May 30–VIRGINIA BEACH — The final days are near for The Belvedere Beach Resort, an Oceanfront mainstay on 36th Street. Owners David and Leigh Willis plan to close the family-owned hotel Aug. 16.

“We’re getting very close,” David Willis said Friday. “We’re moving towards closing on our package.”

They plan to replace the 46-year-old hotel with a 14-story Home2Suites by Hilton and remain owners of the franchise.

“We’ll still be actively involved in the new property but taking a step back into more of an owner role than a daily operation role,” Willis said. “The family will still own the property completely and oversee everything, making sure we maintain the reputation that has kept us ranked No. 1 on Trip Advisor for the last six years.”

The Belvedere Coffee Shop, with its vintage blue booths and counter stools, will be rebuilt. It will be larger, with more seating, and will offer dinner. It will retain the Belvedere name, Willis said.

The hotel has served generations of families through the years. It boasts a 1960s motif with driftwood paneling, hallways open to the front of the building and a pool next to the parking lot.

“It’s a throwback to the old beachfront motel,” Willis said.

Its 50 rooms face the ocean. Home2Suites will more than double that with 124 ocean-facing suites, similar to the Belvedere’s current kitchenettes, Willis said. The Willises plan to close in the middle of August, rather than waiting until the end of the tourist season, in order to meet construction timelines for the new hotel. It could open as early as June 1 next year.

Bill and Betty Sams, Leigh Willis’ parents, built the Belvedere Motel in 1969. They ran it for many years as it evolved into a hotel with a full-service front desk and a bellhop. Leigh and David Willis took over the day-to-day operations six years ago.

They began to see more potential in the property.

“At some point, you’ve got to start over,” David Willis said. “The building is starting to show its age; it makes more sense to start from scratch and build something for the future.”

As the landscape of Oceanfront resort hotels continues to shift to national brands, the Belvedere is one more to add to the list.

“Gradually, all of the old places are going to the wayside, but we’re excited about our prospects for the hotel here,” Willis said.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, [email protected]