The Dunlin, the first commercial hotel on Johns Island proper, has set a check-in date.
Management just opened up bookings for after the planned Aug. 1 grand opening of the luxury Auberge-operated property, which will include three food-and-beverage establishments.
Located within Kiawah River, a 2,000-acre master-planned resort development off Betsy Kerrison Parkway, the boutique lodging will have 72 guest rooms, 19 villas, riverfront dining and a full-service spa, among other amenities.
The signature restaurant will be Linnette’s, which will focus on coastal cuisine with wood-fired dishes from a locally sourced seafood menu. A riverside lounge will serve tapas, while poolside dining will be available at The Cove.
The Dunlin’s signature restaurant Linnette’s offers coastal cuisine.
The property’s starting rate is $749 per night for guesthouse rooms.
Michael DeCanio, general manager of The Dunlin, said the demand for Auberge Resorts Collection properties in the South is high, and management thought Johns Island was “the perfect location” with an “authentic agriculture heritage.”
“The property feels worlds apart from city life, but for guests who wish to head into Charleston to explore or enjoy a meal, they have that option,” DeCanio said.
He said the hotel’s spa, rentable event space, restaurants and bars will be open to the public.
Gatherings, both large and small, are expected to be an important source of business for the property, which will have several space options geared toward group travelers.
“There is an incredible demand for weddings as well as corporate events and celebrations,” DeCanio said.
Charleston City Councilman Jim McBride, who represents Johns and James islands, said while the hotel is outside of city limits, his biggest focus is it will impact residents.
"The good that it will bring is around 150 or more jobs for the island, and at least one nice restaurant,” McBride said in a statement. “It’s on the upper end of quality as a luxury hotel, and it will incorporate a lot of green space."
He also said he's not overly concerned about a traffic issue as he expects most guests will stay within the resort or within the nearby area, such as Kiawah and Seabrook islands.
A standard king room at the new Dunlin resort.
Charleston County Council member Jenny Costa Honeycutt said most of the accommodation demand for Johns Island historically has been absorbed either by the peninsula — about 20 miles from The Dunlin — and by nearby vacation rentals and hotels on the more-intensely developed Kiawah and Seabrook.
Also, in some cases the infrastructure isn't in place, she said.
Named for a shorebird, The Dunlin is the first but possibly not the last lodging to land on Johns Island.
New Leaf Builders filed plans late last year for a 55,000-square-foot hotel with an unspecified number of rooms as part of a mixed-used project called Jubilee. The development is proposed for 2935 Maybank Highway, just west of River Road, and is still in the early approval phases with the city.
New Leaf could not be reached for comment.
