The Waterline Marina Resort and Beach Club will be part of the Marriott hotel collection — per se.
The new hotel, under construction at Gulf and Marina drives in Holmes Beach, owned and operated by Mainsail Lodging and Development of Tampa, is included in the Marriott Autograph Collection of boutique hotels.
Mainsail is also owner-operator of Mainsail Beach Inn on 66th Street in Holmes Beach.
Concerns about who would be the owner-operator of Waterline arose from an Aug. 23 news release from Mainsail that stated the new resort would be a Marriott hotel.
Joe Collier, president of Mainsail, the author of the news release, did not reply to calls or emails asking for comment before press time for The Islander’s Aug. 31 edition.
Norwood Smith, vice president of sales and marketing for Mainsail, also couldn’t be reached for comment for the Aug. 31 story, but later said the agreement with Marriott is an advertising and marketing agreement, not ownership.
Unlike a franchise agreement, where the Marriott brand would be featured in the name and on signage for the hotel, Smith said Waterline will be part of an international brand that operates independently.
Collier, in an Aug. 30 email to Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson and building official Jim McGuinness, said the resort will have to maintain a high service level in order to remain a part of the Marriott Autograph Collection.
Smith said the Autograph Collection is a brand under the Marriott International umbrella that attracts guests looking for a unique resort experience unlike that found at a formula hotel.
The agreement allows guests to book stays through the Marriott website and the hotel will participate in the Marriott Rewards program, but day-to-day operations will be left to Mainsail, according to Smith.
“You won’t see the M-word attached to this property,” Smith said. The only nod to the Marriott brand will be a small plaque near the door identifying it is in the resort collection.
The Marriott Autograph Collection website at autograph-hotels.marriott.com touts a “unique collection of boutique hotels” operating under the tagline “exactly like nothing else.”
Jessica Berkin, a public relations provider for Marriott, did not respond to Sept. 1 emails for comment before press time for The Islander.
“Operationally, the resort will have nothing to do with Marriott,” Smith said.
Collier states in his email that there is no ownership or investment by Marriott in Waterline.
Waterline resort will pay Marriott an annual fee, according to Smith.
“It’s really just a marketing tool,” he said.
“We’re heavily invested in the brand story of Anna Maria Island,” he said. “We look forward to being a good resource in the community.”
Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson said in a Sept. 2 interview with The Islander he believes Waterline will be “a great facility and a great asset to the city of Holmes Beach.”
“I wasn’t involved at the onset, but the Marriott association doesn’t change what I think,” he said. “I am pleased with the way they have carried out the plans with the style and the basic, simple attitude of the structure.”
Waterline is on track to open in March 2017. The resort will feature 37 two-bedroom suites — but the suites can be separated to provide 72 one-bedroom rental units. A pool and deck is planned overlooking the waterway, as well as conference-banquet space and a restaurant and bar in the main building.
The Aug. 23 news release by Collier also announced a financing alternative for Waterline in which foreign investors can pay $1 million to an EB-5 program that allows a green card for the investor and provides his or her family with a five-year path for U.S. citizenship.