Joel Meyer The Inn at Sea Island
The Inn at Sea Island was a flurry of activity when EIL met with Innkeeper Joel Meyer to get the inside scoop on the progress of the newest hospitality venue in the Sea Island stable of properties. With less than a month to go before opening to the public, there were boxes being unloaded, fixtures being installed, painting being completed, work being done to the pool and landscaping, yet Joel couldn’t have been more pleased to show off the new property.
When Sea Island Company vacated the building that used to house their administrative offices, their options including selling it as office space or converting it to a hotel. Meyer says, “Market research proved that there was local demand for mid-price quality lodging.” Thus, the former office building was completely gutted, leaving only an open space. Framing was erected and walls were constructed to transform it into what is now an 85 room casual inn.
A new addition was built to house the front lobby, a kitchen, breakfast nook, and workout room. There will also be a bar and casual dining restaurant that serves pub fare and is open to the public. The courtyard area boasts bistro seating, and a swimming pool. The 400 sq. ft. rooms are comfortable and well-equipped with TVs, in-room refrigerators, coffee makers, and safes. Décor, in shades of blue and white, is casual yet refined. There may be no doormen, bellmen, valet or turn-down service, and the Coke machines and washers and dryers on-site for guest use are atypical of Sea Island Resort properties, but this is by no means your run of the mill chain hotel. Every inch speaks quality and boasts the special attention to detail for which Sea Island is known, from in-wall shampoo and body wash pump dispensers to in-room recycling, using the same coffee service as The Cloister and fresh meats from Broadfield Plantation in the restaurant. In fact, approximately half of the staff came from service at either The Cloister or The Lodge.
In hiring Joel Meyer as a dedicated Innkeeper for the property, Sea Island brought in someone with vast experience in the local and regional hospitality industry. Joel’s resumé includes general management and hotel operations positions in Florida at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, and Casa Ybel Resort in Sanibel. Locally Meyer managed the King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort and came to Sea Island from Little St. Simons Island, where he had been the General Manager since 2004. He’s all smiles when it comes to his current role, saying, “What an opportunity: to open a new property, and to open it with a company like Sea Island! The fact that they entrusted this to me is really an honor. It might sound cliché, but it really is.”
Meyer explains that Sea Island’s goal in opening The Inn is to provide accommodations in a lower price range in order to allow more people to enjoy the amenities Sea Island has to offer. “We have weddings where the bride and groom and often their parents will stay at The Lodge but members of the wedding party or guests coming in will book rooms at other hotels in the area that have a lower price point. This way we can accommodate them as well.”
That is the biggest draw of The Inn—the chance to use most of Sea Island’s vast first-class amenities. That doesn’t just mean that guests can enjoy all Sea Island dining and take advantage of the luxurious pampering available at The Spa. Benefits afforded to guests of The Inn include access to Seaside, Plantation, and Retreat golf courses, the Golf Learning Center (home to three of Golf Digest’s Top 50 instructors), the famed Men’s Locker Room (exclusively for the guys) with full bar and food service, club storage, and transportation, tennis, shooting school, fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing, hunting, and falconry. Complimentary shuttle service to Sea Island amenities is also included. What an unbelievable opportunity!
Meyer says what Sea Island hopes will be a typical scenario for The Inn is a “buddies’ golf vacation” where 4-8 guys stay at The Inn, golf on the Sea Island courses, maybe grab a session with a swing coach, and enjoy Sea Island dining experiences. If they have a great time, that means they might bring their family to visit or plan a special weekend with the spouse at one of the resort’s more upscale properties. (We’d venture to say that a girl’s spa weekend might work nicely too!)
When asked what aspect of this process he is most proud, Joel responded, “If this property were opened by an outside company, they would have sent hundreds of people down here and it would have taken much longer. Sea Island Company has such a great team that is already familiar with the hospitality industry, guests’ needs, and the local area. Using their staff and established connections made it much easier to accommodate what we needed to accomplish.” The Inn at Sea Island will be a welcome addition to the community, providing the perfect solution for island residents who are seeking affordable lodging for guests with the fantastic additional benefit of Sea Island amenities. Stop by to see the new property for yourself, grab a bite or drink at the bar, and say hello to the Innkeeper.
