Charlotte County leaders and business owners are optimistic about the economic impact of Sunseeker Resort’s opening
County and community leaders believe its impact will be significant countywide and beyond.
Former Central Florida teacher Katie Hagemann has seen a lot of change recently. She left the classroom and moved to Southwest Florida to help her family launch a new business this year on Englewood Beach.
“We started with just the food truck and a small little patio out front. Now we have two large patios out back,” said Hagemann. “And it has been going great.”
From burgers to ice cream, the family is hoping to fill what they see as a void on Manasota Key — a quick, delicious bite you can grab and go or enjoy on their waterfront patio. While operating out of a food truck now, their restaurant is nearly complete.
“You can kind of come and get a little bit of everything here,” she said.
As manager of the Beachcomber Trading Post, Hagemann could be looking at more change with the arrival of the Sunseeker Resort to the Peace River.
After a several-year delay caused by Covid-19 and Hurricane Ian, the Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County recently welcomed guests for it’s opening week. It touts nearly 800 rooms and about 60,000 square feet of meeting space.
Business and county leaders say the implications will be dramatic for the community.
“Sunseeker really is a true game changer for not just our destination, Charlotte County, but really for all of Southwest Florida,” said Sean Doherty, tourism director for the Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor and Convention Bureau. He oversees all the tourism marketing efforts for Charlotte County.
Doherty says Sunseeker is a game changer for several reasons. Allegiant Airlines, which owns the resort, can now not only offer customers flying into Punta Gorda’s airport a place to stay and play, it can now also market to companies and associations looking to host large events.
“There hasn't been a resort of its size or magnitude built in the whole southwest Florida area in the past 18 years," he said. "So and for Charlotte County specifically, we really haven't had a venue large enough and with all the amenities that Sunseeker brings to the table in order to host a bunch of different meetings and conferences and conventions."
Resort officials also said they were delighted by what they termed as an enthusiastic response from the meeting and convention community. They said there is currently around 120 groups confirmed for 2024, with an anticipated attendance of 35,000 to 40,000 individuals.
"We’ve already seen great excitement from groups, media, and travelers since we opened our doors last week,"aid Yami Alvarado, senior vice president of Carma Connected, a public relations firm which represents Sunseeker. "Our business volumes are ramping up for 2024 and we are seeing nice pickup between transient, group and our Allegiant funnel."
Alvarado also confirmed the resort met its hiring quota of 1,200 employees.
Doherty said the resort will open the door for the county to bring in a lot of other types of business that seemed out of reach in the past.
He continued: "Over the course of the last year or more, they've already been able to book quite a bit of meetings in convention business."
While Sunseeker has nearly two dozen places for people to eat and drink, Hagemann isn’t worried about the competition.
"So I think Sunseeker is going to be great. For this region in general, we know that Allegiant is bringing people in. Yes, they're going to bring them to the Sunseeker hotel but I think people are going to get out there and they're going to explore what else this area has to offer," she said. "And you know, maybe they next vacation they spend a couple nights at the Sunseekers. Maybe they add on a couple nights out here on Manasota Key or even go further inland Port Charlotte, North Port. You know, there's a lot to offer, I think, here."
Hagemann believes Sunseeker customers will be glad they took the 40-minute drive from the Charlotte Harbor resort to give her family business a try.
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