Every luxury hotel comes with a distinct personality and pitch that appeals to a certain niche crowd: international jet-set artsy couples; the New England intelligentsia; the newly-loaded startup something-preneur; the Southern debutante set; the Newport, RI high society nobs. Few tick all the boxes that fill the “everyone will want this” category. Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa is one of those resorts that ticks all the boxes.
According to Grand View Research, the luxury travel market projects to a global market value of $1.3 trillion and is further expected to expand by 7.6 percent from 2024-30. In an expanding luxury travel market, it is no surprise that hotels like Eau Palm Beach are thriving. For billionaires and the ultra-wealthy, there’s an emphasis on bespoke, curated experiences and convenience. For elite travelers, having everything within arms reach matters.
For sophisticated, well-educated travelers, a less-than-five-star property might be lucky to fool them once, but getting repeat business is next to impossible. Here’s why billionaires consistently choose to stay at Eau Palm Beach when visiting South Florida.
The Spa at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa
Every hotel wants its spa booked with cotton-robed guests sipping cucumber water while chewing on mixed nuts laid out on soft fluffy beds waiting to be dipped, scrubbed, or rubbed. The real trick for any luxury resort is having it seem to each guest like they are only one of a select few who can be there, even when it’s packed.
The decadent 42,000-square-foot spa space at Eau Palm Beach has been carefully crafted with lots of enclaves for guests to seek isolation while they zen between treatments and dips in the titular oversized jacuzzi. The playful relaxation begins by making a wish at the wishing well in the grand bronze rotunda. Your massage therapist invites you to light a candle and make a wish before heading to your treatment. Before or after your treatment, there’s a magical outdoor water garden with draped cabanas and fluffy sofas for quiet reflection over a glass of champagne. The half-moon curved chairs suspended just a few feet above a shallow flow of cool water add a fun-loving whimsy to the indulgent repose.
Happy Staff
Most high-end hotels lead with performative cheer when greeting guests throughout the day, but at Eau Palm Beach the staff make clean eye contact, gauge the temperature of each guest, and address guests by name. There’s intention in every word and the encounters are meaningful. They don’t just greet you and spout platitudes, they talk to you, ask you how you are, if your service has been good enough, if the temperature of your food is right, and where you’ve come in from. The resort management has doubled down on making sure every guest feels part of the Eau family, a destination more like home than a hotel. They talk about Palm Beach and the hotel as if it’s their own escape, not just yours. It’s a happy-making environment with happy people who love their jobs.
Distinct Clientele
Families, check. Well-heeled Europeans and East coasters, check. But what you might not expect is the very explicit conversations over money at the table next to you, or the talk about how the family chef is entering retirement earlier than they thought and the strategy to find the right replacement. The guests here take the business of being very rich seriously. The Hedge fund owners and brokers pitch money things over dinner at Angle, the elegant prime meats and seafood restaurant on property. It’s a place where you get a perfect cut of meat and carve out some funding for your next venture from the bigger fish across the table from you.
The Very Big Small Details
There’s a canvas Eau Palm Beach bag waiting in the room, a gift to all guests so you can sprint to and from the beach, pool, tennis or fitness classes with all your gear at hand. Once you’ve brought it home, you won’t forget where you had all this fun.
After the turndown service, there’s a turndown check-in to be certain that turndown was as you like it.
If you kick off your day with a cafe latte at breakfast, the staff will automatically give you a fresh one to go at the end of your meal. They also notice if it’s half empty as you take your last sip before you head out and fill it promptly so that the rest of your journey is perfectly latte-filled.
The pastries are all made in-house. Drop by Oceana, the on-site fair-trade coffee shop, for chocolate croissant and homemade bonbons that feature an Eau logo made from tempered dark chocolate.
Family
Spread out across seven acres of beachfront property, it’s amazing how this five-star Forbes-verified luxury destination has successfully carved out something for everyone in the family.
The re-imagined Kid’s Club, Loggers, is replete with crafting and culinary activities, a beach-resort feel depicting underwater images and a wall mural, an arcade with a variety of games and machines, and direct access to the Family Pool splash pad. The club’s virtual playground also features a Lite Zilla interactive wall, an interactive “BEAM” laser overhead projector and a “sketch aquarium” (create, play, and even feed turtles and fish that are uploaded to a life-size aquarium).
The Kid’s Club is thoughtfully zoned for children ranging from ages three to 11. The Hide Away is separate for pre-teens and teens up to age 17. The teen area includes TVs, karaoke, virtual reality games and sports experiences—all of which can be played individually or in group play. With multiple pools and year-round activities for children, the resort is well-suited for hosting the entire family.
Dining, Coffee And Pastries
There’s an interesting reason why Eau Palm Beach’s dining and light fare offerings are as they are.
“We consistently received guest inquiries about nearby sushi, Italian, coffee, and ice cream options. So, during our renovation, we made it a priority to integrate each of these dining experiences directly into the resort, ensuring that our guests have convenient access to these popular offerings without leaving the property.,” said Tim Nardi, General Manager of Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa.
That helps explain why both the indoor/outdoor oceanside restaurant (Polpo Palm Beach), the Japanese sushi restaurant and bar (Bōken), and the modern American steakhouse (Angle) suit a variety of tastes.
The resort will unveil a Nobu Preview dining pop-up experience beginning in mid-October. The Nobu experience, helmed by globally-renowned entrepreneur Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, will take over the Bokēn and Stir Bar & Terrace spaces. It will feature the highly-acclaimed Nobu menu, known for its unique take on traditional Japanese cuisine, with Peruvian ingredients alongside Nobu cocktails.
No one has ever underestimated the public’s interest in desserts. The on-property ice cream shop, Melt, awaits with a homemade scoop and some candy. Smartly, it’s near the pools and right next to the kid’s center. You don’t have to travel far from your family activities for a sweet cool treat. Even the dessert details are not overlooked. The sugar lumps that accompany the cafe latte are Comptoir du Sud—natural sugar cubes made from pure cane grown in Martinique. Offered in both white and brown cubes, the rich taste includes notes of honey and vanilla.
The Evolving Tradition Of Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa
As the Palm Beach community has evolved, so has the Eau Palm Beach property. Partnerships with luxury brands like Nobu and Lilly Pulitzer—an eponymous suite featuring the designer’s textiles is available to book through Nov. 18—only enhance its tradition of excellence.
Originally established as La Coquille Club in the 1950s, Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa has evolved remarkably since its inception. From the mid-1950s to the late 1970s, La Coquille Club served as a popular beach club and playground for socialites such as the Vanderbilt and Ford families, as well as the Rockefeller family and U.S. presidents. By the late 1970s, the Simon family, owners of the Vanderbilt estate, obtained permission to raze the club and build The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach, which opened in the early 1990s. The Lewis family purchased the property in 2003, maintaining its status as a Ritz-Carlton until 2013, when it was rebranded as Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa
Originally posted on Forbes.com*
