Hyatt's plans call for a 17-story luxury resort hotel along the Estero waterfront with 450 guest rooms, two restaurants, a 10,200-sq.-ft. spa, and nearly 30,000 square feet of conference space, including four primary meeting rooms and a 14,000-sq.-ft. ballroom. Hyatt anticipates a late 2001 opening.

"It's no accident that every one of this area's four premier destination resort hotels - the Ritz-Carlton and Registry Resort at Pelican Bay, the Ritz-Carlton Golf Lodge to open at Tiburon, and this new Hyatt Regency resort - are all within WCI Communities' developments," said Jerry Schmoyer, WCI's senior vice president of business development. "Residents and visitors alike know what to expect within a WCI community, and we look forward to continuing that tradition of excellence with Hyatt."

Plans for the resort include an 18-hole championship golf course to be developed by a joint venture between WCI Communities and Hyatt. WCI will build and manage the course, adding to the company's existing portfolio of 351 holes of golf currently open for public and private play. The championship course, whose designer is yet to be named, is scheduled to open concurrently with the resort and will primarily serve the guests of the hotel, but will also be open to the public for daily-fee play on a space-available basis.

"This is an exciting project for Bonita Springs, WCI Communities and Hyatt," Schmoyer said. "It's the only area resort that will offer golf views out the front door and Gulf views out the back, along with other resort-style amenities. The project will be a boon to Pelican Landing, The Colony at Pelican Landing, and all of Southwest Florida. And with Hyatt's involvement," he said, "we can expect a standard of excellence consistent with all of WCI's projects." Schmoyer added that WCI Communities will serve as the development services manager for the construction of the hotel.

"We are confident that Hyatt's customers will enjoy the charm and natural beauty of South Florida's Gulf Coast," said Douglas G. Geoga, president of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. "At this new resort, the blend of the region's lifestyle with Hyatt's special brand of hospitality will make for a truly unique resort experience."

According to Lee Island Coast Visitor and Convention Bureau Executive Director Elaine McLaughlin, "We anticipate that the Lee County economy will enjoy more than $20 million in annualized economic impact and more than 700 new jobs with the addition of this resort." McLaughlin added: "This resort hotel will provide an entirely new experience on the Lee Island Coast. An internationally recognized golf and convention facility, ideally located in southern Lee County, will attract the upscale market for leisure as well as business." 

WCI Communities is headquartered in Bonita Springs. With 21 master-planned communities throughout Florida, 2,100-plus employees statewide and $550 million in annual revenues, WCI is recognized as a premier developer of leisure-oriented residential communities in the state. Its award-winning communities are home to nearly 150,000 residents and include 351 holes of golf currently open for public and private play; eight miles of beachfront and waterfront property; boat slips at four deep-water marinas accommodating more than 1,000 boats; plus several restaurants and commercial sites. Additionally, the company builds single-family and multi-family homes, as well as luxury condominiums, ranging from $72,000 to $5.5 million.

There are 184 Hyatt hotels and resorts around the world. Hyatt Hotels Corporation operates 109 hotels and resorts in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. Hyatt international, through its subsidiaries, operates 75 hotels and resorts in 34 countries.