Naples Grande returns to Hilton after $100M overhaul

Naples Grande Beach Resort is changing names again — and returning to Hilton. 

The 474-room resort will become Signia Hilton Naples Grande Beach Resort in January, giving the nearly 40-year-old property its fifth name and bringing it back under the Hilton umbrella more than a decade after it dropped the Waldorf Astoria name. 

Hilton announced the change Sept. 10 as Naples Grande undergoes a $100 million renovation, the most extensive overhaul in the resort’s history. The main resort has been closed since April, with a reopening scheduled for Jan. 1, 2027. 

The resort is at 475 Seagate Drive, at the western end of the road west of U.S. 41, near Waterside Shops and next to Clam Pass Park. Its 18-story tower rises above the mangroves between the Seagate and Pelican Bay communities. 

The new flag will make Naples Grande the first Signia Hilton on Florida’s Gulf Coast and the brand’s third property in the state, joining Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and Signia by Hilton Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood. 

“We’re looking forward to welcoming Naples Grande Beach Resort into the Signia Hilton portfolio, marking an exciting step in our strong brand growth and continued expansion into premier resort destinations,” Meghan Fitzgerald, global brand leader for Signia Hilton, said in a statement. 

For Naples Grande, another name is the latest turn in a history that stretches to the 1980s. 

The property was developed in 1986 as the Registry Resort & Club and operated independently under the Registry name for nearly two decades. Along with the Ritz-Carlton, which opened nearby in 1985, the Registry helped usher in a new era of luxury tourism and convention business in Collier County. Blackstone acquired the resort as part of its Boca Resorts portfolio in 2004 and rebranded it Naples Grande Resort in 2005. 

Hilton entered the picture in 2009, when Naples Grande joined the Waldorf Astoria collection. The resort was renamed Waldorf Astoria Naples in 2012. 

Northwood Investors acquired the property in 2013 and removed the Hilton affiliation the following year, returning it to independent operation as Naples Grande Beach Resort while undertaking an $18 million renovation. 

The $100 million project includes redesigned rooms, suites and villas, a new arrival experience and lobby, new dining concepts and upgrades to the spa, wellness, pool and event spaces. 

Naples Grande shut down most resort operations from April 1 through Dec. 31 for the work. Pyramid Naples Management temporarily laid off 235 employees during the closure, according to a filing with the state under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. 

The renovation follows the $248 million acquisition of the resort, its 18-hole golf course and 15-court tennis center by London-based Henderson Park and South Street Partners in 2022. 

The Signia flag also puts an emphasis on a significant piece of Naples Grande’s business: meetings and conventions. The resort has more than 83,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space and is already marketing the renovated property to groups for 2027. 

Not every proposed change at Naples Grande has been welcomed by its neighbors. 

Residents of Pelican Bay, Seagate and nearby communities have opposed a proposed 3.3-acre water recreation complex on the eastern side of the resort property that included water slides, a lazy river, pools, splash-play areas and food-and-beverage service. Resort representatives have characterized the project as a hotel amenity, while opponents have called it a water park and raised concerns about noise, traffic and parking. 

Naples Grande withdrew its site-development-plan amendment for the project in May, putting the proposal on hold at that time. Separate appeals also had been filed challenging Collier County zoning interpretations related to the proposed use. Opponents say they have collected more than 5,000 signatures and raised more than $150,000 for the effort. 

“For generations, guests have chosen Naples Grande for its extraordinary setting, expansive amenities and genuine sense of hospitality,” Gary Sims, managing director of Signia Hilton Naples Grande Beach Resort, said in a statement. “As we join Signia Hilton, we’re building on that legacy with a thoughtfully reimagined resort.” 

The resort includes 50 villas and has access to the Gulf beach through Clam Pass. Reservations under the Signia Hilton name are being accepted for stays beginning Jan. 1.