Sunrise Rotary Hears Hilton Expansion Plans

Marco Island’s Sunrise Rotary continued its Wake Up to Rotary Speaker Series with a recent presentation by James Garcia, general manager of the Marco Island Hilton. Garcia and the Hilton’s land use attorney explained Hilton’s current plans for expansion with some focus on the history of the hotel.

The hotel property was purchased by Mort Olshan as an anniversary gift for his wife. Mr. Olshan promised to build a resort on the property. The hotel was built in 1985 and has 310 rooms. The Olshan family now seeks to add a second tower and a parking garage. The expansion will add 300 rooms and expand meeting space from 12,000 square feet to approximately 45,000 square feet.

The hotel will still be much smaller than the JW Marriott, which has 810 rooms and 120,000 square feet of meeting space. The Hilton’s focus will be on smaller groups, weddings, and on-site activities. To manage any additional traffic, the Hilton is proposing turn lanes and a parking garage on the hotel property to keep all on-site.

The presenters explained Marco has 1,275 hotel rooms plus 2,060 Airbnb. Off the Island, Collier County has 6,000 hotel rooms with 3,000 Airbnb. The large number of Airbnb is on the island, indicating a need for additional hotel space, according to Garcia. The project is going before the Planning Board and ultimately City Council for final decision in the near future.

Sunrise Rotary meets at Stonewall’s restaurant Tuesdays at 7:00 AM. Its speaker series continues in August with presentations scheduled by Steve Popper, founder of Meals of Hope; Ed Brandt, Minister of United Church and Collier Mosquito Control Commissioner; and Christa Johnson of FC Naples (soccer).