The Boca Raton Resort
The Boca Raton is a historic luxury resort and private club in Boca Raton, Florida, combining hotel accommodation, golf, spa, beach, marina, dining, and event facilities.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The Boca Raton, historically known as the Boca Raton Resort & Club and often called the Boca Resort, is a luxury resort and private club in Boca Raton, Florida. The property occupies approximately 337 acres between Lake Boca, which forms part of the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Atlantic Ocean. Its present-day facilities include 1,047 hotel rooms, an 18-hole golf course, a Forbes Five-Star spa of approximately 50,000 square feet, eight swimming pools, 30 tennis courts, a 32-slip full-service marina, more than 15 restaurants and bars, and approximately 200,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The resort traces its origin to the Florida land boom of the 1920s. It opened on February 6, 1926, as the 100-room Ritz-Carlton Cloister Inn. Architect and city planner Addison Mizner designed the original project as part of his broader plan for Boca Raton, with the Camino Real intended as a principal avenue. Mizner originally envisioned a larger oceanfront hotel, but the project was scaled back after the Ritz-Carlton Investment Corporation became involved. The smaller inn was built west of Lake Boca Raton as a more financially manageable first phase. The timing proved difficult. The Florida land boom collapsed, and the 1926 Miami hurricane further damaged the region's development economy. Mizner's company entered bankruptcy in 1926, and Philadelphia utility executive Clarence H. Geist acquired its assets in 1927. Geist expanded the inn into the Boca Raton Club, with Schultze and Weaver enlarging the main building and developing additional club facilities. A cabana club was later built on the site now associated with the Addison on the Ocean condominium development. During the Second World War, the United States Army used the club as barracks for personnel connected with Boca Raton Army Air Field. The property was subsequently returned to civilian hospitality and club use. The Schine family acquired it in 1944 and renamed it the Boca Hotel and Club. Although promotional material commonly referred to it as The Boca Raton, the property was then part of a wider Schine hotel portfolio that included the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables and the McAllister Hotel in Miami. The property's modern identity was shaped by later expansion. Arthur Vining Davis, associated with the Arvida Corporation, oversaw a major modernization program. The Boca Raton Club Tower opened in 1969. Its 27 floors and approximately 300-foot height made it a prominent landmark in southern Palm Beach County, while its distinctive pink exterior produced the enduring local nickname the “pink hotel.” Arvida also developed the resort's beach club in 1980 on the oceanfront site originally intended by Mizner for the principal hotel. VMS Realty, Inc., the successor to Arvida in the property's ownership history, acquired the resort in 1983 and renamed it the Boca Raton Resort & Club in 1988. The Blackstone Group acquired the resort in 2004 as part of its approximately $1.25 billion purchase of Boca Resorts, Inc., a publicly traded operator of several Florida resorts. Major renovations followed, including redesigns of the Cloister and Tower rooms in 2006 and a reported $150 million renovation of the Beach Club completed in 2009. In May 2009, Hilton announced that the property would join its Waldorf Astoria Collection, later known as Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts. MSD Partners, an investment firm associated with Michael Dell, acquired the resort on June 4, 2019. The new ownership proposed approximately $75 million in investment for renovations to hotel rooms, restaurants, and amenities. Hilton continued to manage the resort under the Waldorf Astoria relationship until July 2021. On July 12, 2021, the property adopted the name The Boca Raton, while retaining its identity as a luxury resort and private club. Its positioning rests on historic architecture, a large integrated campus, private-club amenities, waterfront access, and a broad range of leisure, dining, wellness, sporting, and event services.
History
The Boca Raton began as the Ritz-Carlton Cloister Inn, which opened on February 6, 1926, with 100 rooms. It was designed within Addison Mizner's ambitious development plan for Boca Raton, Florida. Mizner intended the Camino Real to serve as a central avenue and envisioned a larger oceanfront hotel, but financial realities and the involvement of the Ritz-Carlton Investment Corporation led to construction of the smaller inn west of Lake Boca Raton. The resort opened during the collapse of the Florida land boom. The 1926 Miami hurricane added to the economic pressure, and Mizner's development company filed for bankruptcy later that year. Clarence H. Geist acquired the company's assets in 1927 and expanded the inn into the Boca Raton Club. Schultze and Weaver doubled the inn's size, while a cabana club was developed on the oceanfront site now associated with the Addison on the Ocean condominium building. World War II temporarily changed the property's function. The United States Army used the club as barracks for military personnel connected with Boca Raton Army Air Field. After the war, civilian hotel and club operations resumed under new ownership. The Schine family bought the property in 1944 and renamed it the Boca Hotel and Club. It was part of a Schine portfolio that also included the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables and the McAllister Hotel in Miami. Promotional material continued to use the shorter name The Boca Raton. A major phase of modernization occurred under Arthur Vining Davis and the Arvida Corporation. The Boca Raton Club Tower opened in 1969 and became a major architectural landmark in southern Palm Beach County. The 27-story tower was approximately 300 feet tall and was distinguished by its pink exterior, which gave rise to the local nickname “the pink hotel.” Arvida later built the resort's Beach Club in 1980 on the oceanfront location where Mizner had originally planned the principal hotel. VMS Realty, Inc. acquired the property in 1983 and changed its name to the Boca Raton Resort & Club in 1988. In 2004, the Blackstone Group purchased the resort through its acquisition of Boca Resorts, Inc., a publicly traded Florida resort operator. The property underwent further investment, including redesign work in the Cloister and Tower rooms in 2006 and a major Beach Club renovation completed in 2009. Hilton announced in May 2009 that the resort would join the Waldorf Astoria Collection. The relationship placed the property within Hilton's luxury hospitality portfolio and continued until July 2021. MSD Partners acquired the resort on June 4, 2019. The new owners proposed a $75 million renovation program for rooms, restaurants, and amenities. Following the end of the Waldorf Astoria management relationship, the resort adopted The Boca Raton as its name on July 12, 2021. The current property is a large, multi-component resort and private club. It combines 1,047 hotel rooms across a 337-acre campus with golf, a large spa, multiple pools, tennis courts, a marina, restaurants, bars, and extensive meeting facilities. Its location on both Lake Boca and the Atlantic Ocean allows it to operate as a combined inland resort, waterfront club, and beach destination. The brand's distinctive value comes from the integration of historic Addison Mizner-associated architecture, long operating history, private-club infrastructure, and contemporary luxury hospitality services.
- 2021
The Boca Raton name introduced
[1]After leaving the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts relationship, the property was renamed The Boca Raton on July 12.
- 2019
MSD Partners acquisition
[1]MSD Partners acquired the resort on June 4, 2019.
- 2009
Waldorf Astoria affiliation announced
[1]Hilton announced that the property would join the Waldorf Astoria Collection.
- 2004
Blackstone acquisition
[1]The Blackstone Group acquired the resort as part of its purchase of Boca Resorts, Inc.
- 1988
Property renamed Boca Raton Resort & Club
[1]The resort adopted the name Boca Raton Resort & Club.
- 1983
VMS Realty acquires the property
[1]VMS Realty, Inc. became the property's new owner following the Arvida era.
- 1980
Beach Club is developed
[1]Arvida constructed the resort's Beach Club on the oceanfront site originally intended for Mizner's larger hotel concept.
- 1969
Boca Raton Club Tower opens
[1]The 27-story Club Tower opened under the Arvida Corporation and became known for its height and distinctive pink exterior.
- 1944
Schine family acquires the club
[1]The Schine family purchased the property and renamed it the Boca Hotel and Club.
- 1927
Clarence H. Geist expands the property
[1]After acquiring the assets of Addison Mizner's bankrupt development company, Clarence H. Geist expanded the inn into the Boca Raton Club.
Products and positioning
A historic, destination-scale luxury resort and private club offering an integrated combination of accommodations, golf, beach access, wellness, tennis, boating, dining, and events in South Florida.
Hotel accommodation · 1926
The Cloister
The Cloister is the historic core of the resort and traces its lineage to the original 1926 inn. It provides guest accommodation within the resort's traditional architectural setting and forms part of the broader hotel and private-club campus.
Hotel accommodation · 1969
Club Tower
Opened in 1969, the Club Tower is the resort's landmark high-rise component. Its height and pink exterior have made it one of the most recognizable physical elements of the property and a defining part of the Boca Raton visual identity.
Beach resort and club facility · 1980
Beach Club
The Beach Club provides the resort's Atlantic Ocean-facing leisure experience. Developed in 1980 and substantially renovated in the late 2000s, it extends the property beyond its inland and lakefront buildings into a dedicated beachfront hospitality and club environment.
Golf and sports facility
Golf and country club
The resort's country-club offering includes an 18-hole golf course and related recreational services. Golf is one of the property's core private-club and destination-resort activities, complementing tennis, swimming, spa, beach, and marina facilities.
Spa and wellness
Forbes Five-Star Spa
The approximately 50,000-square-foot spa provides the resort's principal wellness offering. It is part of the property's full-service luxury positioning and operates alongside fitness, pool, beach, golf, and other leisure amenities.
Waterfront recreation
Marina
The resort includes a full-service marina with 32 slips on Lake Boca, connecting the property to the Intracoastal Waterway and supporting boating-oriented recreation and waterfront club use.
Hospitality and events
Dining and events
More than 15 restaurants and bars serve the resort campus, while approximately 200,000 square feet of meeting space supports conferences, weddings, private functions, and other large events. Together these facilities make the property both a leisure destination and a substantial group-hospitality venue.
Brand decisions
2021
Rebrand as The Boca RatonStrategyBackground
The property ended its management relationship with Hilton's Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts brand in July 2021.
Action taken
The resort was renamed The Boca Raton on July 12, 2021.
Aftermath
The renaming emphasized the resort's own historic identity and private ownership while preserving its position as a luxury resort and club.
2020
Proposed $75 million renovation programStrategyBackground
Following the MSD Partners acquisition, the resort's owners planned to refresh the physical product and guest-facing facilities.
Action taken
The owners proposed investing approximately $75 million in hotel, restaurant, and amenity renovations.
Aftermath
The proposal established a reinvestment direction during the transition toward the property's independent The Boca Raton identity.
Proposed renovation investment. $75 million proposed (2020 proposal)
2019
MSD Partners acquires the resortM&ABackground
The resort changed private ownership after a long sequence of hotel, club, and investment-company owners.
Action taken
MSD Partners acquired the Boca Raton Resort & Club on June 4, 2019.
Aftermath
The new ownership proposed a major reinvestment program for rooms, restaurants, and amenities and later repositioned the property under The Boca Raton name.
2009
Join the Waldorf Astoria CollectionStrategyBackground
Hilton sought to place the resort within its luxury Waldorf Astoria portfolio, giving the property a stronger connection to an internationally recognized luxury-hotel network.
Action taken
Hilton announced the resort as the thirteenth addition to the Waldorf Astoria Collection.
Aftermath
The property operated under the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts relationship until July 2021.
Sources1 sources
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