Longboat Key, FL – (September 22, 2009) The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort, long recognized as one of the Gulf Coast’s premier hospitality properties, has been forced to suspend hotel operations as a result of attempts by their Condominium Unit Owner’s Association Board over the last four years to paralyze operations by refusing to assess the unit owners to fund its operations expenses and repairs to the property. Therefore, effective September 28, the resort will suspend hotel operations indefinitely.
Despite The Colony’s venerable 40-year history, which includes being recognized as one of the first, and finest tennis resorts in the world, establishment as a premier fine dining institution, and serving as the chosen destination for millions of guests, Presidents and elite athletes, the condominium Association’s and their designated Board’s failure to meet their fiduciary obligations, has led to the decision by the resort’s management to cease operations. The suspension of services will be temporary until a mutually agreed upon plan for continued operations is developed between the resort and its owner’s Association to restore The Colony to its luxury resort condition.
Colony President and General Manager, Katherine Klauber Moulton states, “This is a very difficult decision my father and I have been forced to make. We were optimistic that the Association would have been more prescient about the possible ramifications to the operations as a whole if they decided to continue neglecting their fiscal obligations. As a result, an organization that is well-run, rich with heritage, potential and a talented staff is being forced to close.”
The 234 one- and two-bedroom villas suites, beach houses and specialty suites will close until further notice. Colony staff will be undertaking the effort to contact confirmed guests with existing reservations, and attempt to relocate travelers to Longboat Key and Sarasota resort properties.
Resort components such as The Colony Spa, The Monkey Room Patio, and The Colony Shops will also suspend operations. Le Tennique, The Colony’s retail shop featuring men’s and women’s fashions, accessories and gifts will be holding a progressive sale starting on Wednesday, September 23. Discounts on merchandise will start at 40% off and progress to higher percentages daily until Sunday, September 27.
The Colony Dining Room, however, will remain open permanently Tuesdays through Sundays, serving dinner starting at 5:00. The Restaurants’ famous Sunday Brunch will also continue from 10:00 – 2:00 weekly.
The Colony’s full-time hotel staff of over 80 employees, some who have served guests at the resort for over 30 years, will be placed on an indefinite furlough until the property can reopen for business. Employees will be provided assistance by appointing two human resources professionals to exclusively offer counseling and support in retraining services and job placement as part of a plan to aid in the transition process. Executive management will also be making efforts to personally assist in placing key staff members at comparable positions throughout the Sarasota and Manatee area.
The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort, located off the coast of Sarasota on the Gulf shores of Longboat Key, was opened in 1969 by Dr. Murray “Murf” Klauber, then a practicing orthodontist and entrepreneur from Buffalo and continues to be family owned and operated. Klauber is extremely proud of his 1988 Citizen of the Year award from Kiwanis and his daughter, Katherine Klauber Moulton, who serves as The Colony’s President and General Manager was the 2001 recipient of HOTELS magazine’s “Independent Hotelier of the World” award selected by more than 80,000 of her peers worldwide. She is also proud to have received the inaugural Tourism Leader of the Year from the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2004 and as a Business Person of the Year from Sarasota Magazine, amongst other recognitions. Accolades earned by The Colony through its 40-year history include:
• Recognition as the #1 Tennis Resort in the U.S. by Tennis magazine for an unprecedented eight consecutive years
• Citation in 2006 and 2008 by Child magazine as “One of the Top 5 Family Resorts in the US”.
• Induction into the Nation’s Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame in 1985
• Florida Trend’s Golden Spoon Award for 13 consecutive years
• The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 23 consecutive years
• DiRoNA Achievement of Distinction in Dining since 1990
• “One of America’s Top Restaurants” by Zagats
• The American Express/Florida Hospitality & Lodging Association Extraordinary Achievement Award (2009)
• The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences - 5 Star Service and Leadership Award to Dr. Murf Klauber and Katherine Moulton (2009)
• Coastal Living magazine - The Colony's Stone Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival - "Top Seafood & Wine Festival in the US" (2008)
The Colony and Dr. Klauber and Katie Moulton have made extraordinary efforts to provide support to the communities of Sarasota and Manatee, as well. Katie has served on the Tourist Development Board since the late 1980’s, has been a board member of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota since its inception, is a past board chairman of the Florida Lodging Association and also the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, was appointed by Governor Bush and continues to serve on the Florida Council of 100, is a board member of the prestigious Resort Committee of the American Hotel & Lodging Association and has served on a number of local human services boards. The Colony has made great efforts over the years to offer charitable contributions to many organizations throughout the region but, most importantly, those that serve our youth such as Girls, Inc. and Boys and Girls Clubs, education, those dedicated to the research and care of children and adults with terminal illnesses and especially cancer research and services through The Wellness Community. -TENNIS LIFE
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