New Ownership at Marco JW Marriott

The JW Marriott is changing hands. Assuming all goes according to plan, Marco Island’s largest hotel, biggest employer and signature beachfront property will have new owners in about a month, with closing likely before May 1 of this year.  

The 809-room resort, with over 10 acres of beachfront, plus two championship 18-hole golf courses, is being acquired at a price of $835 million, according to filings with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). The purchaser is Sculptor Diversified Real Estate Income Trust, based in New York, and the seller is Barings LLC, the asset management division of insurance giant Mass Mutual.  

What changes will Marco Islanders see in the iconic hotel? None at all, said JW Marriott director of marketing Tracy Tirrell.  

“We will continue to operate as a JW Marriott,” she said, placing the hotel firmly in the top-tier luxury level of resort accommodations. “It’s business as usual. Nothing will change – nothing except ownership,” she clarified. “Marriott has a very firm contract, so this will be a JW Marriott for a very long time.”  

With the transaction still in the “due diligence” phase, hotel management declined to elaborate further, and Sharon Lockwood, area general manager for South Florida Marriott properties, did not reply to calls seeking comment. According to Tirrell, there is no connection between corporate-managed hotel properties such as the Marco JW Marriott and the JW Marriott currently taking shape on the east Tamiami Trail in Naples.  

“That will be a franchise property,” separate from the corporate-managed properties, she said. “I am an employee of Marriott Corp.” The east Naples property, slated to be a six-story, 331-room luxury hotel, is expected to be substantially complete by Sept. 2027.  

The Marco hotel, now known as the JW, was first built by Marco Island developers the Mackle brothers and designed by longtime Marco architect Herb Savage. It was originally built as a 50-room hotel in 1965 and expanded to 100 rooms in 1967. In 1971 the Mackle’s Deltona Corp. expanded the hotel to 400 rooms, making the property the largest hotel on the west coast of Florida. 

Marriott purchased the property in 1979 and sponsored several rounds of expansion, culminating in the hotel being reborn in 2017 as a luxury-tier JW Marriott property. As the staff does not tire of repeating, it has been the only beachfront JW Marriott in the U.S., with amenities including first-class service, gourmet dining, spa facilities, and elegantly appointed guest rooms – along with that wide expanse of sugar-sand beach.  

One change that local residents will be able to experience is coming in the next few weeks. While the hotel is “resort guests only” during the winter tourism season, they will once again be opening their facilities to Marco Islanders. 

“We’re pleased to welcome local residents to enjoy the resort, and we continue to offer select experiences designed with our local community in mind,” said Tirrell in an email.  

The Locals Spa Offer will launch just after Easter (mid-April) and run through the end of May. The promotion includes 50-minute customized massages and facials starting at $175, available Monday through Wednesday, along with access to the spa’s amenities such as plunge pools, sauna and steam rooms, relaxation lounge, fitness center, and more.  

During the summer months, the same services are expected to be available at a lower price point, although final pricing is still being confirmed.  

In addition, the hotel’s Resort Day Passes will return in late April. These are released on a rolling basis (up to three weeks in advance), with daily inventory based on occupancy. Details on pricing, inclusions, availability, and booking can be found at https://jwmarco.ipoolside.com/services/ResortDayPass.