Construction restarts at Port Charlotte resort, hiring of 1,200 to begin soon

Just a month after Hurricane Ian shut down construction at the Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor, work has restarted and the opening is now set for the fall of next year, months later than originally planned.

According to a statement from the company Thursday, Oct. 27, crews are back at the site and all five of the massive cranes that were being used will be replaced in the coming two weeks.

The $618 million resort in Port Charlotte is being built by Allegiant Travel Co. The resort was hard hit by the storm, forcing the company to notify investors Oct. 7 that it was pushing back the opening date — scheduled for May — for an undetermined amount of time as it inspected the scope of the damage.

Construction had previously been delayed in March 2020 because of COVID-19. That shut down lasted 17 months.

It should be noted that the Allegiant says in the statement that it is “anticipated” that the resort will open in the fall of 2023.

In Thursday’s update, the company says work is underway on a 117,074-square-foot pool deck next to the resort’s main tower. Work on the 19,420-square-foot pool itself began last week with 700 yards of concrete being poured. The pool will hold 508,500 gallons of water.

Along with the construction, the human resources department for the resort is working on scheduling job fairs and local outreach to begin hiring more than 1,200 employees. “Management positions will continue to be posted between now and May 2023 and larger scale hiring efforts will begin in Q2,” the company says.

When it is complete, Sunseeker is expected to have 785 rooms, two pools, a spa and salon, an adults-only rooftop retreat, 60,000 square feet of meeting space, a harbor walk and an 18-hole golf course.

Included in the room mix will be 189 luxury one- to three-bedroom suites that will range in size from 875 square feet to 1,700 square feet and come with chef-level kitchens, private balconies and separate check-in, services and private lounges. The company calls this hotel-within-a-hotel concept Sunsuites.