After a tense morning that saw local resident Abe Powell call out the new Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort for a confrontation between parents of Montecito Union School sixth-grade parents and resort employees, the two sides have agreed that it is a huge misunderstanding.
Mr. Powell wrote an open letter to the hotel, released on his Facebook page, with other news outlets pouncing on the the letter, with the tone of the letter one of disbelief over what seemed to be a message that went against Rosewood Miramar’s heavily publicized commitment to the community.
Rosewood Miramar management quickly responded by meeting with Mr. Powell on Friday afternoon, a productive meeting that led Mr. Powell to post this on his Facebook feed:
“I had a meeting with the Miramar leadership this afternoon. They understand our concerns and expressed remorse about the misunderstanding at the beach yesterday. They assured me that kids and families are 100% welcome on the public beach and in the hotel restaurant – now and always. Thus, I look forward to seeing your smiling faces down by the shore with the family this weekend. Please tell the kids that summer vacation is 100% ON and that the beach is open to all of them. Happy Friday y’all!”
Rosewood Miramar and Managing Director Sean Carney also released a letter to the public, which said:
“Dear Neighbors,
Thank you for the tremendous support we have received since opening our doors just over three months ago. We are humbled by the overwhelmingly positive response.
Yesterday, a group of local families were visiting the beach in front of the hotel and expressed concern over the stanchioned area on the beach. We did not ask the group to leave the beach, we were simply trying to maintain compliance with our government approvals. We are sorry that the group was upset and have already had productive conversations to ensure that they feel welcomed.
We wanted to take this opportunity to share why stanchions are in place. Our license requires us to clearly define the area where food and beverage is served with rope and stanchions when the beachfront food and beverage outlets are operating. This requirement is to ensure that individuals do not take beverages outside the designated area, which is consistent with government approvals for the hotel.
We take great pride in being part of this special community. Since our opening, we have embraced our neighbors and welcomed neighbors and visitors alike to visit, explore, and experience Rosewood Miramar Beach resort. All of our seven restaurants and bars located throughout the property are open to the public.
Please know that our team will always make itself available to discuss any questions surrounding the property. We look forward to making Rosewood Miramar Beach resort a treasured destination for community members to visit and create memories. Should you have any further questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact my office directly at (805) 900 – 8388.”
