"Designed as the go-to pit stop anyone on Clam Pass Park's beach, whether they be locals, resorts guests, or visitors staying elsewhere, this casual shack is as fun as it is craveable."
That's how Naples Grande describes Rhode's End, its beach restaurant at Clam Pass. The line was written before the renovation and still holds this fall. Rhode's End is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., serving from a menu labeled "Beach Menu 2026." Meanwhile, the 18-story tower across Clam Bay from Naples Cay has had no hotel guests since April.
The closure changed less than it seems to from the Naples Cay towers, because the resort pieces a neighbor uses were set up to run with or without hotel guests. The real changes for neighbors happened on other timelines. The golf course went private in February. The water recreation complex is still unresolved, and the January reopening doesn't settle it.
What Actually Closed on April 1
Naples Grande Beach Resort, at 475 Seagate Drive, shut down most of its operations from April 1 through Dec. 31 for a $100 million renovation. Gulfshore Business calls it the most extensive overhaul in the resort's history. On its renovation page, the resort says guest rooms, meeting spaces and core resort facilities are closed, while "select amenities" stay open. The work covers redesigned rooms, suites and villas, a new arrival experience and lobby, new dining concepts, and upgrades to the spa, wellness, pool and event spaces.
Nearly everything on that list serves overnight guests and meeting groups. The resort has more than 83,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, and it's already marketing the renovated property to groups for 2027. None of that touches the Gulf beach or the boardwalk to it.
Why Clam Pass Never Went Dark
Clam Pass Park belongs to Collier County, not the resort. The county's listing describes a three-quarter-mile boardwalk to the beach, a free tram from the paid lot, restrooms and concessions, with the park open year-round from 8 a.m. to sunset. The entrance is at 465 Seagate Drive, next door to the resort's own address.
The resort's role at Clam Pass comes from a county vendor contract. The county's list of contracted beach vendors names the Clam Pass vendor "Naples Grande" and lists what it provides: tram service to and from the beach, food, beer, wine and alcohol, cabana, towel and chair rentals, and sundries. That list was last updated in December 2024. This explains how a resort with no guests can still be serving burgers on the sand. The beach operation was always built for the public using a public park.
Here's what you can use this fall, based on the sources available:
- Clam Pass Park boardwalk and tram. The county lists both. Its page shows no dated service alert or posted tram hours, so it's worth checking before a midday visit.
- Rhode's End. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The resort's page also says it is going cashless "beginning September 16" without giving a year, so carry a card.
- Naples Tennis Academy at the Grande. It still advertises 15 Har-Tru clay courts. Level-specific doubles round robins run 9:30 to 11 a.m., with men's play Monday, Wednesday and Friday and mixed play Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, at $5 for members and $15 for guests. Drop-in clinics cost $35 for members and $40 for guests. The pro shop number is 239-594-6033.
- Seagate Beach. Visit Naples lists the North Gulf Shore Beach Access, known locally as Seagate Beach, near the Seagate and Naples Cay high-rises. You can reach it from Seagate Drive or North Gulf Shore Boulevard. It's a short walk with no restrooms or showers.
The Change That Came Before the Closure
The golf course is the one resort amenity that has changed for good, and that change happened about six weeks before the hotel closed. In February 2026, the Naples Daily News reported that Naples Grande Golf Club had finished renovating its clubhouse and course and rebranded as CAVU Golf Club. The club used to run on a semi-private model tied to the resort. CAVU is now fully private and members-only, and the course is no longer open to resort guests.
So the reopening on Jan. 1 brings back a hotel, but the old golf access isn't part of it. Anyone who once booked tee times through the resort now has to apply for CAVU membership. The resort and the course are on separate paths, which wasn't true for most of the property's history.
The Beach Itself Has Already Had Its Overhaul
The sand at Clam Pass was rebuilt on a separate county schedule. Collier County began mobilizing for the Clam Pass Park Sand Reclamation Project on Nov. 3, 2025, followed by maintenance dredging of the inlet. The county said Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024 had caused shoaling in the pass, beach erosion and overwash into the mangroves. The plan was to dig out the shoaled sections of the inlet, place that sand on nearby beaches, and restore dunes along a 2,000-foot stretch of the park beach, then restore the mangroves behind it. Equipment came onto the beach at Horizon Way in the City of Naples, about as close to Naples Cay as a staging point gets.
The county expected that work to wrap up in late February or early March 2026. We didn't find a notice confirming it was finished. The next county notice was smaller. It covered pressure washing and painting the south parking lot wall at 465 Seagate Drive, with parking closing on and off between March 2 and April 1, 2026. The hotel shut down the same day that wall work was scheduled to end.
What January Brings, and What It Doesn't Answer
When Naples Grande reopens on Jan. 1, 2027, it will be Signia Hilton Naples Grande Beach Resort. Hilton announced the name on Sept. 10. It's the first Signia Hilton on Florida's Gulf Coast and the property's fifth name since it opened in 1986 as the Registry Resort & Club. Hilton's announcement mentions new culinary offerings, a luxury spa and multiple pools, but it doesn't name a single new restaurant, bar or spa. No published source says yet whether people who aren't hotel guests will be able to book dinner or a treatment once the doors open.
The bigger open question for neighbors is the water recreation complex. The proposal covered about 3.3 acres on the east side of the resort property, with water slides, a lazy river, pools, splash-play areas and food and beverage service. Resort representatives have called it a hotel amenity. Opponents call it a water park and have raised concerns about noise, traffic and parking. Naples Grande withdrew its site development plan amendment in May, which put the proposal on hold. Gulfshore Business reports that separate appeals of Collier County's zoning interpretations were also filed, and that opponents say they've gathered more than 5,000 signatures and raised more than $150,000. The Naples Daily News reported that the Bay Villas Association and the Pelican Bay Foundation filed those appeals on April 17, 2026. We found no ruling in later coverage.
Here's how things stand this fall:
- Now through Dec. 31. Clam Pass Park, its boardwalk and tram, Rhode's End and the tennis academy are all operating, while the hotel itself is closed.
- Already settled. The golf course is now CAVU Golf Club, private and members-only.
- Jan. 1, 2027. Signia Hilton opens and takes reservations for stays beginning that day.
- No date yet. The new dining names, access rules for non-guests, and any decision on the zoning appeals tied to the water complex.
The renovated hotel is designed around guests and group bookings. The beach Naples Cay looks out on is a county park, rebuilt with county sand on a county schedule, and staffed under a vendor contract that kept running all summer.
Questions about what the Signia Hilton reopening means for your building, your view across Clam Bay, or a property you're considering near Seagate Drive belong with someone who follows these changes closely. Annie Hagstrom keeps up with the developments shaping Naples Cay and is happy to talk them through with you. Book an Appointment for a conversation about your corner of Clam Pass.
