Richard Gray has announced that he is leaving the Fort Lauderdale area and moving, at least part time, to Dallas, Texas.  One must wonder: is there anyone who can do as much as Richard has done to make the Greater Fort Lauderdale area the gay tourist Mecca he has?

In the early 1960s, Ft. Lauderdale was a sleepy little seaside town with a reputation only as a tourist trap and a spring break destination. The 1960’s movie “Where the Boys Are” depicted Fort Lauderdale as a party town – at least six weeks out of the year – the place to go for spring break. After the movie came out, each year saw the number of spring breakers coming to Ft. Lauderdale for a holiday grow exponentially until it reached a point in the early 1980’s that the crowds (most of them intoxicated) became uncontrollable and the city stopped promoting itself as the “spring break capital” and worked to discourage the large groups migrating to the city each spring right before Easter.

With the spring break crowd gone,

the city had lost its identity and tourist base and became, once again, a city you drive through on your way to Miami.

One of the people who did vacation here was Richard Gray, a financier from London who worked out of his company’s New York office. He found Fort Lauderdale was a great place to vacation and, in 1991, decided to move to Fort Lauderdale.

At that time, the very few gay accommodations that were available were mostly sleazy-looking dives. Gray decided that he could do better. He purchased a small hotel near the beach, totally renovated the property, adding a new standard of service that could only be found in your most exclusive resorts, and called his property The Royal Palms. With that opening, he set a new standard for gay accommodations, not only locally but worldwide. The Royal Palms became the first gay guest house to achieve a 5-star rating.

Over the years, other gay tourists would eventually come to Fort Lauderdale and stay at The Royal Palms, and some of those tourists would also fall in love with the area and decide to open their own gay guesthouses – many of them trying to adopt the same standards Gray had set for his own property.

In 1996, Gray approached Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, about promoting Fort Lauderdale as a LGBT vacation destination.

“He came to me and some of our staff,” said Grossman, “and said there is gold in the hills and he sat down with us and talked with us and told us how loyal the LGBT market can be; about how lucrative it could be and how friendly we would become if we embraced that traveling public. He then went out persuading the destination as a whole – the other hoteliers and some of our attraction folks – that we all really needed to be part of this new marketing strategy. He brought us a significant new business that last year brought us nearly a million visitors and an expenditure of nearly a billion dollars. I would say that’s a very big impact.”

The “gay initiative” campaign started with $35,000, and this year allotted $500,000. Gray became gay liaison to the County’s Tourist Development Council and vice president of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association. Gray became the first openly gay person to sit on the board of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau and, in 2001, the County made him a “hometown hero” for his travel and tourism work.

“When Richard and I went to London for the travel marketplace, which is one of the largest in the world,” said Roger Handevidt, former owner of Orton Terrace, a small guesthouse next door to The Royal Palms, “the CVB gave us our own table to promote gay tourism. We were told that we were getting more contacts and more people wanting to know about Fort Lauderdale than all the other tables. The CVB backed us and helped us in every way and I guarantee you we would not have gotten that far without Richard’s help.”

Handevidt added that “up to that point, seats on the CVB had always been reserved for managers of the big hotels. Richard changed all that. He is so respected and has done such a good job representing the gay community. It wasn’t because of who he knew, but because of what he knew and how he presented it.”

In 2008, Gray decided to semi-retire. He opened up a travel/tourism consulting firm and sold The Royal Palms. However, the people who bought The Royal Palms did not keep up with the same standards and the visitors to the resort who came back year after year rapidly declined. The Royal Palms went into bankruptcy in 2010 and was purchased later that year by a company called Pan Capital out of Sweden. The principals of Pan Capital asked Gray if he would return to The Royal Palms and bring it back to the same quality it originally had.

Pan Capital also had their eyes on other properties along the beach and other areas and started purchasing them as the nation’s economy floundered.

Gray was given the task of combining a couple of the newly-acquired properties and combining them into one, renovating the properties (Gray likes to refer to it as a modern ‘edgy’ look) and the new Royal Palms opened earlier this year just a block away from the original property.

The new Royal Palms is more than double the size of the original property, has two pools, a spa, a gymnasium, an outdoor bar and a restaurant. However, the new property also has the same high standards (if not higher) that Gray insisted upon in the original Royal Palms. The new property became an instant success.

Also original photography done by local photographer, Dennis Dean, hangs in each room.

“Throughout the years, he’s always enjoyed my work and he thought it would be sleek and sexy to have original photography and he approached me and I jumped on the chance and I said ‘absolutely’,” said Dean. “It started in the rooms, then pictures were added to the gym and spa. It’s like having my own gallery in one of the best resorts in the world.”

With the other properties purchased by Pan Capital, Gray started the creation of North Beach Village, a new concept for the beach area just off of A1A south of Sunrise Boulevard.

“North Beach Village adds another dimension,” said Gray, “where you create a walking area with shops and art galleries off the beach which the area currently doesn’t have. There will also be fountains, a giant chess board and food stations.”

However, now Gray has decided to move on and leave Fort Lauderdale for a period of time. “My partner landed this humongous job in Dallas – it was a job of a lifetime,” said Gray. He said that he has accomplished what he set out to do, re-establishing The Royal Palms and North Beach Village, along with the marketing and public relations for all the properties.

“Fort Lauderdale is in my blood,” said Gray. “I love Fort Lauderdale and that’s why I still want to be part of it. The door is still open for me here and I’m not giving up on Fort Lauderdale.” Gray says that he’s more proud of what he has done in turning Fort Lauderdale into a gay travel Mecca than he even is with the work he has done with The Royal Palms because it benefits so many more people.

Several months ago, Handevidt also sold his property, Orton Terrace, to Pan Capital, which will be combined with the original Royal Palms, renovated and reopened as Hotel Lush Royale, a new gay resort.

“He is a consummate professional in every sense of the word,” said Dennis Dean, “in his public, private and business life. He’s been a major asset to the city of Fort Lauderdale and the gay community.”

“I think it will be huge loss to this community,” said Handevidt. “I’ve been there through much of that with him and I’ve seen stuff that other people haven’t seen or are aware of – the fight he had to do to overcome some ignorance.”

“I don’t think anybody is going to try to fill his shoes,” concluded Grossman. “I think what we need to do now is pay homage to what he has created and we’ll work as hard as we can to stay on that marketing plan. That’s what we have to do. That’s what he expects of us. That’s what he leaves behind. This [Gray’s hard work] wasn’t done to be a flash in the pan; it wasn’t done to make a statement then run and hide from the statement. This is now what we are. We learned how to be a welcoming community and a better-than-expected LGBT destination.

“I understand why he’s going. I know that it’s important to him and his family and I wish him nothing but joy and happiness in the future.”

Richard Gray, founder of the Royal Palms and member of the Broward County Tourist Development Authority, has resigned his position as marketing and promotions director for Pan Capital. He is also finishing his term with the Broward County Tourist Development Authority and will not seek his seat on the board again.

Pan Capital is a corporation of Swedish businessmen who have been gobbling up beach property at an unprecedented rate recently, purchasing the Schubert Resort, Orton Terrace, The Dunes, The Flamingo and Blue Dolphin guest accommodations. The group has also purchased a number of straight motels and hotels on the beach. Gray declined to discuss his resignation.

The news of Gray’s resignation has shocked members of Fort Lauderdale’s tourist industry. Gray was instrumental in developing Fort Lauderdale as a gay tourist destination worldwide. He joined tourist development authority in 1996 and persuaded the County to set aside $35,000 for marketing to the gay traveler. Last year’s budget for gay tourism was $500,000. He is also Vice President of the International Gay and Lesbian Tourist Association (IGLTA).

In 1991, Gray founded the Royal Palms Guest Accommodations that has won 5 Star Travel Awards numerous times over his 17 years of ownership. The Royal Palms set the standard for future upscale gay guest accommodations in South Florida.

At Pan Capital, Gray also acted as  consultant on properties to purchase and set the decor of remodeled properties.
Gray says he will spend time between Dallas, Texas, and Fort Lauderdale. “Fort Lauderdale is in my blood’, says Gray. “I will always want to be a part of Fort Lauderdale.”

Pompano Bill Roasted

It was a power house roast for lovable Pompano Bill at Boardwalk this past Monday night. Pompano was in the hot seat all night as roaster after roaster told Pompano Bill stories. Pompano was all smiles from the stage and loved every minute of it. From my perch, I spotted a number of movers and shakers. There was Sideline’s Laurie Whittiker and Jennifer Morales, Jerry Schultz of Mona’s, Toni Barone, Father Bill Collins, founder of Poverello, Father Joe Gallant, Jackson Padgett, Mark Negrete, Vincent Frato and Ron Woolery of Alibi, Eric Lawrence of LeatherWerks, real estate super star Robert MacNamera, Chuck Nichols of Tuesday’s Angels, Terry DeCarlo and Bill Huelsman of Broward House, The Manor’s Paul Hugo, Ramrod’s Steve Whitney, attorney and politico  Dean Trantalis, publishers Bobby Blair and Norman Kent, and exercise guru Brian Neal to name a few.

Entertainers Tiffany Arreagus, Nikki Adams and Miss Kitty performed and Russell from The Stable did a fabulous job as MC and keeping the night rolling.

Pompano Bill is probably our community’s most recognized face, and the entire evening was a love fest for our dear friend of 20 years.

Matty’s Planning 3rd Anniversary

Matty’s, the watering hole that’s taken Wilton Manors by storm, is in the final stages of planning for its 3rd anniversary on August 22. It promises to be a blowout as the club opens phase three of the operation. Also on that night, a battalion of hotties will battle it out on stage to see who will be chosen to participate in the 2012 Model Calendar. There also maybe an appearance of a golden girl. More on this later.

Thanks for picking us up this week and remember: To have a friend, you must first be a friend.

If you have a “scoop” for Brad Casey, please e-mail your information to BradC@jumponmarkslist.com

Gray has confirmed the purchase of the Schubert Resort and Orton Terrace by Pan Capital. Both deals were consummated at the end of June. The Schubert, owned by real estate giant Tony Dee, was purchased for $1.7 million and Orton Terrace, owned by Roger Handevidt, was purchased for $ 1 million. Both purchases were cash deals.

Over the last year or so, Pan Capital has purchased the Flamingo, the Dunes, Blue Dolphin, the Robbindale, the Royal Palms, Orton Terrace and Schubert Resorts. And that’ s ju

st for starters. The group has also purchased a large number of straight properties.

According to Gray, all of the gay accommodations purchased will remain catering to the gay traveler except the Blue Dolphin.
Gray has also told The Scoop that North Fort Lauderdale Beach is being developed into an area that will be called North Beach Village, a quaint area of cafés and boutique motels and hotels.

Orton Terrace will soon close and major renovations will get underway. The plan is to merge the Orton Terrace with the old Royal Palms into a hotel named the Hotel Lush Royale, an upscale hotel catering to the sophisticated gay traveler.

Organizations Get Pride Money

Seven Broward County organizations have received grants from Pride South Florida, the promoters of Pride Fest held in March in Oakland Park. A total of $7,000 was split evenly ($1,000 each) to the following organizations: Names Project AIDS Memorial Project, Church of the Holy Spirit, Red Hispana Florida, Gilda’s Club South Florida, Lambda’s Men’s Brotherhood, South Florida Wind Ensemble and LP Productions.

Joel Slotnick, secretary/treasurer, said attendance and revenue were lower than expected at this year’s two-day event. Pride South Florida has also changed its name to Pride Fest 2012.

Short Takes

• Congrats to our friends at SCORE on South Beach who just celebrated its 13th anniversary.
• South Beach
promoter Edison Farrow throwing a “House’ party at a real private home on Sunday, July 24th beginning at 4PM. There is no cover and the home is located at 221 N.E. 17 Street in Miami. Enjoy the pool, booze and great music.
• The 4th annual Summerfest being held on South Beach from July 22- July 24. Parties at Score and Lords Hotel.

Thanks for picking us up this week and remember: To have a friend, you must first be a friend.

If you have a “scoop” for Brad Casey, please e-mail your information to BradC@jumponmarkslist.com

The original Royal Palms is located on the corner of Terramar Street and Birch Road, while the new property spans from Breakers Avenue to Birch Road on Vistamar Street. The two properties are not connected geographically, but are connected in their commitment to quality and living up to the tradition of the Royal Palms.

Gray says the new addition to the Royal Palms will make it the largest luxury gay resort in Fort Lauderdale with 62 rooms, three pools, a jacuzzi, bar, café, spa and gym. “We’ll be spoiling everybody here,” said Gray.

The two new properties will match and be seamlessly connected, giving the impression that they were built together.

The “front building”, the two-story property located on Breakers Drive, will have a pool area that will be an unparalleled experience for guests. Pool boys will be on hand to assist guests with everything from applying suntan lotion to providing them with cold towels with eucalyptus, lavender and chamomile.

The pool area will feature three cabanas and a lounge with furniture described as “very trendy, very streamlined and very sleek.” The front building will have 23 king-size bedrooms with the second floor featuring two additional rooms with an ocean view. It will also house a complete gym and fullservice spa offering massages, treatments, manicure/pedicure area and more.

The three-story back building will feature an additional 27 king and double queen rooms plus another pool. Both buildings will be white with lushly landscaped grounds. Guests will also find the Royal Palm’s traditional orchids scattered throughout the property.

Gray describes the guest rooms as being “minimalist” with gray tiled floors, gray walls, 42-inch televisions and beds with white leather headboards running from floor to ceiling. Shag carpet around the beds and Dennis Dean images on the walls give the rooms an added flare. The contemporary bathrooms will feature rain showers.

“They will be very sleek, very stylish, very sexy, very minimalist and very different for Fort Lauderdale and the gay market,” said Gray. “There’s going to be nothing like this in the United States for the gay traveler.” Gray also hopes that the new room décor will attract a slightly younger demographic to his properties.

After the new properties are completed, Gray will be remodeling the rooms in the original Terramar location. One of the rooms in the original location is decorated with the new theme as a “model” where Gray has been able to test out his vision for the new rooms. Gray also will unveil a redesign of the Royal Palms logo, which he described as being sleeker with a stainless steel look, moving away from the current copper logo.

Gay tourism is an integral part of Fort Lauderdale. Approximately 1 million LGBT tourists come to Fort Lauderdale every year, spending approximately $1 billion. Gray, who also sits on the Greater Fort Lauderdale Visitor and Convention Bureau, says the gay travel market is no longer a niche market but a market in its own right.

“Unquestionably, Fort Lauderdale is known in the U.S.A.,” said Gray, “but we want Fort Lauderdale to be equally known in Europe. And I think we’re on our way to doing it.”

the new addition to the Royal Palms Resort in Fort Lauderdale.

(Photo: Richard Gray at the Royal Palms Resort)

By Bob Kecskemety

When Richard Gray opened the original Royal Palms Resort in 1991, the property set a new standard for gay guest houses in our area. Now, with Gray back at the helm, he plans to combine a couple of neighboring properties adding 53 new rooms to his current 12 making a total of 60 rooms and it becoming the largest gay resort in Fort Lauderdale.

“There are some very exciting changes going to be happening here at the Royal Palms,” said Gray, “changes that will definitely make an impact on the property and the entire destination.”

After a two-year absence from The Royal Palms, Gray’s goal is to start rebranding and renovating The Royal Palms. The rooms, current and new, are going to be more “contemporary, more stylish, more European,” said Gray. “I think the rooms are lovely now but they’re a little bit stodgy. People like edgy.

Young people like edgy and more and more younger people are coming to Fort Lauderdale. I think edgy is the way to go.” The last time The Royal Palms was remodeled was in 2001. Changes will begin within the next few weeks.

All three buildings will be totally remodeled and with the addition of the two additional properties and rooms, other new amenities will include a spa, gym, ocean-view sundeck, full liquor bar and indoor/outdoor café. Gray is also looking forward to landscaping the new properties. “Our new hotel will embrace the tropical setting while showcasing a clean, boutique design and a European sensibility. It will be gay but definitely heterofriendly.”

“I like to be one step ahead of the curve,” said Gray. So I’m hoping that with this next chapter I will be right there.”

However, as usual, Gray looks beyond his own property to see the impact the new Royal Palms will have assisting to keep Fort Lauderdale a world-class gay destination. Gray sits on board of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Visitors and Convention Bureau.

“It’s all about branding,” said Gray, “and it’s very competitive out there. Gay travel is not a shoe anymore. You’ve got tweak and tweak your marketing tools and come up with different hooks. We’re not just competing with other Florida destinations; we’re competing with other European cities. We’re competing with Mexico and we’re competing with every place else.

It’s all about reinventing yourself and value.”