The 18-story tower at the west end of Seagate Drive has had no hotel guests since April. On January 1, 2027, it reopens under its fifth name. In the meantime, the beach routine at that end of the road still works, because almost none of it was ever part of the closure. The changes that will still matter after New Year's are the golf course going private, a resort reopening around group business, and new restaurants at the Waterside end of the road.
What Closed, and What Kept Running
Naples Grande Beach Resort at 475 Seagate Drive closed most of its operations on April 1 for a $100 million renovation, scheduled to run through December 31. According to the resort's renovation page, guest rooms, meeting spaces and core resort facilities are closed, and selected amenities stay open. Gulfshore Business reported which amenities those were: Rhode's End, Clam Pass beach services, select villas, the Naples Tennis Academy and the golf club.
The golf club on that list is no longer what it was. Here is how the west end of Seagate Drive stands this October:
| Place | Status this fall | Who can use it |
|---|---|---|
| Naples Grande guest rooms, lobby, pools, spa | Closed through December 31, 2026 | No one until January 1, 2027 |
| Clam Pass Park, 465 Seagate Drive | Open 8 a.m. to sunset, year-round | Public, with free tram |
| Rhode's End | Listed open daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Locals, resort guests and visitors |
| Naples Tennis Academy | Clinics and round robins on the schedule | Members and guests at posted rates |
| CAVU Golf Club, formerly Naples Grande Golf Club | Renovated and renamed | Private members only |
The Beach Runs on County Hours
Most of the beach end of Seagate Drive never depended on the resort. Collier County runs Clam Pass Park: 35 acres with a three-quarter-mile boardwalk through mangrove habitat to the Gulf, a free beach tram, and hours from 8 a.m. to sunset all year. Parking costs $10 without a county beach permit. Collier residents can get a free permit with proof of residency. Full-time residents and part-time property owners qualify with different documents, and each sticker stays with the vehicle it was registered to. Seagate households that alternate between two cars can check which one carries the sticker before a late-afternoon walk down the boardwalk.
The county has also worked on the pass itself. In a Collier County notice, crews were scheduled to mobilize on November 3, 2025. The plan was to dig shoaled sand out of the inlet, place it on the neighboring beaches, restore dunes along 2,000 feet of shoreline and clear overwash sand from the mangroves. The county forecast completion by late February or early March 2026. A separate project to pressure-wash and paint the south parking-lot wall caused intermittent lot closures from March 2 through April 1, 2026. That notice did not mention any closure of the boardwalk or tram.
The resort operates the food stop at the end of the boardwalk. Its dining page describes Rhode's End as "the go-to pit stop" for anyone on Clam Pass Park's beach, "whether they be locals, resorts guests, or visitors staying elsewhere." The page lists daily hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and says the shack goes cashless beginning September 16. The posted Beach Menu 2026 includes gyros with lamb, chicken, or shrimp and octopus, plus a beach smash burger, a blackened mahi sandwich and salads. The menu is a live page and can change, so it is worth checking before you walk out with an empty wallet.
A short drive inland, the Naples Tennis Academy is still running a full schedule on its 15 Har-Tru courts. Round robins are posted at $5 for members and $15 for guests, and drop-in clinics at $35 and $40. The October 2026 calendar includes a drop-in clinic on October 11.
The Change That Lasts Past January
In February, the Naples Daily News reported that after renovating the clubhouse and course, the Naples Grande Golf Club had renamed itself CAVU Golf Club and become fully private and members-only. The club had previously been semi-private and affiliated with the resort. The paper reported that the course "is no longer open to resort guests."
That makes the spring reports of a golf club staying open during the closure out of date. Seagate residents who used to book public or semi-private tee times nearby will need a membership or another course. Our guide to Naples golf courses covers the wider options. The coverage did not include CAVU's membership categories or pricing.
A Fifth Name, Built Around Groups
The resort coming back in January is aimed more squarely at group business than the one that closed. Gulfshore Business reported that Hilton announced on September 10 that the property will reopen as Signia Hilton Naples Grande Beach Resort. It will be the first Signia Hilton on Florida's Gulf Coast and the brand's third in the state. The same report traced the property's names over nearly 40 years:
- Registry Resort & Club, developed in 1986
- Naples Grande Resort, after Blackstone's 2004 acquisition and 2005 rebrand
- Waldorf Astoria Naples, from 2012, after joining the Waldorf Astoria collection in 2009
- Naples Grande Beach Resort, after Northwood Investors bought it in 2013 and dropped the Hilton affiliation the next year
- Signia Hilton Naples Grande Beach Resort, from January 1, 2027
The outlet reported that the Signia brand puts weight on meetings and conventions. The resort has more than 83,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space and is already marketing the renovated property to groups for 2027. The $100 million plan covers redesigned rooms, suites and villas, a new arrival experience and lobby, new dining concepts, and upgraded spa, wellness, pool and event spaces. A published rendering shows a new bar, though neither the report nor the resort's renovation page names the new venues. Reservations under the Signia Hilton name open with stays beginning January 1.
Meanwhile, Dining Moved to the Waterside End
While the west end has been quiet, the east end of Seagate Drive has added restaurants. Eddie V's Prime Seafood opened June 7 in a freestanding building at 765 Seagate Drive. It is the brand's first Southwest Florida location and its sixth in Florida. Darden describes it as seafood-forward, with live jazz and a lounge.
Waterside Shops has more openings planned. Brio Italian Grille closed April 12 after 20 years, and Buck & Rider is taking its space at 5505 Tamiami Trail N., targeting a late-2026 opening. The RH gallery on the former Nordstrom site is also targeted for late 2026, with plans for a central full-service restaurant and wine bar. Waterside announced Vuori for the former Pottery Barn space near Sephora, with a fall 2026 target. All three dates are targets, not confirmed openings. If they hold, the east end of Seagate Drive will have more new tables by New Year's than the resort end.
Neighbors in Pelican Bay share this end of the road. Our Pelican Bay post covers the retail changes at Waterside from their side.
The Question Still Open East of the Resort
One proposal tied to the reopening has not been settled. Gulfshore Business reported that residents of Pelican Bay, Seagate and nearby communities opposed a proposed 3.3-acre water recreation complex on the eastern side of the resort property. The plans included water slides, a lazy river, pools, splash-play areas and food service. In May, the resort withdrew its site-development-plan amendment, which put the proposal on hold. Separate appeals challenging Collier County zoning interpretations had also been filed.
Those appeals came from the Pelican Bay Foundation and Bay Villas Association, filed April 17. Commissioners have said what such a hearing would decide. In earlier Gulfshore Business coverage, Commissioner Chris Hall said that if an appeal reached the board, it would sit as the board of zoning appeals, ruling "on what the true stance of the original intent was," not on whether to approve the amenity. The opposition coalition's website says it expects the appeals to be heard in the fall. No hearing date or ruling has been published.
Dates on the Calendar Through Early January
The resort is not hosting anything this fall, so the season's events nearby are held elsewhere:
- October 22 to 25: The Naples International Film Festival, listed on the Artis—Naples calendar.
- October 31 and November 1: Día de los Muertos at Naples Botanical Garden, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- November 21: Grand Illuminations at The Village Shops on Venetian Bay, followed by the Gobble Gobble Thanksgiving Day 5K on November 26 and Black Friday Stroll & Shop from November 27 to 29.
- November 27 through January 3: Johnsonville Night Lights in the Garden, dark on December 24, 25 and 31.
- January 1, 2027: Signia Hilton Naples Grande Beach Resort welcomes its first guests.
The Resop Team follows these changes from Clam Pass to Waterside. If you want to know how the reopening, the new private club or the pending zoning appeals could affect a home on Seagate, book an appointment and we'll go through it with you.
