Construction projects have a life of their own.
But getting a hotel built during a pandemic has been a different kind of undertaking, said Bob Megazzini, the general manager at the Luminary Hotel in downtown Fort Myers.
The pandemic is just one of many obstacles Fort Myers has had to face in its attempt to build a hotel that could support a convention center along its waterfront. A number of plans with different hotels, including a Hilton and Sheraton, fizzled, and a land dispute caused a delay in building the Luminary.
But for now, Megazzini said, things are on track to open the hotel Sept. 17. On Saturday, a few members of the public and the media were invited for a tour of the hotel. That will be the last time the public gets to see it before it opens, Megazzini said.
"This is the safest way to bring people in," he said.
The initial plan was to open the hotel, including all of the restaurants and its amenities, in August, but that has changed.
"We are going to stagger the opening of some of the outlets in the hotel," Megazzini said.
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That will include its rooftop bar, which will have to wait because the state has restricted alcohol sales temporarily, Megazzini said.
He expects to have 200 positions filled at the 243-room, 12-story hotel between now and the end of the year. By opening day, he will have hired 110, he said.
Prior to the pandemic, he got resumes from about 30 to 40 people for every position, but during the pandemic, as the unemployment rate has climbed in Florida and across the nation, he sees applications from about 150 people for each position.
"Prior to the pandemic we would probably have to bring people in from all over the country," Megazzini said. "Currently we can hire most of the people in our backyard. Ninety-nine percent of people will probably be hired from Lee County."
The pandemic has disrupted business across the nation. While some hotels have had to shutdown completely to make changes to their layout, the Luminary was able to adopt best practices to face the pandemic.
"We will have all of our protocols in place for social distancing," Megazzini said. "All of our staff will be in face masks."
The lobby will have Plexiglas at the front desk and there will be hand-sanitizing stations strategically placed for guests to use, he said. An attendant will also be responsible for sanitizing furniture in the lobby after a guests vacates it, he said.
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Each room will be sanitized prior to a guest's arrival.
"I feel pretty good that we will have a good plan when it comes to operating a hotel," Megazzini said. "Our dining rooms will be socially distanced."
For the coming weeks, workers will continue to furnish the rooms. Guest rooms on floors 5, 6 and 7 are mostly complete, he said. Workers will continue furnishing the rooms by floor until they get to the top. Once the top is completed then the lobby gets the final touches, Megazzini said.
"It’s a bright point in the middle of a pandemic," he said. "We are opening a hotel."
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July 19, 2020 at 06:01PM
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Luminary Hotel in Fort Myers on track to open Sept. 17, general manager says - News-Press
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