Jekyll Ocean Club — Hotel in Jekyll Island

I am noting a definite discrepancy between in season visits and off season visits. We were there for the very first time in February and I was shocked at how bad the level of customer service was. There were maybe 4 - 6 rooms occupied during our stay in February, so I cannot fathom why they were so poorly staffed or inattentive to guests. The front desk staff was not at the desk when we attempted to check in late afternoon. We waited and waited and called out along with another guest waiting. No sign, no note, nothing. I eventually walked over to the restaurant to look for a kitchen staff member. This was pretty much what we witnessed most days we were there. Front desk staff not there, inattentive or unprofessional or with limited information for any questions asked. The hotel has a wonderful location right at the ocean's edge. However, there was no one to help with luggage and the entrance door is not self operating, so it's a real struggle getting up the front stairs (no ramp) and into the lobby. Also I pointed out to the staff that the inspection certificate in the elevator was expired - from last year - which was notable because the elevator was so noisy and rumbling with banging noises. Their response was very rude and insisted the certificate was of no issue, because the elevator had been inspected. Wow. Very surprised by that. Other than the on site DINNER restaurant - there is no place to grab, coffee, lunch, snacks or beverages on site. We were directed by the front desk staff to go to the nearby WHARF restaurant for dinner one day but once we got over there - it was closed for renovations.You'd think the front desk staff would know that? We were also surprised by the number of days and limited hours that a number of the restaurants in town were open during February. You can drive over to the Jekyll Island Main hotel for a luxe buffet breakfast and they do have a cafe. But this is NOT a walkable distance. We asked to switch our room reservation from a King to 2 Queens ahead of arrival and received an upcharge for doing so. You'd think, in OFF season of February they could offer a free upgrade like other hotels do, but no. The staff was very rude about that when I inquired about the price change. After we returned home from our road trip I did call a number of times to obtain the contact information of a guest services director or manager and every time I got the run around. Their phone system is very frustrating and the phone rings and rings with no one answering. Both times that I finally did get someone to answer - it was over at the Jekyll Island Resort main hotel and they gave me the incorrect info and the incorrect contact info.! I'm seriously shocked how staff cannot know who the appropriate managers are or their info? I did attempt to send several polite emails to the individuals they recommended hoping to get a resolution, alert them to the issues and re-frame my impression of this resort. I never got any response back at all. My attitude is that exceptional places can only learn and re-adjust training when they know of issues and I am always. gracious to give that opportunity BEFORE I write a review. It's been more than 2 months and nothing. So this is the...

It wasn't absolute perfection, but nothing is.

The room was nice and the beds were very comfortable. The staff were all kind and helpful. The pool and hot tub was nice and clean. The pool towels were easily available and large. Though other folks have said this place is not kid friendly, there were plenty of kiddos there for our kids to meet and play with. The pool has a very nice 'ledge/platform' that is in about 8-12" of water and you can walk out on. Our kids loved this AND they loved the hot tub. The poolside fireplace is large can can accommodate a lot of folks (maybe 12 Adirondack chairs w/o being cramped). In the evenings, they sell S'mores kits' which to me couldn't be MORE kid friendly.

The restaurant food was excellent. We've been to other hotels where the food is what in our family, we refer to as 'cafeteria food' that probably comes from the same supplier (US Foods or Cisco) as 10,000 other places and looks the same and tastes the same because it is 'easy' for them and cheap. The food here seemed to be actually created and cooked here at the hotel. We enjoyed their menu selection and tried something new every day. We absolutely LOVED ordering 'to go' food from the restaurant and then eating in our room. For dinner, I think the cheapest item was the burger which was $16 and excellent and the most expensive thing was the Snapper which was $32 (I think). The Snapper was very good, but it came with some crab meat that I think may have been a little gamy. There was a lot of butter in that dish, but i still cleaned my plate.

The beach was easily accessible and the slope was long and gradual (very nice for our young kids). We found lots of sand dollars alive and dead. Our kids loved saving the live ones by throwing them back into the ocean. The tide was a bit brown and dirty, but I know what I'm in for at a barrier island in the Atlantic. While we were there, they kept the beach chairs put away, but whenever I asked for a couple, they quickly delivered them to the beach. They mentioned an App that I never heard of or looked for, but I think this is how they'd like for you to 'schedule' your chair/umbrella request. I just visited the front desk before heading out and this seemed fine.

There was more to do at the hotel/resort than we took advantage of, but we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. My final thoughts are that it seemed a little pricey going in when we were booking it, but having spent several days there, I'd go back in...

I never write bad reviews, but I was extremely disappointed in the lack of transparency and flexibility of the people I dealt with at Jekyll Ocean Club. I made a last minute reservation through Expedia at Jekyll Ocean Club for a weekend stay for our son who was coming home from college with his dog. I thought I read that the hotel was pet friendly. The next morning (not even 12 hours later) I was showing my son the reservation and we noticed this was pet friendly for "service animals only". I immediately called the resort to see if we could cancel (not even 12 hours after making the reservation). That is when the lady I spoke to said that they do indeed allow pets and then left me on hold to see if there were any pet friendly rooms left. She came back and explained that there were no pet friendly rooms left and told me to call Expedia and that it should be no problem to cancel. I called Expedia and explained the situation. The gentleman from Expedia called the hotel to cancel and the hotel would not let me cancel without incurring a one night penalty (of over $600). I cancelled the room in order to get half of my money back thinking that was my only option. After talking with my husband, we decided that since we were paying anyway, he and I would stay for the one paid night at the Ocean Club since we had already secured another room at a close by hotel for our son and his dog. I called the hotel and explained the situation and the lady stated that the hotel was indeed pet friendly, that I should not have cancelled and that we could not use our one night stay since we booked with Expedia. Basically, we gave them $600 for absolutely NOTHING when the hotel was now sold out for the weekend. When I explained my dissatisfaction, she stated that she could get me her manager, but that really would not help, because the problem was with Expedia. I called Expedia AGAIN and they called the Jekyll Ocean Club AGAIN about getting my money back and were firmly told no by the hotel staff. The moral of the story is they need to get their staff on the same page regarding pets. We come to Jekyll several times a year and even when we don't stay at the Ocean Club, we frequent both the Wharf at Jekyll Island Club Hotel and Oceans 80. We will not be returning in the future. They lost very good customers for refusing to be flexible, for inconsistent policies and for not honoring the $600 we paid to them for...