SANIBEL, Fla. — The Moorings Resort, a condominium-style resort, is the first of its kind to resume operations on Sanibel Island.
Kari Cordisco, the General Manager of the resort, shared her views on the reopening. "It's an amazing feeling," Cordisco remarked, underlining the efforts taken to reach this stage.
The resort, which combines individual ownership with hotel-like amenities, has been able to make 62 of its 122 rooms available for booking.
The path to this reopening involved significant financial investment, as Cordisco noted, "The recovery and the rebuild, we're looking at more than $20 million."
Just down the road, Sundial, the island's largest resort, is also progressing towards reopening. They've began accepting reservations for the month of August.
General Manager Becky Miller highlighted all the upgrades this time around.
"It's going to be everything new, gorgeous, with new swimming pools and all new amenities," Miller said.
The resort plans to reopen part of its facilities within four months, including five restaurants, tennis, pickleball courts, and a fitness center. The restaurants will be open to the public.
Despite these positive developments, the overall recovery of Sanibel Island's hospitality industry is ongoing. According to the Sanibel Chamber of Commerce, currently, only about 13% of the island's rooms are available for guests. The expectation is that this number will double throughout the year and eventually reach 75% by 2026.
