Hot News

Jekyll Island  is one of the barrier islands along Georgia's coast—midway between Savannah and Jacksonville, Florida. Rich in history, Jekyll Island was the site for plantations in the Antebellum south, then after the civil war it became a popular resort spot for the rich and famous. Accessible by car and just minutes from I-95, Jekyll Island offers a variety of amenities, including 10 miles of beach, four golf courses, a 250-acre Historic Landmark District, a water park, tennis center, and an array of lodging options including hotels, cottages and campgrounds. Soon, meetings and conventions will be added to this unique destination.

The Jekyll Island Authority, the state entity that conserves and manages Jekyll Island has implemented a massive redevelopment project designed to make the Island competitive as a southeast meetings, beachfront destination. The new Jekyll Beach Village, as the project is named, includes a new Convention Center and new hotels along with revitalized dining and shopping all in a pedestrian-friendly, environmentally-sustainable design.

Plans for the new convention center and surrounding developments were unveiled in January at the Jekyll Island Meeting Planners Expo held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The event, attended by dozens of meeting planners was met with enthusiasm for the project—a reported 32 conventions were secured at the expo.

"We have been able to secure over $4.6 million in direct Convention Center business so far," said Eric Garvey, Jekyll Island’s Senior Director of Marketing and Business Development. "That represents approximately $21 million in hotel room revenue and an overall economic impact of $85 million. It’s exciting that meeting and convention planners are responding to the great things that are happening on Jekyll Island."

"It may be the biggest sales event in our history," said Kevin Udell, Director of Sales, Jekyll Island Authority. "The response from our meeting has just been overwhelming; they all want to bring their business to Jekyll. All we needed were new hotels to bring them in."

At the Meeting Planner Expo, meeting planners could see a scale model of the Jekyll Beach Village which includes a new Convention Center and new hotels along with revitalized dining and shopping all in a pedestrian-friendly, environmentally-sustainable design. In addition, several other new hotel projects and hotel expansion projects were on display including expansion of meeting space at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, the new Canopy Bluff  resort project and the new Jekyll Ocean Oaks project that includes a new Hampton Inn & Suites hotel.

"We took this opportunity early in the planning process to show our clients what we have in mind, and what is in the pipeline," continued Udell. "We were looking for feedback as well as business commitments. Based on the amount of business we have secured, you could say the feedback has been very positive."

The revitalization of Jekyll Island promises to deliver tremendous economic impact to the state and the coastal region. The new Convention Center and Convention Center Hotel are scheduled to open in 2011.

Under Georgia state law, only 35 percent of Jekyll Island's can be developed. The remaining 65 percent of Jekyll Island's pristine beaches, marshes, maritime forests and other natural environments will always remain undisturbed. This unique aspect of Jekyll Island serves to preserve the critical barrier island ecosystem, as well as provides guests with a unique escape from the crowds and complications of other beach resort destinations.