Amelia Island Plantation
Encyclopedia
Amelia Island Plantation (AIP) is a luxury resort located on Amelia Island
, Florida
, the westernmost barrier island
on the Atlantic Ocean
in the U.S. The resort's tennis facility hosted the Bausch & Lomb Championships
, a major Women's Tennis Association
tournament, for 20 years. The 249 room hotel on the plantation is part of Omni Hotels & Resorts
.
's Sea Island Company in conjunction with Ian McHarg
of the urban planning & design firm, Wallace, McHarg, Roberts & Todd
. The emphasis was to develop the resort "in harmony with nature". To balance the development with the environment,
a master plan was created and became part of the deed covenants that protected tidal marshes, dunes, savanna
s and the wildlife that existed there. A minimum 40 feet (12.2 m) buffer of natural vegetation was established for waterways.
Unfortunately, the original owners filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1976. The resort was purchased in 1978 by a group of investors headed by Richard Cooper. The new owners took the name, Amelia Island Company (AIC), but the resort and company are synonymous. Over the next 30 years, the property was further developed and enhanced as a prestigious location. The hotel's name was changed from Amelia Island Plantation Hotel to Amelia Inn & Beach Club to its current "Omni Amelia Island Plantation." It is a four-diamond AAA
resort, which also has a 49000 sq ft (4,552.2 m²) conference center to accommodate meetings and conventions of up to 1,000 participants. AIP was host of a woman's professional tennis tournament beginning in 1980 which became the Bausch & Lomb Championships from 1987 to 2008. Many other events are hosted by the resort each year including a wine festival, golf tournaments and a jazz festival. The facility features 20 swimming pools, a full-service spa, kids' club and stocked fishing lake, situated between 3½ miles of white sand beaches and the intracoastal waterway
, convenient for those with boats. Although longtime company president Richard Cooper died in 2008, the Cooper family retained ownership.
In January, 2009, Atlanta developer Redquartz Development announced an agreement to become majority owner of Amelia Island Plantation for $60 million, but by May, the deal was abandoned when Redquartz couldn't raise the cash.
The company also contemplated the sale of the hotel and a couple of golf courses to Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
, but a deal could not be reached.
The Amelia Island Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 13, 2009 (Friday the 13th) to buy time with its creditors while it completes a reorganization plan. The Plasencia Group is serving as investment advisor to the Debtor.www.tpghotels.com
Amelia Island Company filed a reorganization plan in May, 2010 in which the Noble Investment Group would acquire AIC and invest $45.9 million to pay off debts and provide the capital needed to emerge from bankruptcy. Under the acquisition agreement, the Cooper family interests would receive up to $5 million, and homeowners would be able to buy ownership of the one of the resort golf courses and of the clubhouse they currently use exclusively. On August 23, 2010, TRT Holdings, parent company of Omni Hotels, emerged as the successful bidder in an auction conducted in federal bankruptcy court. The transaction was scheduled to close in early September.
's design, and winds through salt marshes and huge heritage oaks draped with spanish moss
. Bobby Weed
's Ocean Links course, as the name implies, runs through coastal hammock and dunes. It abuts the beach on five holes and a brisk breeze off the water is typical. The Amelia River course is Tom Jackson's creation, and is more traditional, with wide fairways, large greens and groups of trees at strategic points. Lastly, the challenging Long Point course, designed by Tom Fazio
, includes eight water hazards that must be crossed.
Amelia Island
Amelia Island is one of the southernmost of the Sea Islands, a chain of barrier islands that stretches along the east coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida. It is long and approximately 4 miles wide at its widest point. Amelia Island is situated off the coast in Nassau County,...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the westernmost barrier island
Barrier island
Barrier islands, a coastal landform and a type of barrier system, are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen...
on the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in the U.S. The resort's tennis facility hosted the Bausch & Lomb Championships
Bausch & Lomb Championships
The MPS Group Championships was a women's tennis tournament held in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, United States. The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event was an International series tournament played on outdoor green clay courts from 1980 to 2010.-History:...
, a major Women's Tennis Association
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
tournament, for 20 years. The 249 room hotel on the plantation is part of Omni Hotels & Resorts
Omni Hotels & Resorts
Omni Hotels & Resorts is a privately held, international luxury hotel company based out of Irving, Texas. The hotel brand consistently ranks "Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Upscale Hotel Chains" by J. D...
.
Resort
The 1350 acres (546.3 ha) includes a 249-room hotel, nine restaurants, four golf courses and nearly two dozen Har-Tru tennis courts. The development has a total value of $1.95 billion when the 1,150 condominiums, 800 homes and unbuilt lots are counted.History
The Amelia Island Plantation was begun in 1971 by the Hilton Head IslandHilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island or Hilton Head is a resort town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is north of Savannah, Georgia, and south of Charleston. The island gets its name from Captain William Hilton...
's Sea Island Company in conjunction with Ian McHarg
Ian McHarg
Ian L. McHarg was born in Clydebank, Scotland and became a landscape architect and a renowned writer on regional planning using natural systems. He was the founder of the department of landscape architecture at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. His 1969 book Design with Nature...
of the urban planning & design firm, Wallace, McHarg, Roberts & Todd
Wallace Roberts & Todd
Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC is an urban planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and architecture firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
. The emphasis was to develop the resort "in harmony with nature". To balance the development with the environment,
a master plan was created and became part of the deed covenants that protected tidal marshes, dunes, savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
s and the wildlife that existed there. A minimum 40 feet (12.2 m) buffer of natural vegetation was established for waterways.
Unfortunately, the original owners filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1976. The resort was purchased in 1978 by a group of investors headed by Richard Cooper. The new owners took the name, Amelia Island Company (AIC), but the resort and company are synonymous. Over the next 30 years, the property was further developed and enhanced as a prestigious location. The hotel's name was changed from Amelia Island Plantation Hotel to Amelia Inn & Beach Club to its current "Omni Amelia Island Plantation." It is a four-diamond AAA
American Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
resort, which also has a 49000 sq ft (4,552.2 m²) conference center to accommodate meetings and conventions of up to 1,000 participants. AIP was host of a woman's professional tennis tournament beginning in 1980 which became the Bausch & Lomb Championships from 1987 to 2008. Many other events are hosted by the resort each year including a wine festival, golf tournaments and a jazz festival. The facility features 20 swimming pools, a full-service spa, kids' club and stocked fishing lake, situated between 3½ miles of white sand beaches and the intracoastal waterway
Intracoastal Waterway
The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are artificial canals...
, convenient for those with boats. Although longtime company president Richard Cooper died in 2008, the Cooper family retained ownership.
Economic downturn
The Late-2000s recession affected real estate and resorts significantly and AIP “suffered a substantial negative cash flow”, forcing the company to cut wages and layoff 25% of their workforce.In January, 2009, Atlanta developer Redquartz Development announced an agreement to become majority owner of Amelia Island Plantation for $60 million, but by May, the deal was abandoned when Redquartz couldn't raise the cash.
The company also contemplated the sale of the hotel and a couple of golf courses to Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, or MetLife, for short, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, with 90 million customers in over 60 countries...
, but a deal could not be reached.
The Amelia Island Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 13, 2009 (Friday the 13th) to buy time with its creditors while it completes a reorganization plan. The Plasencia Group is serving as investment advisor to the Debtor.www.tpghotels.com
Amelia Island Company filed a reorganization plan in May, 2010 in which the Noble Investment Group would acquire AIC and invest $45.9 million to pay off debts and provide the capital needed to emerge from bankruptcy. Under the acquisition agreement, the Cooper family interests would receive up to $5 million, and homeowners would be able to buy ownership of the one of the resort golf courses and of the clubhouse they currently use exclusively. On August 23, 2010, TRT Holdings, parent company of Omni Hotels, emerged as the successful bidder in an auction conducted in federal bankruptcy court. The transaction was scheduled to close in early September.
Golf
The biggest attraction at AIP is the golf courses. The resort boasts four championship courses. The Amelia Links includes two very different courses. The Oak Marsh course, was Pete DyePete Dye
Paul B. "Pete" Dye is a world-renowned golf course designer and a member of a famous family of course designers. He is married to fellow designer and former amateur champion Alice Dye.-Early life:Pete Dye was born in Urbana, Ohio...
's design, and winds through salt marshes and huge heritage oaks draped with spanish moss
Spanish Moss
Spanish moss is a flowering plant that grows upon larger trees, commonly the Southern Live Oak or Bald Cypress in the southeastern United States....
. Bobby Weed
Bobby Weed
Robert C. Weed, Jr., ASGCA is a golf course designer, builder, and protégé of Pete Dye. Weed's work includes Tournament Players Club courses, the Slammer and Squire at World Golf Village, and the redesign of the Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida...
's Ocean Links course, as the name implies, runs through coastal hammock and dunes. It abuts the beach on five holes and a brisk breeze off the water is typical. The Amelia River course is Tom Jackson's creation, and is more traditional, with wide fairways, large greens and groups of trees at strategic points. Lastly, the challenging Long Point course, designed by Tom Fazio
Tom Fazio
Thomas Fazio, ASGCA is a golf course architect.Fazio graduated in 1962 from Lansdale Catholic High School and was inducted into its "Hall of Fame" in 2007. He began his career in golf course design with his family's firm in suburban Philadelphia, which he left in the 1960s; he established his own...
, includes eight water hazards that must be crossed.