WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — The Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel unveiled its new $92 million renovation on Thursday.
Those upgrades touch nearly every corner of the property known for its golf and tennis.
The Pasco County tourism director expects the renovations to draw bigger groups to the area.
The newly-renovated lobby now offers an elevated welcome to Saddlebrook, which blends modern sophistication with sports training.
Managing Director Jeff Mayers said that a new 13-acre golf driving range is part of the resort’s renovation.
“On the other side, the far side down the driving range is actually for our students and those that are pros that are long-ball hitters as well,” Mayers said. “So it really creates a multi-faceted use of the driving range.”
The renovations also include eight new pickleball courts.
Last year, the Professional Pickelball Registry moved its global headquarters to Saddlebrook.
Mayers said all the landscaping and amenities surrounding the 500,000-gallon super pool is all new. The resort has 451 guest rooms, which were all renovated.
“It had been probably 10 to 15 years since the last renovation. So that was very important,” he said. “The feedback from the customers, they came and stayed with us, was about the condition of the units.”
Mast Capital and Amzak Capital Management acquired the resort in 2022, with a long-term commitment to its revitalization.
Wednesday’s ribbon cutting celebrated the three-year achievement with Pasco County community leaders.
Mayers says the resort’s 95,000 square feet of renovated meeting space is drawing more business.
“We’re already seeing our lead volume increase,” he said. “We’re seeing definitely the group segment. New groups are looking at us to come in and hold their meetings because they’ve seen the new Saddlebrook and are very excited to be a part of hosting events here.”
Adam Thomas, the Pasco tourism director, expects the Saddlebrook renovations to draw more visitors and boost the county’s bed tax, which totaled $7.6 million this past fiscal year.
“Our number one resort coming back to its heyday and allowing us to go after further groups for their clients that we normally don’t go after, and allows us to basically elevate our profile as a destination,” Thomas said.
Mayers called it a rare large-scale reinvestment in Wesley Chapel’s tourism infrastructure.
The reopening is expected to drive staff growth, likely 75 to 100 new hires as the resort heads into the busy season.
More development is coming to the Saddlebrook property with a forthcoming town center, a 120-unit townhome community and 25,000 square feet of commercial space.
Josh Rojas
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