They’d only disembarked from the flight to Palm Beach early that day, when once again they were strapped into airline seats. The couple — who had made a booking in an oceanfront suite at the new Amrit Ocean Resort on Singer Island — then saw the cabin door close and the air pressure begin to rise.
They covered their faces with oxygen masks and breathed — for a full hour.
But it wasn’t a flight gone horribly wrong, they’d merely booked a cognition-improving, infection-fighting session at the resort’s spa — the only one of its kind in Palm Beach.
“The other hotels don’t have anything like this; they don’t have the space or the commitment,’’ said Akram Alkawasmeh, the executive director of spa and wellness at Amrit — where the panoply of wellness options includes a dry flotation room, red light therapy to reduce inflammation, cures for sticky blood cell clusters and the largest hammam in Florida.
New hotel openings are a rarity in stately, stuck-in-its-ways Palm Beach. But for the first time in maybe a century, this rarefied island is picking up steam with a fleet of new openings designed to attract the younger, moneyed new residents that have poured into the area since COVID.
In November, Palm House joined the fray. Awash in rose tones and situated on Palm Beach island, just a block from the beach, it has a wide open pool area where bejeweled guests in diaphanous coverups chat and read. The expansive suites are uplifting and modern, but feel distinctively Palm Beach. And although it opened just months ago, the lobby bar is already abuzz with locals.
“We are familiar, but fresh,” said Natalie Le Clerc, the hotel’s general manager. “Everyone loves something new and exciting, and they are coming to look at us.’’
But there is even more flashy new fun to come. Backed by the billionaire Reuben brothers, David and Simon, the Vineta, due this summer, will open just two blocks from Worth Avenue. It will be the first hotel from the ultra-tony Oetker Collection — which includes Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc and Le Bristol Paris — in the US. And it promises to disrupt the island’s social scene with a see-and-be-seen restaurant with a menu designed by the collection’s chefs in the south of France.
Another billionaire investor, Larry Ellison, purchased the Eau Palm Beach, known for its whimsical spa, and he’ll certainly make some billionaire-sized changes there. He has already opened a pop-up of Nobu, and word is he may change the property to a Nobu hotel to up its name value.
The Seagate Resort has also just completed a massive overhaul of the lobby and public spaces, a refresh of all guest rooms, a renovation of the golf course, an opening tis month of the lavish Michael Mina restaurant Bourbon Steak and a new restaurant at the beach club.
And when he isn’t serving as envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff chairs a company with billionaire Len Blavatnik that has opened a new resort in West Palm Beach. The former Banyan Cay Resort is reborn as two distinct properties, the 150-room Belgrove hotel and the Dutchman’s Pipe Golf Club.
Upon arrival, guests choose from a pillow menu that offers seven different options, while accompanying dogs have their own designated desk, where they select toys and treats.
“There is a lot of new energy and excitement around West Palm Beach with culture and great New York restaurants opening, and we are the only real resort there,’’ said Jonah Sonnenborn, head of real estate at Blavatnik’s Access Industries.
But the old guard of Palm Beach hospitality isn’t rolling over for this billionaire-backed assault.
Grande dame the Boca Raton (now owned by its own billionaire, Michael Dell) put $130 million into the renovation of its beach club this season and unveiled a new restaurant, Onda, that takes full advantage of the property’s oceanfront location. It has also updated its spa, modeled on the Alhambra palace, with such new offerings as a circadian rhythm treatment aimed at opening energy pathways.
Meanwhile, legendary society stay the Breakers is celebrating its new $12 million tennis and racquet complex this month, with hydroponic grass and hard-top courts, as well as pickleball and padel. It’s kicking things off Friday and Saturday with an exhibition match starring Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have devoted family owners, heirs of founder Henry M. Flagler, whose unwavering vision sustains an unrivaled average $30 million annual investment to elevate our property,” declared CEO Paul N. Leone. Shots fired.
The Colony isn’t taking the competition lying down, either. Shops have been added to the lobby, and owner and CEO Sarah Wetenhall gave the rooms a major refresh. Monday trivia nights have been such a hit, with the hotel’s Swifty’s restaurant packed to the rafters inside and poolside, that a Sunday bingo night was introduced, and a mahjong night is on its way. Aerin Lauder, Martha Stewart, and Gwyneth Paltrow are just a few of the familiar faces that have been spotted.
The Colony also went into acquisition mode, snapping up a row of condos steps from the ocean and converting them to chic “bungalows.” The first one, with three bedrooms, three bathrooms and its own garden and pool, starts at $7,000 nightly in season.
“New places need time to work out the kinks and get good,’’ said Swifty’s owner Robert Caravaggi. “We have a few years under our belt and people want to come here and see everyone.’’
And talk about experience, the stately Brazilian Court Hotel turns 100 next year, and it’s still learning new tricks.
In addition to updating the rooms, it commandeered an Italian Solaris Power Yacht, complete with crew, complimentary to guests, and added a new boutique to the lobby. Comedy nights with known performers, lectures by notable medical personalities, and DJ nights on Fridays have livened up the tranquil outdoor gardens.
“We have earned the business and loyalty of our continued guests, while constantly modernizing our offerings to the highest possible level to ensure that we retain our position as the premier property on Palm Beach,’’ said owner Bobby Schlesinger.
