JEKYLL ISLAND, GA—Adjacent to the new Jekyll Island Convention Center, Westin Jekyll Island, a 200-room, beachfront hotel, which will open in September 2014 as part of the Jekyll Island Beach Village project, recently broke ground. The project is a joint venture, Jekyll Oceanfront Hotel LLC, comprised of Leon N. Weiner & Associates, Inc. and New Castle Hotels & Resorts.
The Beach Village project, developed by the Jekyll Island Authority (JIA), is part of a plan to reinvigorate the island’s tourism economy and includes the only beachfront convention center in the southeast. The 128,000-sq.-ft. Jekyll Island Convention Center opened in May 2012 and is the centerpiece of the project, which also includes an oceanfront promenade, village green, restaurants, retail shopping and Great Dunes Park.
“The Westin Jekyll Island is pivotal to the entire Beach Village development,” Dave Curtis, managing partner of Jekyll Oceanfront Hotel, LLC, said in a statement. “It’s the perfect complement to the wonderful new convention center and the island’s relaxed and gracious ambiance.”
With ocean views and direct beach access, The Westin Jekyll Island will feature both meeting and banquet facilities alongside a full suite of Westin’s signature amenities and services. The property will include a full-service restaurant and the brand’s signature Westin Workout program, designed to promote overall wellbeing. LEED design elements, coupled with the brand’s room designs which are 60% more sustainable than earlier iterations, will ensure that the hotel will minimize its impact on the environmentally sensitive barrier island and meet guests’ desires for a more healthful hotel experience.
Close to the island’s National Historic Landmark District, The Westin Jekyll Island also will be convenient to the island’s four golf courses, 10 miles of barrier island beaches and a variety of outdoor recreation, including marsh eco-tours, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, more than 20 miles of bike paths and kayaking.
New Castle Hotels and Resorts will operate the hotel upon completion in September 2014.