PUNTA GORDA, Florida – (Jan. 5, 2018) An iconic fixture in downtown Punta Gorda for the last nine years with its breathtaking rooftop view of Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor, The Wyvern Hotel is celebrating a new chapter in its history. Now independently owned and managed by Sunbelt Asset Management, an affiliate of The Edgewater Group of Paoli, PA, the luxury lifestyle hotel has a brand new team of top notch executives including General Manager Deanne Gabel, Director of Sales & Marketing Mary Keller, Executive Chef Josh Booze, and Director of Food and Beverage Ryan Henyecz.
Gabel has more than 40 years of hospitality and luxury hotel experience with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, and Intercontinental Hotels. She served as general manager for Cheeca Lodge & Spa in Islamorada, The Florida Keys, opening general manager for the four-diamond Preferred Boutique hotel, The Alfond Inn in Winter Park, Fla. , and senior vice president with Wyndham Worldwide's Hospitality Division. Gabel also held several positions at Disney throughout her career, most notably as general manager of the Disney Yacht & Beach Club Resorts, as well leadership roles with Intercontinental & Four Seasons Hotels. She manages all leadership & business aspects at The Wyvern Hotel.
Keller is a dedicated hospitality professional with more than 30 years of experience. Her career features executive hotel sales assignments in California, Michigan, Louisiana, Georgia and Florida, including The Gasparilla Inn & Club in Boca Grande, Fla., The Windsor Courte Hotel, (an Orient Express Hotel) in New Orleans, La., the Atlanta Lufthansa/Penta Hotel, The Wyndham Hotel and Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Atlanta, Ga. and Hilton Hotels Corporation, encompassing the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort, Hilton Naples & Towers, Hilton Galleria Hotel Ft. Lauderdale, Hilton Hotel Atlanta, Ga. and Hilton/Red Lion Hotel, Glendale, Calif. At the Wyvern Hotel, Keller oversees all sales and marketing.
Chef Josh Booze brings his infamous wine dinners and fresh seafood preparations from Fin's Restaurant in Venice, Fla., where he was Chef de Cuisine. At the Wyvern Hotel, he shares his famous tapas creations, plus a specialty in American Fusion and wine pairing. Chef Josh is committed to working with local ranchers, farmers and merchants and has implemented a new Chef's Herb Garden on the rooftop of The Wyvern.
Henyecz, a native of Port Charlotte, has more than 10 years experience in food and beverage from the Gasparilla Inn and Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Resort and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Resort & Hospitality Management from Florida Gulf Coast University.
The 63-room Wyvern Hotel, is a luxury lifestyle Condé Nast Johansens property located in the beautifully restored historic downtown district of Punta Gorda. The hotel features the 88 Keys Contemporary American Cuisine Restaurant and Art Deco Piano Bar, the rooftop Perch 360 Restaurant and Bar with the best view of Punta Gorda's bustling avenues and majestic yachts moored in Charlotte Harbor, and the River Room for private functions.
Within walking distance and short drives from The Wyvern Hotel are waterside shopping, Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Garden, The Harborwalk, a 98-slip marina and Fishermen's Village on Charlotte Harbor. Punta Gorda, easily reached by I-75 along Florida's South-Central Gulf Coast, just North of Fort Myers and South of Sarasota, is known for its royal palm lines streets, old Florida-era tin-roofed homes wide verandas, brick lanes, street lamps and benches, biking, boating, fishing, shopping and more.
For more information on The Wyvern Hotel or to make reservations, go to: www.thewyvernhotel.com or call (941) 639-7700.
