Published: April 10, 2006 - Meeting News
The Sea Island Resort in Myrtle Beach has been known for many years as one of the area's best dining spots. What it lacked was truly upscale accommodations. Its owners closed the resort in 2004 for a major renovation, and it will reopen in May with the upscale feel it had been missing, according to managing partner Steve Chapman.
"We were a mid-size hotel for this market, with typical hotel rooms. We served meals. That was our niche," Chapman said.
The resort opened in 1981 with 113 standard hotel rooms and one penthouse suite. It now will have 149 suites ranging from one to four bedrooms, and from 677 to 2,300 square feet. The rooms have high-speed Internet access, a washer and dryer unit and a TV/DVD/VCR system.
The rooms also will have new granite countertops in the bathrooms, plush carpets and kitchens, and there will be a pool bar. The architecture will remind guests of Howard Mizner's 1930s South Florida style with some British West Indies influence.
"There's going to be a nice polished finish," Chapman said.
The resort's meeting space doubled in size during the renovation. The 2,200-square-foot conference room can accommodate 200 people theater-style, 150 in a classroom setup or 120 for dinner. The room is divisible by two and has electronic presentation capabilities.
Groups of up to 40 can use 500 square feet of the resort's 2,500-square-foot restaurant that includes floor-to-ceiling windows offering ocean views. The resort also offers golf and entertainment packages.