SANIBEL, Fla. — Dozens of resorts line the Sanibel beach, many of which are still recovering from recent hurricanes. That recovery process has now hit a major milestone as Sundial Resort, one of the biggest resorts on Sanibel, is now opening its rooms to guests.
WATCH AS SANIBEL COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENT, ANVAR RUZIEV, REPORTS ON THE SANIBEL TOURISM INDUSTRY:
Sanibel’s tourism industry is still on the road to recovery. According to Lee County’s Tourism Development Council, only 17.6% of hotel rooms on the island are back online.
But businesses aren’t waiting—90% of shops, restaurants, and attractions have reopened, bringing visitors back despite limited lodging options. Sundial Resort, one of the largest on the island, now hopes to give some of those people a place to sleep.
“We opened 74 rooms to overnight guests. That is about 216 of our total inventory. Not quite halfway there, but we’ll take it. It’s a great start,” said Becky Miller, General Manager of Sundial Resort.
The resort has also brought back several amenities, including its tiki bar and pool area, with more on the way later this month. But getting to this point hasn’t been easy. Rebuilding has been a slow, costly process, with insurance claims, permitting, and supply chain issues delaying progress.
“Hurricane Ian was the first setback, and then we had Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene. We’ve had supply chain issues, vendor issues, and a tremendous amount of time spent getting through zoning, permitting, and staffing,” Miller said.
The Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce says February is a major month for Sanibel recovery, as they expect the total number of available rooms to jump from 18% to 46% by the end of the month, bringing nearly half the island’s rooms back online.
As for all of Sundial Resort’s rooms being back online, the resort says they plan to have them open by the end of this year.
