The Jekyll Island Club Resort in Jekyll Island, GA, has unveiled a $25-million transformation. The reimagining touches every aspect of the resort, including its grounds, accommodations and culinary establishments reflecting the styles of the Gilded Age and the Roaring Twenties.
The resort’s evolution introduces a new, vibrant elegance and encompasses guestrooms, riverside and oceanfront pools with cabanas, an array of dining experiences and 15 acres of landscaped outdoor public spaces. Dallas-based interior architectural design firm, waldrop+nichols studio oversaw the project.
The redevelopment includes guestrooms in the resort’s turreted American Queen Anne-style clubhouse, Crane Cottage, Cherokee Cottage and San Souci. The resort’s riverside pool, select dining areas and public spaces were all enhanced to connect guests with the resort’s history. The resort maintained its authenticity, sense of place and architectural integrity throughout the renovation process, upholding the values of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The exterior and structure of the buildings, protected as part of the Jekyll Island National Historic District, remain unchanged.
Jekyll Island Clubhouse
Opened in 1888 as a winter retreat for the nation’s elite, including J.P. Morgan, William Rockefeller, Joseph Pulitzer, the Vanderbilts, Goulds, Astors and more, the Island Club’s new design captures the magic of Georgia’s Golden Isles and the style of the early 20th century. Guestrooms feature oversized, upholstered headboards embroidered with the deep purple passionflower vine found on the island. These bespoke headboards serve as decorative centerpieces in the guestrooms which are enhanced by new custom furnishings inspired by a Palladian window in the Clubhouse. Guestrooms in the Clubhouse are layered, tailored and timeless, true hallmarks of the resort’s sumptuous Gilded Age aesthetic. Guestrooms also feature local artists’ interpretations of the resort and its grounds.
Another significant design highlight in the Clubhouse is the custom carpeting created for the resort’s Grand Dining Room. Featuring a pattern of Jekyll Island wildlife, the carpet harkens back to the Club’s history as a hunting club. New furniture, an antique mantle clock and double chandeliers crafted to match the original, evoke the dining room’s Gilded Age beauty and history as the meeting place of the Millionaire’s Club of yesteryear. The Clubhouse’s inviting outdoor spaces now feature new verandah furniture placed in spaces for guests to relax and refresh.
The Clubhouse’s pool has also benefited from the installation of chic cabanas complete with refrigerators, fans, 55-in. televisions and deluxe sectional furniture. An expanded pool patio provides additional space for lounging and relaxation.
Cottages
The Jekyll Island Club Resort’s three historic cottages (former winter mansions of the original club members) have been reawakened with color palettes inspired by the unique architectural style of each residence. Deep tones for the Victorian-era Sans Souci, calling on warm woods, the mottled colors of tortoise shell and earthy velvets. Brighter tones and natural textiles evoke the pink-hued roseate spoonbill crane and delicate daylily for each Italianate cottage, Crane and Cherokee. Each cottage has its unique personality that is shared through its individual design, varying slightly from room to room and suite to suite. Always favorites for weddings and events, the refresh of the cottages elevates these intimate venues for timeless southern affairs.
Ocean Club
Guestrooms at The Jekyll Island Club Resort’s oceanfront property, the AAA Four Diamond Ocean Club, have been given splashes of color with bright artwork, patterned throw pillows, new mirrors and accent lamps. The property’s oceanside pool has been enhanced with the introduction of private cabanas, with lounge seating, 55-in. televisions, colorful consoles with refrigerators and other thoughtful touches. Rounding out the refresh, the resort increased its beachside fire pits to three and added a new, state-of-the-art fitness room with a Peloton bike to elevate the guest experience further.
More to come
Future design initiatives will enhance the resort’s meeting spaces along with The Wharf at the Island Club and Eighty Ocean restaurant, according to the property. An oceanfront sky terrace at the Ocean Club is nearing completion, creating a one-of-a-kind venue for weddings, meetings or even yoga classes.
