We’d like to take a moment to talk about where we’re currently at with anyone who may have missed our earlier emails; and also to answer a few of the questions that have been popping up as we’ve started touching base with so many of you. Some of this you may have already heard from us, and some of it is new.

As we promised, we have been (and continue to be) working diligently making outreach calls to all guests who have future reservations on our books at the Blue Dolphin.

At this point, we have initiated contact with all guests who had reservations at the Blue Dolphin through the end of November, 2022.

We are currently working on contacting those with December reservations and will continue to take it day-by-day until we’ve reached each and every one of you.

These calls will take some time, as we have a very small staff. You can rest assured that we will be in touch with you to process cancellations and send out refunds as soon as the scenario permits. Thank you for your patience.

To answer one question so many of you continue to ask, the Blue Dolphin will require a complete rebuild. 

As we stated in the moments after Hurricane Ian, our intention is to keep the enduring Blue Dolphin legacy alive and build back this landmark property into the most enchanting shoreline hideaway Sanibel has ever seen.

We do not have a firm rebuild timeline at this moment, as there are many variables we are negotiating. Right now, we are still in the early days of this journey. We are continuing the process of speaking to multiple entities (including architects and general contractors) to help us firm up our rebuilding strategy and timeline. The path forward is still pretty hazy, but we are diligently working with local and state officials in an attempt to gain more clarity on the steps that we will need to take. As soon as we know more, we will share that information with all of you.

Regarding Deposits + Refunds: everyone who requests a refund during our outreach calls will receive one.

That said, we have put some exciting incentives in place for any of you who personally decide to keep your advance deposits on the books at the Blue Dolphin throughout our rebuilding process.

For those who choose to keep their existing advance deposits with the Blue Dolphin until we rebuild we can offer you the following 3 Exclusive Benefits.

1. By the time we are ready to reopen (TBD), there will be lots of pent up demand for stays at the Blue Dolphin and vacations on Sanibel Island. When we are ready to open up the reservations to our newly rebuilt property, all of you who still have your deposits on the books with the Blue Dolphin will be the absolute first group to be able to make your reservations with us. You will get the first shot at the room/s and date/s you want (first come / first served) – before we open any reservations up to all of our other guests and the general public. How will this process work? We will call you (in the order of your currently existing reservation dates) and take your reservations via phone before we open up the new online booking system to anyone else.

2. When you make your first reservation at the newly reopened Blue Dolphin, as a way of saying thanks for keeping your reservation deposits in place throughout our rebuild, we will also give you a one-time loyalty discount of 15% off of that stay. This will give you an unforgettable Blue Dolphin vacation to look forward to in the future. We have had some questions about what the new rates will be when we open back up. That is impossible to know right now, as we are still very early in the rebuild process. What we can convey is that the rates will represent the fair market value of the accommodations we rebuild and they will be commensurate with what other similar properties are charging at that time for similar-style room types. What we can also say is that those who currently have advance deposits with us and decide to take advantage of this opportunity we are offering will be paying the lowest possible rates being offered anywhere once we reopen (due to the 15% discount we are building in for them).

3. We will be sharing our Blue Dolphin Rebuilding Journey with everyone. But those who keep their advance deposits with us through the rebuild will also be added to a VIP Email Newsletter where you will receive exclusive reconstruction updates before anyone else gets a chance to see or hear about them. 

Now that we’ve recently spoken to a large number of you who had reservations with us in October, November, and early December, it excites us to see to see how many of you are taking advantage of this opportunity we are offering and counting the days until you can book a stay with us at the newly-rebuilt Blue Dolphin on Sanibel. Your passion and loyalty for this property are truly something beautiful to witness.

As we’ve mentioned previously, we firmly have our eyes on a very bright future, while continuing to honor the past. We look forward to opening a whole new chapter for the Blue Dolphin. This property has been here since before the Sanibel Causeway was even built. We intend for it to continue being here long after the Sanibel Causeway has been newly rebuilt. And we want you on this journey with us.

Keep your eyes on our website, Facebook, and Instagram accounts for future updates.

With much love,

The Team at the Blue Dolphin