Nikki Beach founder Jack Penrod dies...

Visionary entrepreneur redefined the beach club experience

Jack Penrod, the owner and chairman of luxury lifestyle company Nikki Beach Hospitality Group, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 85 years old.

The visionary behind one of the world’s most famous beach clubs and resorts, Penrod created a global brand known for its blend of luxury, style and culture.

Jack was born in Ohio in the US in 1939 during the Great Depression, and was one of five children to Ruth and Chester Penrod. From humble beginnings, he went on to build business empires, culminating in Nikki Beach.

In the 1980s, Jack was the largest McDonald’s franchise owner in Florida before making a name for himself in bars and restaurants across the Sunshine State.

In 1988, he launched Penrod's Beach Club on South Beach, a move that helped to transform the sleepy retirement community into the world-renowned South Beach destination that it is today.

That global brand was renamed Nikki Beach after tragedy struck in 1997, with Jack’s daughter Nicole killed in a car accident aged just 18. Penrod’s Beach Club became Nikki Beach the following year, built on a ‘Celebration of Life’ philosophy.

Original Cafe Nikki

Synonymous with music, dining, celebration and barefoot luxury, Nikki Beach has grown into a global lifestyle and hospitality brand, with 11 beach clubs, five resorts, residences, dining concepts and pop-ups worldwide, from Miami to Marbella.

The brand found the perfect home in the UAE, with the opening of Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai on Pearl Jumeirah Island in 2016, marking the debut of the brand in the Middle East.

Jack’s legacy will live on as Nikki Beach continues to grow across the region and beyond. Nikki Beach is under development in Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE and in Oman, as the first luxury beach resort in the coastal town of Yiti Bay, a 30-minute scenic car journey from Muscat. The 170-key resort will include 30 villas with private pools, beachside restaurants, three pools, a spa, a gym and a marina.

Jack lived the Nikki Beach mantra. An avid diver, pilot and thrill-seeker, his life was one of adventure, creativity and devotion to family and friends. His story is told in his autobiography, One Grand Adventure: Becoming Rich in Business, Family and Life, released in 2023.

“I shared an extraordinary life with Jack. As a life partner, father and businessman, he was everything one could ever dream of. Jack was humble, loving, intelligent and kind, genuine to his core, with an adventurous spirit that was truly magnetic. His children and I loved him deeply, and we will keep his spirit alive through years of cherished memories,” said Jack’s wife and Nikki Beach CEO, Lucia Penrod.

Jack is survived by Lucia, his wife of 30 years, and their children, Jake and Isabella, as well as his children Michele and Michael from his first marriage to Annette Yarborough.

For more information, visit nikkibeach.com

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