ONE DAY WITH | MASTERS & MUSES | WORLD OF CABANA

Sarah Wetenhall, owner and CEO of The Colony Hotel, splits her time between New York and her Pink Paradise, which remains the beating heart of the Palm Beach community. For Sarah - who took over The Colony eight years ago with her husband, Andrew - the route to paradise has been paved with hard work, unexpected mid-life career changes and chocolate-covered gummy bears. If you've ever wondered how a leading hotelier balances business, family, entertaining and events - with never a hair out of place - read on. 

INTERVIEW BY CAMILLA FRANCES | MASTERS & MUSES | 20 JUNE 2025

Sarah's 'pink paradise': The Colony Hotel, Palm Beach.

I’m not a night owl, but I’m not a morning person either. I find I’m waking up naturally more and more these days, but I always set an alarm for peace of mind. My day starts relatively early, but not obscenely early, around 6 to 6:30am. I’m definitely groggy and I struggle to wake up, so I have a nice little routine in my bed before I get out.

I like to read the papers in bed and go through my schedule for the day ahead. I read the Shiny Sheet, which is the Palm Beach daily news, and the East Hampton Star, so I feel a little grounded and know what’s going on. Then I’ll always check my schedule – to make sure it all works: what conflicts are there, what challenges, what’s my morning triage? It’s a juggle, but that 100% happens in my PJs, in bed, when I’m still cozy and warm from sleep.

Whether I’m in Palm Beach or New York, I see treetops when I wake up. In New York, we have a second-floor apartment, and I love that I get to watch the passing of the seasons from my bedroom window. Across the street is this gorgeous synagogue with beautiful stained-glass windows, so behind the trees is stained glass. In Palm Beach, my bedroom looks out over the palm trees, which are always a great thing to wake up to.

Poolside at The Colony Hotel © The Colony, Palm Beach

First thing after waking, I make myself tea – just hot water and fresh mint leaves. Then I try to move my body and get outside for fresh air. Wherever I am, I walk every morning. If I’m in New York, I’ll walk my daughters to school (my son is away at boarding school, so he walks himself now). We just live three blocks from their school so it’s easy.

I am a devotee of Dr Barbara Sturm, so my morning always involve her skincare. I’m also obsessed with 111 Skin under-eye masks – I do them every morning as they are magical for under-eye bags and dark circles – and I love Noble Panacea exceptional eye serum.

I’m not a breakfast person. I try to loosely stick with intermittent fasting so I generally don’t start eating until around 11am or 12pm and try to finish by 8pm or 9pm at night, although it can be difficult with a social schedule. For lunch I’ll have a vegetable-based smoothie, with protein and probiotic powder. After that, I’ll usually snack a bit.

Sugar is my kryptonite. I always get an afternoon craving, which I try to channel for good, not evil. I try to go for a natural sugar, like an apple with peanut butter, but sometimes I lose the fight. Chocolate covered gummy bears are my favorite – they’re dangerous. I’m not dairy free, but I try to avoid dairy when I can. But it’s hard, I love cheese!

Wherever I am, my day is split between operational and creative. I have a weekly meeting with all The Colony’s department directors to touch base on every aspect of the business. I’m on the phone multiple times a day with our general manager, Mr Bruce Seigel, talking about various active projects. I also have standing construction calls because we are a beloved, but somewhat antique, property so we are constantly improving her.

Last season, we launched a YouTube series called 'Sarah’s Untitled Talk Show'. I ask different members of the community to come and talk to me about Life in Palm Beach. The Colony really is the hub of the community in Palm Beach. We have a standing schedule of events, including trivia nights and bingo nights. Every Wednesday we have the ‘living room series’, where a different person of interest comes and talks with us – fashion designers, authors, local artisans, interior designers.

To learn a new career in mid-life, has been the biggest challenge and blessing. When we bought the hotel eight years ago, I’d just had Maggie, my now nine-year-old, and I wasn’t working. I didn’t think I was ready to go back, but this opportunity arose. It’s a healthy challenge. I’m a competitive person and a perfectionist, so to press myself to learn a foreign industry at that point in my life was incredibly humbling and very good for me. It's made me a much better leader, a much better parent and for sure a more patient person.

Discover's Sarah's insider guide to Palm Beach, Florida

Travel was always where I found joy and inspiration. I love history and storytelling so, for me, travel was a real draw – to go and understand how other people live. The minute Andrew and I had time off, we would hit the road and travel. I never dreamed it would be a part of my job though. My background before The Colony was in marketing and fashion. I worked at Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana, then was agency-side for many years.

I listen to a lot of country music throughout the day. I went to university in Nashville so even though I don’t spend a whole lot of time there, one of the things I took from that experience was a real love of country music. I can write and ideate while listening to music, but I only listen to podcasts when I drive, not while working. 

We don’t sit down Monday to Friday for a proper dinner like I did growing up. My youngest daughter is a competitive gymnast and trains until 9pm every night five days a week, so it’s tricky for us to eat together. But when we can, we do try to connect over food, and I love that. If I’m in Palm Beach, there are a lot of events. I rarely cook and like to take advantage of having the hotel at my disposal; we have amazing restaurants.

I wish I exercised more. Pre-The Colony, I used to exercise like a mad woman, but now it’s just morning walks and yoga a couple of times a week. I have a yoga instructor who is near and dear to my heart and, honestly, the only way I’ll practice is when she comes to my office – because she’s standing over me, so I have to do it! I do love working out – I love a soul psychle class and a good sweat – but I find it hard to prioritise that.

I always watch at least 30 minutes of TV before I go to bed. My husband works long hours too, so it’s our thing – we try to make sure we watch something together when we’re both home. I love a bit of Emily in Paris. We’re both obsessed with the Yellowstone franchise, and the hospitality person in me loves a little White Lotus. And we both love to giggle at Palm Royale. It’s such visual candy, and it’s so outrageous – it’s fun.

Finding the right work-life balance is tricky. I have had to create boundaries around my work and enact personal discipline because, realistically, work is never done. I never finish every day and tick off the whole list. I do try to start each day with intention. I am a religious list maker – my lists have lists – so I need to know what I’m going to action. Then, I can tell myself, ‘ok, I’m allowed to stop, because I achieved those three things’.

I have these funny little tricks that work. This includes switching off the lamp on my desk. When that lamp goes off, even if the other lights in the room remain on, that’s my sign that work has stopped for the day (or night) and it’s time to switch off.