Going, going, almost gone: Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel in demolition mode

PUNTA GORDA — After months of wrangling and preparation, the Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel is finally coming down this week.

Workers removed toxic asbestos, and now the heavy equipment has moved in, tearing through the stucco, concrete blocks, steel supports and drywall.

The hotel and its waterfront restaurant and bar has been out of commission since Hurricane Ian devastated Southwest Florida.

Punta Gorda city officials have closed off a section of the Harborwalk boardwalk biking and walking trail that runs between Charlotte Harbor and the old hotel. Walkers and cyclists have been asked to take a detour around the property while the bulk of the demolition is taking place.

The complex built as Punta Gorda’s Holiday Inn in 1968 was then redesigned and modernized in 1989, according to Charlotte County records.

Some old-time Punta Gorda residents may remember how the hotel made news on the night of Dec. 1, 1990, when a band named In and Out was performing in the indoor lounge.

The highlight of their act was their performance of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” when pyrotechnic devices were set up to go off at the peak of the song.

But on that night, one of them malfunctioned, and the explosion sent shards of wood, metal and glass across a crowded dance floor.

Police reported 24 people were injured that night, seven of them seriously.

In 2004, the complex barely survived Hurricane Charley, whose 150-mile-per-hour winds lashed Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte. The hotel was severely damaged.

Following the extensive renovations, the hotel made a comeback that included a new outdoor restaurant and deck that’s connected to the Harborwalk. The popular restaurant was appropriately named Hurricane Charley’s Raw Bar & Grill.

But the hotel couldn’t hold up to Hurricane Ian on Sept. 28, 2022. The winds and heavy rains that night did too much damage to the buildings, and the place has remained shuttered since then.

Hotel owner Amer Asmar has not announced plans for the property, which is valued at $5.5 million, according to a county assessment. He did, however, ask city officials at one point if he cold keep the parking lot intact for future use.