Hotel to return at Shangri-La Resort
Shangri-La Resort has announced plans to build a 120-room hotel with an accelerated construction timeline that will have the hotel open in time for the 2017 golf season.
Jason Sheffield, general manager of Shangri-La, said the hotel is being financed by Shangri-La owner Eddy Gibbs and no major hotel partner would be involved. The approximately $15 million hotel will be either four or five stories high with views of grand lake and include a two-story casual dining restaurant inside as well as an indoor and outdoor bar and grill. A swimming pool will also serve Shangri-La members as well as hotel guests.
Sheffield said the new hotel at Shangri-La will be located near the site of the former Shangri-La Lodge, near Shangri-La Marina at the tip of Monkey Island on Grand Lake.
The hotel will also have convention space suitable for meetings of 300 to 400.
The hotel construction project is being managed by Sheffield and Jon Davidson, who comes to Shangri-La from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa where he oversaw construction, expansion and renovation projects in conjunction with his position as Senior Director of Hospitality Services for the past eight years.
"Our members, guests and community leaders have made it clear that they believe development of such a hotel facility is important to the continued growth of the Grand Lake economy," Sheffield said. "We agree, and we appreciate the support of the entire community as we move forward with this sizable investment at Shangri-La Golf Club, Resort & Marina," he said.
Gibbs purchased the Shangri-La property in March, 2010. Since that time, there has been complete reconstruction of a 27-hole Championship golf course, a 14,000 square-foot club house with fine dining, a casual sports bar, and a fitness center.
In May, 2011, Gibbs purchased the adjoining Shangri-La Marina. Since that time, the marina has been expanded, additional slips have been added, and new parking facilities and a boat ramp have been built. A new boat sales office and sales dock were added in the summer of 2015.
In 2015, Shangri-La also began development of "The Gallery at Shangri-La," an upscale gated community of luxury custom-built homes. It is the first of three such residential developments planned for construction in the near future.
"Since we broke ground on the club house back in 2010, there hasn’t been a single day that we didn’t have something under construction," Sheffield said. "The plan for development of a 120-room hotel and convention facility is a major step toward completing an ultimate destination where people can stay, play, boat, golf, dine and live
"As we embark on another major development project at Shangri-La, we are grateful indeed for the support we continue to receive from the entire Grand Lake community and, especially, our dedicated and supportive membership," Sheffield added.