by Charu Suri
Last updated: 11:00 AM ET, Tue February 21, 2017
The JW Marriott brand has been busy.
Over the New Year, along with a commemorative and festive celebration, the Marco Island property on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico changed into the emperor's new clothes, from a "Marriott" to a "JW Marriott" which prides itself on casual luxury.
The shiny $320-million renovation was the culmination of years of planning, and the result is a sparkling 726-room beach resort replete with a signature restaurant called Ario, headed by Top Chef contestant Gerald Sombright, as well as beachside tiki bars, swimming pools, cabanas and a kids club called Tiki Tribe.
The property also features a Spa by JW, and a 94-room, adults-only tower scheduled to open the fall of 2017.
What is particularly striking about the property is its firm sense of place, and a feeling of having the outdoors connect with the indoors.
The resort hired a Florida-based design and architecture firm called Edge of Architecture, to reupholster everything from top to toe: what you find is a Balinese-inspired ode to the outdoors, with a feeling of being outdoors while relishing the marbled interiors.
Malcom Berg, who was one of the designers of the project, said that the ode to Indonesia was in keeping with the vision of the previous architect, who had just toured the Pacific Ring of Fire. Hence the grand lobby with two sweeping rafters with wave-like ribs on either side and lit from below. "I knew we wanted to go in a Balinese direction and we just wanted to redo the lobby lounge," said Berg in a phone interview. "And Marco Island, being an island within an island, has a coast, the Everglades and mangroves, and I wanted to bring them together into a symbiotic arrangement," he added.
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If you look up when you're in the lobby, you see a delicate lobby ceiling that mimics leaves that have fallen to the jungle floor and have been eaten up by ants.
There is cobwebbed looking material, exposed metal panels, with sweeping light fixtures that resemble Balinese fishing baskets. The wooden "ribs" (a gorgeous fusion of mahogany and cherry) rise out of the sides as though out of water and wrap everything skyward, mimicking mangrove roots.
However, this is only the beginning of this lovely marriage with nature.
Rooms have an Indonesian vibe, with textured carpets, marble bathrooms and headboards made in Bali. And there are nuanced textures everywhere: in Atrio, the flooring is porcelain (a bit of an optical illusion: it looks like wood), and the doors leading to the private dining space are made out of burl wood.
The Korrals lobby bar has an aquatic theme to it, and the redesign involved moving the rafters and the beams out. A new 90-key tower is in the works.
But perhaps the piece de la resistance of the entire property is the spa, an ode to wellness.
The bands on the ceiling were attenuated to give the appearance of eroded rock, much like an ancient temple. The marble atrium is instantly calming, and the spa menu features express treatments as well as in-depth ones. A halo of light comes from the lobby chandelier made of sculpted resin flakes.
One of the extraordinary aspects of the resort is the food and drink scene.
The resort also has an impressive rum collection, and the views of the beach are even more beautiful if you sit at Kane bar and imbibe of the well-priced flights ($55 for three 1.5 oz. drinks) that come with a Nicaraguan 18-year-old barrel-aged Flor de Caña, Don Pancho, and a Plantation XO 20th Anniversary from Barbados; but there are some 43 rums to choose from and you are able to mix and match to create your own flight.
To really take in the sunset, order a signature cocktail at Kane Bar, the "Turtle Season Lights Out,"with four different types of rum, and a dash of pineapple and orange juice.
Rates at the property start from approximately $650 per night.
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