Sea Pines Resort to transform iconic Hilton Head inn, demolish tennis courts. Why?
The Sea Pines Resort has announced major plans to renovate and expand the Inn & Club at Harbour Town.
All 60 guest rooms at the inn will be renovated, and a new residential village, called “Harbour Town Residences” will be constructed where the front of the inn currently is.
To make way for the expansion, all existing courts at the Sea Pines Racquet Club, located next to the hotel, will be demolished, preliminary site plans show. The current resort pool and all parking lots will also be torn up and rebuilt.
The Sea Pines Resort, located within the 5,000-acre Sea Pines community, is a major attraction on Hilton Head Island. The luxury inn is one of the resort’s premier features, alongside the acclaimed Harbour Town Golf Links and the Harbour Town Yacht Basin.
Officials hope the renovations will enhance the resort’s facilities “while preserving the character and charm that have earned the property national hospitality accolades,” according to a press release.
Earlier this year, Forbes Travel Guide awarded the inn four stars — the same award it has received for 17 consecutive years, according to previous Island Packet reporting. Montage Palmetto Bluff a luxury resort in Bluffton, received a five-star award — FTG’s highest rating.
Cliff McMackin, Director of Resort Development for The Sea Pines Resort, shared details of the project to members of the Sea Pines Community Services Associates Board of Directors at their May 19 meeting.
“These improvements are going to put us at the highest category of luxury travel in the world,” McMackin said.
What’s happened to the racquet club?
According to preliminary site plans submitted to the Town of Hilton Head Island, all 20 clay courts at the Sea Pines Racquet Club will be demolished to make way for new racquet sports facilities.
Officials are proposing two tennis courts, four pickleball courts and two padel ball courts in its place, preliminary site plans show.
A new resort pool will be constructed next to the courts, along with a new poolside bar and restaurant. The old resort pool will be demolished, project plans show.
What’s happening to the inn?
The project includes “fully gutting and renovating” all 60 guest rooms at the inn, according to McMackin. Three of those rooms will be converted into suites, he said.
The resort is also planning to build a “premier residential village” with studio, three-bedroom and four-bedroom residences for guests, McMackin said. Called “Harbour Town Residences,” the development will include 48 studio residences with kitchenettes plus six multi-bedroom units, according to a press release.
Preliminary site plans show that the residences will be divided into four separate buildings. According to McMackin, lawns, gardens and green spaces will fill the areas between buildings to create an “iconic experience beyond what you would expect” from a traditional lodging facility.
Major renovations are also planned for the lobby area, including the lobby bar, he shared, and an “enhanced” fitness and wellness space will also be constructed. A new inn pool, separate from the resort pool, is also proposed in the residential village area, site plans show.
The primary access point for vehicles arriving at the inn will shift from its current location on Lighthouse Lane to a new location on Lighthouse Road with separate entry and exit lanes, site plans show. A secondary access point will be constructed further down Lighthouse Road, which will give vehicles direct access to the racquet sports facilities, resort pool and restaurant.
How long will this take?
Planning for the project is expected to take place over the next year, according to McMackin.
Construction is expected to begin sometime in 2027, and wrap up in late 2028 or early 2029, he said.
“This is a very significant project for our community,” McMackin told the Board of Directors. “All the projects that have been done to date really were all leading up to this.”
