The Colony Hotel Celebrates 75 Years: A Timeless Treasure In The Heart Of Palm Beach

For such a popular and well-known international hotspot, Palm Beach has surprisingly few luxury hotels from which to choose. I recently had the opportunity to experience perhaps the most charming and colorful – Palm Beach’s recently renovated “Pink Paradise” – The Colony Hotel. Situated about a 3-minute walk away from the beach on one side and iconic Worth Avenue on the other, The Colony is the ideal base for those looking for a Palm Beach getaway that is equal parts shopping and relaxation.

Opened in 1947, the colonial-style gem has long been a favorite of the Palm Beach glitterati and international social figures alike. Having changed hands between numerous owners since that time, the hotel was purchased in 2016 by its current owners, Sarah and Andrew Wetenhall, which represented a return of the hotel back into the family, as Andrew Wetenhall’s father had been a previous longtime co-owner of the property.

Understanding The Colony’s legacy and dedicated to preserving “the great thing it already is,” the Wetenhalls had the property designated as a historic landmark in 2020 and embarked on a multi-year restoration culminating with the redesign of the hotel’s guest rooms and suites in celebration of the hotel’s 75th anniversary. The result – a modernized version of a Palm Beach classic.

To oversee the expansive redesign The Colony tapped the talents of celebrated designer Mimi McMakin of Kemble Interiors, who worked with an impressive roster of design partners including Society Social, de Gournay, Schumacher, Brown Jordan, and Farrow & Ball. Guests entering the hotel lobby – known as the “Living Room” – are immediately drawn to perhaps the most distinctive feature of the hotel’s interior makeover, the bespoke de Gournay-designed murals depicting the colors, animals, plants, and landmarks of Palm Beach. Incorporated into the whimsical murals are various characters associated with Palm Beach, including the hotel’s iconic mascot, the monkey Johnnie Brown. The Living Room murals – known as owner Sarah Wetenhall’s personal love letter to Palm Beach – extend throughout the hotel’s corridors and greet guests as they arrive to each of the hotel’s floors.

For the hotel’s guestrooms – which posed a particular challenge given that no two guestrooms in the hotel are alike – the design team developed four distinct schemes, each featuring a unique color inspired by the “colors of Palm Beach.” My spacious suite was splashed in ocean blue with beautiful watercolor hand-painted walls. Each room offers Matouk terry, linens, robes and slippers, along with luxury beauty products including Dyson blow dryers and straighteners and exclusively formulated Colony-branded bath products by Gibson and Dehn. My living room also came equipped with Assouline’s pastel pink Palm Beach travel book, copies of which, not surprisingly, could be found throughout the hotel.

Finally, the Colony’s famous facade received a fresh coat of pink paint that was specially-formulated for the project by Farrow & Ball in the new custom color “Colony Pink,” a reimagination of the hotel’s previous pink exterior color. As a Los Angeles transplant to Florida who has for years been a regular at the Beverly Hills Hotel, I could not help but be reminded of the venerable “Pink Palace” during my stay at Palm Beach’s “Pink Paradise.” The smaller boutique Colony is not the Beverly Hills Hotel, but from its pink exterior to its ornately colorful walls to its see-and-be-seen poolside restaurant, The Colony is certainly emitting BHH vibes.

The Colony’s fashionable poolside restaurant, Swifty’s, actually offers both indoor and outdoor dining, but on a pleasant spring Friday night, outdoors was the place to be. On this night, Swifty’s was buzzing with activity, with every table full – and both the food and the service were fantastic. It was young, fun, and definitely a top hotspot for the Palm Beach crowd.

Fresh off its restoration, the Colony is making the most of its 75^th anniversary season, welcoming numerous impressive brand partners to enhance the guest experience. Italian designer Dolce & Gabbana brings a taste of the Amalfi to the hotel’s newly designed retail space, The Colony Edit, and even lends its name to a pasta dish at Swifty’s.

Skincare innovator and worldwide expert Dr. Barbara Sturm brings her anti-inflammatory philosophy and unique, science-based products to The Colony with an exclusive, limited time-only spa residency. Her Sun Drops are a daily go-to for me with it’s high SPF, and I couldn’t have been more excited to be able to experience her treatments firsthand.

Straight from the Hamptons, celebrity fitness guru Isaac Boots serves up TORCH’D, his uber-popular upbeat dance conditioning workout, at in-person classes every weekend – marking the return of his residency from last season. After taking his class for the first time, now I understand the buzz around Isaac.

With a packed ballroom adorned by seashell chandeliers and a waiting list of women at the door, Isaac made everyone feel like they could do it. “The Colony in Palm Beach is always my favorite place to start my year. I love the Pink Paradise and all the incredible women who come out every weekend to get TORCH’D with me and have a plash or two along the way,” Isaac said with his ear to ear smile and enthusiasm.

Other wonderful activities I would highly recommend is to take one of their four pink and green bicycles out for a spin early in the morning and ride down Worth Avenue, to the Marina, and to the beach…all within blocks of the hotel. With The Colony being so close to the sand, take advantage of their Colony Beach Butler program which will deliver gourmet bites in custom-branded, YETI coolers (with elegant dish ware, ice, and napkins) straight to your beach chair.

And while it is not quite a brand partnership, my guest experience was enhanced by getting to meet one of my favorite photographers at The Colony, Gray Malin, who was at the hotel shooting his latest photographic series, The Dogs of Palm Beach, which prominently features The Colony as a backdrop to his country club canines.

In his signature style, Gray welcomes you to a fantasy world of notable dog breeds living in luxury around the property. “Discover poodles lounging on the beach, a golden retriever driving a pink convertible at the valet, a Vizsla and Cavalier King Charles playing croquet, and many more beloved canines enjoying a five-star retreat in my fabulous new collection.” Gray so beautifully described. It was such a wonderful surprise to meet the talented Mr. Malin. You never know who you will meet at The Colony!

As it embarks on its next chapter, the reinvigorated Colony has never looked better, delivering its charm and old world glamour to a new world sophistication to a generation of discerning guests and pets!