Sarasota’s newest waterfront residential tower has raised expectations for everything from wellness and recreation to private dining and concierge service. At The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota Bay, one of the property’s defining features isn’t found among the elevated residences above. It sits at the water’s edge along the harbor.

The Harbor Club is a private, more than 20,000-square-foot club created exclusively for owners of the new Ritz-Carlton Residences coming to The Quay. With construction scheduled for completion later this year, attention is turning from the club’s impressive collection of spaces to what it will actually be like to belong to it.

The Harbor Club brings together wellness, recreation, dining and social spaces, but the Ritz-Carlton approach goes beyond providing residents with places to work out, entertain or spend an afternoon by the water. Here, service and programming become as important to the experience as the spaces themselves.

It’s a commitment to anticipatory service that turns a collection of private residential amenities into something more personal: a club shaped by the people who belong to it.

Putting the Club in the Club

Phase I of The Harbor Club brings together fitness and wellness, recreation and an active connection to Sarasota’s waterfront. Residents will have access to a fitness center, movement studio and private training room, along with a wellness center featuring treatment rooms, saunas, steam rooms and hot and cold vitality plunge pools. A sports lounge with a golf simulator adds a more playful dimension, while kayaks, paddleboards and bicycles make it easy to take recreation beyond the club and onto the water.

Yet the physical spaces tell only part of the story. The Harbor Club is designed to be brought to life through thoughtful programming, personalized activities and the kind of unexpected touches that create connection, delight and surprise. 

“My job now is to make sure that the luxury service is delivered not only from the moment they arrive but really putting the club in the club,” says Amy Kolk, who is leading the implementation of the residential service experience.

That process begins well before residents settle into their new homes. Through an extensive owner onboarding program, Kolk and the residential team get to know each owner individually, learning everything from dietary preferences and birthdays to pet names, personal interests and the details that can help make an experience genuinely personal.

“It’s offering the residents things that they have not asked you for yet,” Kolk explains. “Rather than waiting for a resident request, the goal is to be proactive, making life easier and, at times, creating an unexpected moment of delight.”   

In practice, that might mean arranging a personal trainer or spa treatment, creating a resident-only golf tournament on the sports simulator, or bringing neighbors together for an afternoon on the water or a sunset cruise.

Service That Extends Beyond the Club

That same thinking carries into life at home, particularly for owners who may spend only part of their time in Sarasota. Residents are encouraged to let the team know when they are returning so their arrival can be anticipated before they ever reach the front door.

For an owner returning to Sarasota, the team might arrange transportation from the airport, coordinate grocery delivery or make sure the residence is ready for their return. It can extend to the valet team noticing that a car could use attention and offering to arrange for it to be cleaned before the owner arrives. Once residents are in town, the concierge team can assist with dinner reservations, theater tickets and other personal arrangements.

Often, it is the smallest details that make the difference. Kolk talked about making sure the refrigerator is stocked, the lights are working and the home is ready so an owner returning after time away can simply settle in. It is the accumulation of those details—and addressing them before they become requests—that defines the anticipatory nature of the service.

Kolk summarizes the philosophy simply: “I want to make their lives easy.” For owners who divide their time among multiple residences, that ease can be as meaningful as the waterfront setting itself. 

Getting Ready to Welcome Residents

With completion on schedule for later this year and closings expected to begin before year-end, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota Bay is preparing to welcome its first owners.

Set on the harborfront at The Quay, the property will comprise just 78 Grand Residences, Estate Residences and Penthouses. Expansive glass, generous terraces and light-filled interiors connect the residences to views across Sarasota Bay, Quay Harbor and the Gulf, while the location places residents near downtown Sarasota’s arts, dining and cultural attractions.

Prime residences and penthouses remain available. Current opportunities range from approximately 3,500 to almost 5,000 square feet, with three-bedroom-plus-den through four-bedroom-plus-two-den floor plans and residences priced from $4.1 million.

As the first residents prepare to arrive, the private-club lifestyle that has until now existed largely in plans and renderings is about to become part of life on Sarasota Bay. The Presentation Gallery is located at 475 Quay Commons, adjacent to Ocean Prime in The Quay. To explore available residences and penthouses or schedule a private sales appointment, visit TheResidencesSarasotaBay.com or call 941-499-8704.