Hotel Escalante, which just celebrated its first full year of operation, is answering its guests� demands to own a piece of the hotel by offering its guest rooms for condominium ownership. 

Escalante is managed by Naples-based Coral Beach Hotels & Clubs, and marketed under Coral Beach�s Coral Collection of Fine Hotels & Resorts.

�The hotel is so special,� says owner Richard Kepley, �in terms of offering luxury, pampering, culture and nightlife in the heart of Naples two blocks from the beach.  We�ve heard from quite a few guests who ask �why go anywhere else?�.� 

Kepley states that it was always the intention to operate Hotel Escalante as a �condo hotel,� an industry term that describes a facility that is both condo and hotel.  Owners of the hotel rooms have the freedom to stay in their units whenever they wish and to rent their rooms when they are not using them.

Escalante�s predecessor at the privileged 5th Avenue South and Third Street South location was the Beachcomber, a motel with individually owned units.  The owners and managers of Hotel Escalante bought the Beachcomber�s units from each of their owners, and maintained the Beachcomber�s condo association.

�It was always our intention to offer the rooms for condo ownership,� Kepley said.  �First, we had to construct the hotel and get a solid year of smooth operation under our belts, during which time some of our guests turned into interested buyers.�

Prudential Florida WCI Realty Inc., the company handling the sale of the units, recently completed research to determine the value of the units, which are being offered at prices ranging from $375,000 to $600,000.

In addition to enjoying all the hotel�s services and amenities, owners will receive storage space for personal belongings, complimentary use of the meeting room, preferred reservations at the hotel�s spa, and a regular newsletter about the hotel and Naples.

The 70-room Hotel Escalante is enveloped by lush tropical gardens, and is the only hotel in Florida recognized by Florida�s tourism organization as a botanical garden.  Its location at the heart of the historic beachfront neighborhood of Old Naples, just two blocks from the beach and near restaurants, shops and galleries, is favored by guests who can vacation at the hotel without ever needing a car.

Amenities include elegant plantation-style décor, Frette linens and bathrobes, tropically landscaped swimming pool with Jacuzzi, welcome champagne, and concierge service to arrange reservations and sightseeing.  A buffet breakfast is available in the hotel�s paneled library with leather banquettes.