Sandpiper Inn on Longboat Key enjoying early summer success

Despite the predictions of some experts that the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill will collapse the Florida tourism industry as we know it, there is significant evidence to the contrary. One example is the Sandpiper Inn on Longboat Key on Florida’s west coast. According to innkeeper Richard Merenda, his 11-room property on the Gulf of Mexico, business is booming so far this summer with no end in sight.

“It’s very unusual for us,’’ Merenda said. “It’s always been kind of sparse in the summer here as it has been for others. In the past in June we’ve had around 30 percent occupancy. Now we’re up to 60 and 70 percent. I don’t know what’s causing it.’’

It’s probably a combination of things – from the fact that the Sandpiper Inn has only 11 rooms to a slight strengthening in the economy to Floridians who suffered through a cold (by their standards) winter and now want to enjoy the surf and sand. Another attraction for some, of course, is the quiet seclusion of the Sandpiper Inn as opposed to the fast pace of the west coast’s large resorts.

The Inn features studio, one and two bedroom accommodations, each overlooking tropical gardens and the beach on the Gulf of Mexico. Each apartment also has its own patio.

“We normally fill up on weekends but now we’re beginning to fill up on mid-week, too’’ Merenda said. “We can’t put our finger on why. We really haven’t changed anything at all.’’

Maybe that’s the answer.


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