Changes are coming at The Wyvern Hotel in Punta Gorda when its rooftop tapas bar, Perch 360, undergoes a renovation this fall. 

Kathy Mayer, food and beverage director for Perch 360, as well as 88 Keys on the hotel’s main floor, said the pool will be replaced with an enclosed sky deck with a louvered enclosure and hurricane-grade sides to protect patrons from the rain. 

“The only time we’ll close is if there is lightning,” she said. 

The 15-year anniversary of the boutique hotel is coming up, and Mayer hopes the work will be finished by then. 

Originally unbeknownst to management, the pool sustained damage from Hurricane Ian last year. It began to leak some months later and was drained. 

When it was discovered that the damage was more extensive than previously realized, ownership decided to utilize the space in a different way. 

Since there are no enclosures, guests would get wet during rainstorms since the bar is totally open except for a covering over the bartenders’ area. Some patrons would leave the rooftop when it rained. 

Now, there will be two bars and guests can remain dry in inclement weather in the sky deck area, Mayer said. 

Perch 360 was shut down for two months during pool construction and deconstruction work until it reopened Aug. 18. 

There is live entertainment at Perch 360, and operations will not cease while the sky deck is being installed, Mayer said. 

The pre-fabricated segments are coming from a firm on the East Coast, she added. There is not expected to be any disruptions of service at Perch 360.