a capstone of the property’s redevelopment.
“The relaunch of Tower is a significant milestone in the evolution of The Boca Raton. It further defines our property as one of the world’s most distinguished resorts and private clubs, setting a new standard for luxury hospitality,” Daniel A. Hostettler, the resort’s president and CEO, said in statement issued this week. “It was integral to our long-term strategy to create five distinct hotels, each offering a unique experience.”
Built in 1969 as the city’s tallest building, the Tower’s overhaul cost $65 million, the statement said. The exterior “has been refreshed to a light coastal pink,” in contrast to the coastal white color on the exteriors of the resort’s other buildings.
Resort representatives could not be reached Friday for additional comment.
The hotel is essentially the last major piece of a $200 million resort-wide redevelopment program initiated by the owners, MSD Partners of Santa Monica, California, an investment group led by computer billionaire Michael Dell, and Northview Hotel Group of Wilton, Connecticut. Both acquired the resort in 2019.
Opened in 1926 as The Ritz-Carlton Cloister Inn, The Boca Raton now boasts five hotels — Tower Cloister, Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Bungalows, in addition to Tower — on the 200 acres abutting the Intracoastal Waterway.
Last year, the owners changed the name of the city’s historic luxury retreat from the Boca Raton Resort & Club back to The Boca Raton, the name that was in use between 1944 and 1986, according to a timeline provided by management. The resort also parted ways with the Waldorf Astoria Collection to become an independent luxury property.
“Tower,” as the hotel is now formally called, contains 244 rooms and suites, with configurations including connecting suites and “entire floor takeovers.”
“We redesigned the rooms with a contemporary coastal feel imbued with a sense of casual luxury to flaunt the spectacular 360-degree views,” said Shawn Sullivan, partner at Rockwell Group, the New York-based architecture and design firm. “This meant adding built-in window seating, bleached wood furniture, neutral linen fabrics, fluted feature walls and classic molding.”
Among other additions to serve and amuse the guests:
—Snack deliveries from two robotic butlers, Johnnie and Ethel, named after the monkey pets of the resort’s original owner, architect Addison Mizner.
—In the lobby, an NFT (Non-Fungible Token) art collection curated by the NFT Museum at nearby Lynn University NFT Museum. It features one-of-a-kind original artwork from on-the-rise artists.
—On the second floor, a complimentary guest-only lounge offering pastries, coffee and snacks, a “listening lounge” with headphones, a classic games area and book-lending library.
Room prices aren’t for the faint-hearted.
An online check Friday of “best available” nightly prices for two adults include $661 for an ‘”estate view” studio, $736 for a “coastal view” studio, and $1,061 for a “coastal view” one-bedroom suite.
But discounts don’t yield world-wide renown in the business and travel media.
After the resort formally reopened its doors earlier this year, The Boca Raton was mentioned in ‘A’ lists published by Bloomberg and Travel & Leisure.
Bloomberg called out the City of Boca Raton as one of 25 top leisure destinations worldwide for 2022, placing it on a par with Doha, the capital of Qatar; Vienna, Austria; the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador and Italy’s Amalfi Coast.
The Boca Raton, reviewers said, was the city’s “Exhibit A.”
