Fort Myers Beach Wyndham Garden Hotel Comes Down After Hurricane Ian Damage

Equipment tore into the walls of the Wyndham Garden Hotel this week, marking the end for the hurricane-damaged building on Fort Myers Beach. The 102-room hotel had been sitting empty since Hurricane Ian hit in September 2022.

Town officials ordered the demolition last month, pointing to serious structural concerns. Since Ian hit, pieces of the deteriorating building had fallen onto nearby properties, raising safety worries.

The demolition follows the town's new rules for hurricane-damaged buildings. FMBH LLC from Naples now owns the property and hasn't shared any future plans for redevelopment.

Opening first as a Holiday Inn in 1969, the hotel later became part of the Wyndham chain. Before Ian hit, it was one of the few remaining 1960s buildings still standing on the beach's south end.

Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt is concerned about the dropping number of available rooms and how it may affect nearby businesses. "The loss of the Wyndham and the Pinchers on the south end of our island has been devastating,” he said to the Fort Myers Beach Observer and Bulletin. "This loss, coupled with the loss of the Outrigger, has created a huge vacuum for hotels and restaurants — particularly on the beach. Replacing these fine institutions in some form must be a priority as we move forward with our island rebuild."

Town officials are hopeful that any future developments on the site will include similar amenities.