The owners of DreamStay, a Muskegon County-based rental property business, have purchased the former Lakeland Inn in Whitehall, they announced this week. The property will be rebranded as the Lake Land Getaway, with plans to add amenities to make it a destination spot for couples.
Jeremy and Melanie Garcia own and operate DreamStay, which operates two other hotel properties in Muskegon County - DreamStay on Clay near downtown Muskegon and Scenic Drive Resort located down the street from the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex - as well as several other short-term rental properties in the county.
"This really hits a lot of the marks we're looking for," Jeremy Garcia said. "We couldn't just do any motel. We worked really hard...to have it, but we think the end product could be something really special."
DreamStay aims to provide one-of-a-kind experiences to vacation seekers. Among its properties are a Star Wars-themed home - which includes attractions like a fire pit shaped like the Death Star, surrounded by fighter ship-shaped benches, and the opening crawl from the original movie displayed on the ceiling on the staircase to the basement - and an old fire station that's been repurposed into a place to stay.
Lake Land Getaway isn't likely to have a grand theme like those two places, but Garcia said he's confident in the family's ability to turn it into a great place for couples to stay, citing currently unused land on the property that can house added amenties. He added that the property will aim to cater to Generation X and millennial couples with the planned additions.
"The things we're looking at putting in are a pickleball court, a bocce ball court, cornhole, an outdoor ping-pong table, an outdoor seating area with a custom fire pit and another seating area where you're looking at putting in a pizza oven for couples to build pizzas there," Garcia said. "We're looking at a game room and leaning into the analog, with a pool table, ping-pong, shuffleboard table. The only electronic things we've looked at putting in are a Super Nintendo and a Nintendo 64...We're hoping to pull people in who want to disconnect from electronics."
Other planned additions include a "hot tub garden" - there's not space to put hot tubs in rooms, so a pod of tubs will be put outside to avoid the "awkward" feeling of getting into hot tubs with strangers, Garcia chuckled - and a sauna.
Among other things that drew the Garcias to the property was its location near downtown Whitehall; Jeremy said prior Chamber of Commerce executive director Amy VanLoon and current one Stephanie Ware have both encouraged DreamStay to branch into the area. The clients that seek out DreamStay like having attractions within walking distance so they can explore the areas in which they're vacationing.
"We're already talking about working with WaterDog Outfitters for kayak and bike rentals for our guests," Garcia said. "I don't think our concept would work as well if we were out by the Comfort Inn. A lot of our guests would rather bike...Whitehall makes a lot of sense because it has a lot of amazing things like that."
So far, the response has already impressed the Garcias. A video they posted announcing the Lake Land Getaway acquisition has already achieved over 27,000 views, Garcia said, and many have reached out with interest in the property once it is ready for guests - or to simply wish them good luck with their new addition.
"I grew up in a small town very similar to this area, and the response feels really good, because it feels like that hometown response where everyone's excited," Garcia said. "We've been blown away by people just reaching out and wishing us luck personally. That was an amazing surprise for us."
DreamStay plans on giving fans a close look at the work being done to revitalize the Lakeland property through its new Facebook page, Lake Land Getaway. Garcia said the aim is to have rooms ready for guests by late this spring. Weather will determine whether all the planned amenities will be ready to go at the same time, but if all goes well it won't be a long wait.
"We've seen this be successful in other states - upstate New York has a lot of things like this," Garcia said. "Things like this are few and far between in Michigan. No one (here) will have, to our knowledge, the same level of amenities. We're really trying to elevate that whole experience and what this can be.
"We want to make sure to deliver something to the community that they deserve."
