One operator over both Islamorada resorts
Bass Pro Shops and Schulte Hospitality Group have signed a partnership that puts one operator over Cheeca Lodge and The Islander Resort in Islamorada, on the oceanside of the Florida Keys. Bass Pro Shops published the agreement on 14 October 2026 through its nature-based resorts division, which is anchored by Big Cedar Lodge. Hotel Online carried the same release the next day.
Keys Weekly reported in June that Bass Pro Shops had bought Cheeca Lodge. The October release names the seller's management arm, Northwood Hospitality, as the former owner and manager of that property and credits the firm with support through the transition. Both entity names stand as published.
Financial terms were not disclosed. No document in the announcement carries a purchase price, a management fee or a contract term.
254 rooms, then 139 more
Cheeca Lodge holds 254 guest rooms, suites and casitas. The Islander Resort holds 114 bungalows and suites plus 25 Bayside Villas, which totals 139 units across 24 acres. The two properties reach 393 accommodations. The release rounds that figure to nearly 400.
Both resorts operate normally through the transition. The release states that plans are being developed to enhance and unite the properties, and commits every effort to keeping the character each property carries today.
Joy Michelle Boyd runs both
Boyd manages The Islander today. She brings 25 years in hospitality and serves as president of the Florida Keys Resort & Lodging Association Chapter. She will run both resorts.
Debbie Bennett sits above her as president of the Bass Pro Shops Nature-Based Hospitality Division, with 39 years at Big Cedar Lodge behind her. The release puts both names in one paragraph beside a retention pledge: the company will keep and work alongside key team members from each property.
Half a million dollars for the Discovery Center
The release commits $500,000 to the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center at The Islander Resort. The center carries the same street address as the resort, 82100 Overseas Highway at mile marker 82.
Johnny Morris, the founder, carried the case for the fit in a statement. “The Florida Keys hold a special place in the hearts of anglers and outdoor families from around the world,” he said, adding: “We have great respect for the history of Islander Resort and the people who made it such a beloved destination.”
Schulte at 250 properties and 10,000 members
Schulte Hospitality Group runs hotels, restaurants and related ventures in more than 250 locations. Its own homepage counts 250+ properties, 10,000+ members, 30,000+ keys, 40 states and five countries. Its portfolio page gives a smaller figure: more than 200 properties across the US and the UK. Both counters sit on the operator's own site with no as-at date attached.
Darryl Schulte Jr. serves as chairman and chief executive. He formed the firm with his father and brother in 1999. The headquarters sit in Louisville, Kentucky, with a European office in London.
The marina beside both hotels
World Wide Sportsman Store & Marina is already a Bass Pro Shops property. The release names it beside the two resorts in the same destination plan. The store overlooks Florida Bay and gives direct access to the Everglades and the Gulf Stream.
What the notice leaves open
Four items stay open. No company has published a date for the management transfer. No capital plan carries a figure or a schedule. No source states whether the two hotels keep separate flags. The release gives no staffing terms beyond the retention pledge.
The combined amenity counts rest on the announcement. The five pools and six dining experiences appear in the release and on no property page. Keys Weekly confirms the 9-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed par-3 course and the 525-foot pier. The three pools and the tennis and pickleball courts remain the company's own claim.