Oct. 18–With nearby ecotourism activities, an outdoor amphitheater a short walk away and 15,000 square feet of meeting space, the five-story Wyndham Grand Jupiter will be a “destination within a destination” when the hotel opens on Monday, said General Manager Matt Boris.

“North Palm Beach County has beaches, golf, fishing and other activities. There are popular activities all around Harbourside,” said Boris, 39, a Palm Beach Gardens resident who was formerly hotel manager of the 400-room Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek.

The 179-room Wyndham Grand, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, is the first luxury hotel built in Palm Beach County since the 134-room Omphoy Ocean Resort opened in Palm Beach in 2009. Wyndham Grand, along with its Orlando hotel, is building hotels in Clearwater and South Beach.

Northern Palm Beach County is “starving” for more luxury hotels, said Joel Paige, the general manager of PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, the 800-acre resort that is the home of The Honda Classic and has 339 rooms and 40 two-bedroom cottages.

“(Wyndham Grand) will certainly enhance Jupiter’s upscale lodging offerings, and further enrich the choices of travelers to our area,” said David Burke, Breakers’ vice president of sales and marketing.

Wyndham Grand is part of the Harbourside development that includes two five-story parking garages with 929 total spaces. Retail stores and restaurants are planned on the first floor of the parking garages.

Also planned is about 112,000 square feet of hotel space, 66,000 square feet of retail, 55,000 square feet of office space and 33,000 square feet of restaurant space with outdoor seating. A restaurant operated by Tiger Woods, a kayak rental store and Tommy Bahama clothing and home goods also are planned. There is a marina, a 600-seat outdoor amphitheater and connection to Riverwalk, the town’s 2.4-mile pedestrian and bicycle path from Ocean Way north to the Jupiter Inlet.

“People will be able to rent a kayak and take a ride right over there to Fullerton Island,” said developer Nick Mastroianni on a recent afternoon as he stood on the dock pointing to the town-owned island on the other side of the Intracoastal Waterway. The 12-acre island, once considered for luxury housing, is undergoing a $2.8 million renovation into a public park for boaters.

Not all agree Harbourside is a guaranteed winner. Some say Harbourside, surrounded by other shopping areas, will have tough times once the original spark from the opening fades.

“Harbourside is a too-big wall of concrete. It’s on too small a space. It doesn’t fit Jupiter,” said Loli Cooper, a resident of Palm Beach Gardens.

Harbourside’s biggest challenge is making the complex interesting enough to keep the public coming back, said Charles Modica, a Jupiter Island resident who bought the nearby 10-acre Suni Sands Mobile Home Park overlooking the Jupiter Inlet. Preliminary plans call for a 150-200 room inn on the Suni Sands property.

“After all the cement is dry, Harbourside may not be enough of an attraction. There is a lot of competition out there,” said Modica.

To get and keep the public’s attention, hotel officials hired a local historian to speak with employees to make them familiar with Jupiter. Wyndham Grand plans to sell local products, such as pastry from Jupiter Donut Factory on Center Street, beer from the Tequesta Brewing Co. on U.S. 1 and seafood from north county anglers, Boris said.

“Say an out-of-town person staying at the hotel likes the beer in the Wyndham bar. The bartender tells him or her the brewery that makes the beer is right up the street. We get a new customer,” said Matthew Webster, the brewer at Tequesta Brewery.

Nearby property owners say Wyndham Grand and Harbourside will bring a new breed of customer to the Jupiter waterfront.

“Now, we are attracting a casual crowd. Harbourside, like CityPlace, is going to attract a more upscale crowd. The hotel and Tiger Woods’ restaurant will bring people who have not come here before. There are no negatives to Harbourside,” said Taube, who also owns Jetty’s restaurant on A1A.