When you enter The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, doors open wide and thresholds pose little impediment. Staff anticipate every need, and a flurry of hide-and-seek spaces and corridors lined with Clyde Butcher’s stark landscapes invite the mind to wander, to think about nothing, and thus everything. Communal spaces open like shells to the Gulf, and in the back, a boardwalk carries you to Gumbo Limbo. The waterfront restaurant stretches along sand-swept decking—a reminder that Ritz luxury has always been about ease as much as elegance.
Like any grande dame, The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, exudes a singular personality: thoughtful, sophisticated, equally devoted to innovation and stewardship. Over 40 years, she has become an integral part of the city’s fabric. “We walk that fine line—honoring traditions cherished by generations while assuring growth that will delight those yet to come,” says Emmie Lancaster, senior marketing manager.
At flagship restaurant The Grill, the earthy scent of polished mahogany and a whisper of wood smoke hang in the air. When the resort opened in 1985, The Grill elevated fine dining in Naples, drawing talented chefs and inspiring local competition. Henri Avxhiu, a 25-year-old bartender, moves through the space with practiced ease. His mother, Esmeralda, has worked at the hotel since day one, part of the foundation that forged the modern Ritz-Carlton brand.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
ritz carlton gulf coast legacy resort signage
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
ritz carlton gulf coast legacy resort lobby
For 37 years, until his retirement in 2020, hospitality stalwart Ed Staros led the hotel, understanding that exceptional service becomes a family tradition—parents who embodied standards raised children who did the same. He helped codify the multigenerational approach into the Gold Standards that Ritz-Carlton employees worldwide still follow. Naples became the living blueprint for the brand’s ‘ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen’ ethos.
The youngest server at The Grill by seven years, Henri knows this is the room folks vie to work in and retire from. Because there are Ritz-Carlton standards, and then there are Ritz-Carlton standards at The Grill. “[It’s] a restaurant turned ballroom with service unfolding as a dance,” he says.
In the quiet before the crescendo, The Grill’s double doors swing open, and a man twice Henri’s age rushes the bar. “Henri! Is that you?” the man shouts, his eyes wet, as he ducks behind the bar for an embrace. “Your mother has cared for my family through three generations, a cancer scare, and more birthdays and anniversaries than I can count.” Henri’s cheeks flush pink; he swings his arm around the man’s neck and smiles for a picture.
Photography by Anna Nguyen
ritz carlton gulf coast legacy resort lobby floral arrangement
The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, opened in 1985 as the brand’s first resort property. Its legacy lives in polished brass and fresh blooms, connections spanning generations, and the ‘ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen’ ethos that has shaped the hotel and the city around it.
Before the Ritz’s arrival, Naples was a serene village. By the 1980s—spurred by the construction of I-75 and the Fort Myers airport—waterfront estates and a blossoming downtown were emerging, but luxury tourism had yet to arrive.
Meanwhile, Atlanta businessman William B. Johnson, known as the Waffle House King, had just purchased The Ritz-Carlton name and was launching the brand’s modern era. A part-time resident of Port Royal and avid sailor, William saw an ideal harbor for executives and international travelers.
“There’s luxury in the remembering, the type of luxury that people, in turn, remember.” —Esmeralda Avxhiu, concierge
Dismissing the irreverent ‘Grits at the Ritz’ headlines, he debuted The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, as the brand’s first resort-style property, marking a decisive turn from the lavish urban hotels that built the Ritz name. He brought Ed on to transform the sandy stretch into the city’s beating heart.
Photography by Anna Nguyen
ritz carlton gulf coast legacy resort aerial view beach side
Shopping centers, restaurants and country clubs emerged as guests, enticed by the resort’s low-key elegance, chose to settle in. The influx of seasonal and permanent residents elevated local charities with wealth, expertise and vision. In the arts, the timing was pivotal. Myra Janco Daniels had recently launched the Naples Philharmonic and was seeking a permanent space. The Ritz’s affluent clientele brought crucial patronage, fueling the creation of the orchestra’s home, which is now Artis—Naples.
The resort didn’t invent philanthropy in Naples, but it gave it a grand stage. The scope widened in 2002 with the opening of the Tiburón property two miles away—an unmatched statement of market confidence. Patricia Murphy, who has overseen sales and catering for two decades, says nonprofits often approach them at pivotal moments of growth. “We become a part of their evolution,” she says.
Today, the resort remains a gracious hostess. She watches children take their first wobbly steps on her manicured grounds, then, years later, sees those same children exchange vows in her ballrooms as they begin families of their own. “That’s true luxury,” Esmeralda says as she makes her way to the Club Lounge at the new, 14-story Vanderbilt Tower—a stunning cornerstone of the resort’s 2023 renovation. At 4,000 square feet, the members-only space is the second-largest in the Ritz’s portfolio, eclipsed only by the one in Dubai. As Club concierge, Esmeralda curates personalized experiences and rotating culinary offerings throughout the day. “We see the same people every year, we age together, we remember how they like their food, what they drink. I learn their children’s names; they learn mine. There’s luxury in the remembering, the type of luxury that people, in turn, remember,” she says as she smooths the lines of her powder blue dress and picks up a porcelain platter of smoked salmon crostini.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
ritz carlton gulf coast legacy resort lobby art fixture
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
ritz carlton gulf coast legacy resort uac artist caroline mastis
In December, The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, marks 40 years with a United Arts Collier collaboration that pairs local artists with the resort’s talents, including head florist Caroline Mastis.
Esmeralda approaches a table of returning guests she has known for years. “Chef prepared this with a hint of dill,” she says, offering the plate. “It pairs beautifully with pinot grigio.” She knows they prefer their wine chilled and already has a glass waiting. At the next table, where a couple celebrates their first anniversary, she overhears a reverie about a honeymoon in Italy. Esmeralda returns with a plate of prosciutto-wrapped melon and sun-dried tomatoes. “A small taste,” she says, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “To remember.”
The resort had perfected the art of small gestures and indelible experiences. But in 2022, Hurricane Ian reminded even the most imposing creations that nature sets the terms. Existing plans for a refresh gained urgency after four feet of stormwater roared through. Emmie joined the team weeks before Ian hit. “It was overwhelming—the community outreach,” she says, recalling the many callers, inquiring when they could once again ring the sunset bell at Gumbo Limbo or bring their daughter to a teddy bear tea service. “We weren’t and aren’t just a resort.”
Ten months later, the landmark re-emerged after a $100 million renovation that prioritized resilience. Elevated electrical, modular flood panels and other upgrades were added to withstand a 500-year storm.
Photography by Anna Nguyen
Photography by Anna Nguyen
Photography by Anna Nguyen
Photography by Anna Nguyen
Aesthetic changes went deeper than cosmetics, too. Re-envisioned spaces respect the Gulf’s patterns and power rather than trying to wall it out. Guest rooms are now bathed in the soft colors of the coast. In the Club Lounge, chandeliers are arched in homage to the loggerhead turtles nesting outside. The Vanderbilt Tower, which achieved LEED Silver status last year, features curves and sleek glass, the facade evoking the movement of the tides. “There was an era when every hotel featured cobalt blue glasses with our name etched into every piece of glassware,” Patricia says. “Today, rather than striving for uniformity, our hotels are thoughtfully integrated into our communities.”
The hotel’s conscience, though sharpened by Ian, has long been in practice. Since 2006, the resort has partnered with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida to run the Ritz Kids program, where a certified naturalist introduces children to coastal ecology. Other initiatives connect guests and employees with service opportunities, from preparing food on-site for hunger relief groups to planting trees and building birdhouses around town. As night settles over the property, the Vanderbilt Ballroom dresses in a honeyed light. It’s 2024, and the room is set for one of the Ritz’s many charitable events. Florist Caroline Mastis, who orchestrates all arrangements for the hotel, delivers a final bundle of blooms to Patricia. At her side, marketing coordinator Shelen Granados directs a line of banquet servers. Like Henri, Shelen is a legacy hire, intent on blending the resort’s timeless elegance with a modern sense of purpose.
Photography by Anna Nguyen
ritz carlton gulf coast legacy resort emmie lancaster
Senior marketing manager Emmie Lancaster joined weeks before Hurricane Ian, helping shepherd the $100 million renovation and 2023 reopening.
Servers move through the ballroom with a hundred miniature pineapple cakes, confections by pastry chef Lerome Campbell, the heart of the hotel’s sweet traditions. Shelen remembers the heavy scent of gingerbread and molasses when, each Christmas, her parents would bring her to see Lerome’s life-size gingerbread houses—a treasured Naples tradition.
Turning a pineapple-laden plate, Shelen feels herself at once a little girl and an apprentice. She has studied under Patricia since approaching the marketing maven at the same event the year prior, when Shelen was a banquet server. “Excuse me, Ms. Murphy. I just graduated with a marketing degree, and I’d love the chance to learn from you,” she mustered. Her father tended bar at the resort, her mother worked as a banquet server—both had journeyed from Cuba with little English but a wealth of five-star skill and the hope of a better life for their daughter. Patricia saw instincts no classroom could teach. “Call me Monday morning,” she said warmly.
As the music fades, guests drift onto the terrace, joining a family of 40-year hotel patrons gathered to celebrate their matriarch’s 65th birthday. They have reserved the club level for a month, allowing her to breathe easily among loved ones in a place she has cherished for over half her life. Anniversaries, weddings, grandchildren—the Ritz gathers them all, calling her family back, again and again, to the shore she stewards. Through time and tide, her people carry her forward.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
ritz carlton gulf coast legacy resort employee shelen
Shelen moved from banquets to marketing in 2023 after approaching Patricia Murphy at a gala, eager to learn from the Ritz-Carlton’s longtime events leader.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
ritz carlton gulf coast legacy resort employees
Shelen Granados followed her parents, Ernesto and Dorgeris, into Ritz service. Cuban immigrants who started in bar and banquets, they built the foundation for their daughter’s career.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
ritz carlton gulf coast legacy resort entrance
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ritz carlton gulf coast legacy resort dusk sushi lounge
Dusk, the hotel’s sultry sushi lounge, was updated in the recent renovation.