March 21, 2012--Hilton Head Holiday Inn unveils $5M rebranding, renovation

Just as warmer temperatures appear to have settled in for good along Beaufort County's shores, one of Hilton Head Island's oldest beachside resorts is ready to show off its brand new appearance.

The Beach House, a Holiday Inn Resort, recently opened on Coligny Beach after a $5 million rebranding and renovation.

The resort, formerly known as the Holiday Inn Oceanfront, operates the popular Tiki Hut beachside bar. That structure was one of the few elements of the resort that wasn't overhauled, said general manager Don Hansen, though it did receive a new deck worth $50,000.

"We just had to let the Tiki Hut retain its old image," Hansen said.

But inside, each of the resort's 202 guest rooms was modernized and repainted in brighter tones.

The gift shop was removed to allow for a more spacious lobby with a view of the swimming pool and the ocean -- the only hotel lobby around with such a view, Hansen said.

Above the lobby, colorful bicycles are suspended, near about 4,500 square feet of renovated meeting space available for visiting businesses.

A new restaurant -- named Marker 59, after the closest beach locator sign -- is also open.

The hotel's fitness area was overhauled as well, and overall safety has been improved with the installation of sprinkler heads in rooms and halls.

The building had previously been allowed to go without sprinkler heads, Hansen said, because it had been "grandfathered in" when building codes were instituted after it was built about 40 years ago.

"We're extremely pleased with the end result," Hansen said. "We have probably the most favorable footprint of all the hotels on the island, and this just shows it off even more."

The renovations began soon after the property was acquired in July by Integrated Capital, a California-based private equity firm.

The property became the 18th addition to Holiday Inn Resorts, the chain's line of upscale hotels.

Follow reporter Grant Martin at Twitter.com/LowCoBiz.

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(c)2012 The Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.)

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