Palm Beach Gears Up for New Yorkers Planning to Stay Longer

(Bloomberg) -- Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal has a pretty good idea who’ll be on his firm’s first flights to Palm Beach this month: some well-groomed pomeranians and a poodle or two. 

While commercial airlines are restricting in-cabin dog travel, Blade will welcome as many as three dogs a trip flying from Westchester. Of course, the other perk of a ticket that can cost more than $2,000 is mandatory Covid vaccinations and ample spacing for passengers.

Blade’s arrival is a sign of confidence in the Palm Beach boom continuing, past the height of the pandemic and into a closer-to-normal high season. 

There are plenty of other signs.

Home builders are rushing to finish renovations and new builds. Shopkeepers are moving into the Royal Poinciana Plaza and on Worth Avenue. And the yachts are back, at Rybovich and a new location: The Town of Palm Beach Marina opened Nov. 1 with seasonal slips running from $32,580 to $279,373.50. 

“It’s nice to be in a place that’s in a huge upswing,” jewelry designer Mish Tworkowski said. “Seeing warehouses converted in West Palm Beach or storefronts that might have been vacant turned into something beautiful. It’s a little extra rocket fuel.”

Tworkowski has closed his New York studio on Bond Street and is putting the finishing touches on his new atelier Mish. It’s near Royal Palm Way and across the street from a new private club, the Carriage House -- perhaps the place that New York Mayor Eric Adams will find his way to, on his promised visits to Florida, to lure back Manhattanites.

At the Royal Poinciana, SoulCycle is returning next week, along with a whimsical holiday tree. New York-founded fashion brands Veronica Beard and La Ligne are among the new tenants. There’s some extra fun in “Apres Beach,” an event series filling the courtyard with cabanas, pop-up stores and live music. 

“It’s Cecconi’s in South Beach meets Duryea’s in Montauk,” said Lori Berg, general manager of the Royal. 

Meanwhile, the Esplanade is introducing Unsubscribed, a slow-fashion brand from American Eagle Outfitters, and the Hemingway-inspired restaurant Cojimar. 

Alongside the infusion of commerce, it’s full-steam-ahead for the charity circuit. 

The Palm Beach Symphony’s recent revenue boosts are making possible new music scholarships, and the Dec. 7 Holly Jolly luncheon sold out in August, said CEO David McClymont. 

Parents at Palm Beach Day Academy are working on a Centennial Gala for January. 

The next month, Paul Tudor Jones will fill his table for the Everglades Foundation benefit, and the Society of the Four Arts will hold its Contemporaries gala. The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach dinner dance is in early March. 

With the season almost upon us, it’s creating tough deadlines. 

George Ford, co-founder of Seabreeze Building, is scrambling to get a home ready for a wedding; a pregnant woman wants to be in without paint fumes. But he has to tell some clients to make do because of supply-chain issues: One is moving into a home without a refrigerator; another is going to have to use the old appliances. 

Of course, some are still planning just to visit. Room rates are going up, said Bobby Schlesinger, owner of the Brazilian Court, one of the few hotels in town to accommodate pets. 

At the Breakers, a room at the Flagler Club, on floors with restricted access, comes with perks including Tesla car service. It will cost more than $2,000 a night.

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