TradeWinds Island Resorts—the Island Grand and RumFish Beach Resort—on St. Pete Beach, FL, has refreshed its spaces. In addition to a recent round of guestroom renovations, TradeWinds Island Resorts has just completed a $2.2-million total redesign of all indoor meeting spaces and common areas. The rolling renovation included the two sister properties starting late 2017 wrapping up this summer.
“The challenge of renovating in a fully occupied hotel while minimizing disruption of the guest experience forced breaking the tasks into smaller steps,” said Kimberly Pabor, designer/owner of Pabor Designs Inc. “These were then carefully fit into various ‘windows’ of lower occupancy.”
The spaces complement each other by their continuation and expansion on the overall design theme of casual elegance with a nod/bow to St. Pete Beach, she said.
Inspired by Florida’s gulf coast, the 50,000 sq. ft. of updated space includes the Grand Palm Colonnade lobby area, all meeting rooms and the Pavilion at the TradeWinds Island Grand property.
“We looked at the location and setting of the resort itself. Long, beautiful, sandy beaches with wide open, uninterrupted sea and sky are a perfect inspiration for any day or design,” Pabor said.
New carpeting, furniture, lighting and fresh paint has transformed the spaces with vibrant blues, metallic accents and nautical details, creating the perfect ambiance for attendees ready to navigate an unforgettable meeting and event experience. Throughout the lobby area, dark mahogany-colored furniture and crisp, cream-colored chairs create a soothing space for gathering among the signature 20-ft. palms. The chairs in all meeting spaces have been updated with sophisticated deep blue upholstery with classic gold frames. Because the resort serves both vacation and business travelers, the design team faced some challenges.
“We needed to achieve the look we desired while ensuring the functionality of the spaces. The main lobby serves many different users and therefore differing functions,” Pabor said. “At times it is a lounge area for vacationers or the break out area for a convention with business people on hiatus from one of the many meeting rooms. At other times it is a pre-function area for a wedding or large convention. Our goal was to create something to serve all audiences…
COVID-19 also presented many challenges such as allowing for social distancing within the space. We must be prepared for a full room while allowing guests to maintain safe distancing.”
Pabor said that the team selected furniture pieces that could easily be moved and rearranged into different configurations depending on the current need or use of the space while also maintaining social distancing.
“Because the renovation was so expansive and flooring was removed down to concrete, we were able to add floor outlets to enable the addition of several charging stations,” she said. “This will allow the business traveler to continue being productive while on break and the fact that there are several locations, safe distance can be kept at all times.”
Pabor also noted that aesthetically, the team needed to tie the existing traditional architectural elements to a more contemporary design. “We wanted to create spaces that were relatable and comfortable for all guests and we achieved that,” she said. The team created a cohesive blend of old with new, using color, line and texture to marry the traditional architectural elements with the new, more clean-lined style.
Newly-renovated guestrooms at both the Island Grand and RumFish Beach Resort properties provide an ideal complement to the meeting space improvements. The $13-million room renovation was completed in phases from January 2019-March 2020 and included all 585 rooms at the Island Grand and 211 rooms at the RumFish Beach Resort.
Guestroom furniture at both properties now feature a sharp new look with new sofa beds, carpeting, paint and upgraded bathroom mirrors and lighting. All soft goods were also replaced, including bedding, draperies and upholstery. Rooms at the RumFish Beach Resort also received new closet doors, sliding glass doors, windows and club chairs in the seating area. New beachfront balconies were added to 56 RumFish Beach Resort rooms and 24 Island Grand Rooms, while new railings and a coat of exterior paint were added property wide.
“We wanted the view from the rooms to be our main focal point, or largest piece of art, for the overall theme,” Pabor said. “From there, we created the feeling of a natural progression of colors and elements all relating to that spectacular view and guest experience. There is a soothing feeling to the spaces, but a pop of fun and whimsy added by the art styling, subject matter and subtle hints of sea creature life. Having a resident artist on staff, Dean Fortune, gave us the ability to create room art that would allow us to create something truly unique, local and site-specific.”
