WHITEHALL — After months of work renovating the property, DreamStay celebrated its grand opening of the new Lake Land Getaway last Thursday with a hospitality event and ribbon cutting - just hours before their first guests were set to check in.
"We actually opened up our bookings at the end of last week, and we filled up for this weekend," DreamStay owner Jeremy Garcia, who operates the business with wife Melanie, said. "We're really happy about that response, so we're really hoping we can keep that momentum going forward."
The company, which is based in Muskegon County and operates two properties in Muskegon, announced its acquisition of the property, previously known as the Lakeland Inn, in January. It spent the intervening months working to transform the property into a getaway destination for couples, particularly those of millennial or Generation X age, which Garcia said he believes are not often treated as a target demographic by vacation properties. Garcia describes the DreamStay ethos as "play like a kid, but relax like an adult."
To that end, among the amenities on site at the property are a bocce ball court, cornhole boards, several hot tubs, a fire pit with plentiful seating, and a game room that will be teeming with 1980s and 1990s nostalgia once completed later this fall. Garcia said closed-circuit TVs will play television shows of the era, and retro consoles like the Super Nintendo will be available. There will also be plenty of board games to play, providing the option of disconnecting from electronics if desired in a world in which they are so ubiquitous.
DreamStay sought out the property, Garcia said, in part because it contained room to add the amenities he wanted to be part of its next opportunity.
"We've always had different concepts that we wanted," Garcia said. "It was really about finding the right property and being patient for it. We always knew that we wanted to do a project like this."
More amenities are on the way. In addition to the game room's completion, there will be a sauna, on-site laundry and what Garcia calls the "latte lab," where guests will be able to construct their own coffees to their liking. The property will also be growing fresh herbs and fruits in the future, making it possible to mix cocktails.
The drink area has a White Lake area-themed mural painted on it, which was designed by DreamStay and placed by an ultraviolet (UV) printer. Something similar, Garcia said, will take place in the game room.
The community response to the opening, Garcia said, has been beyond what he's experienced at DreamStay's other properties, and he's excited for what is to come in Whitehall.
"We have been overwhelmed by the community," Garcia said. "We've done some projects throughout the county, but to have city council folks, the police department, all sorts of community members just call us and wish us luck and be supportive like that, we've never had that...We have been floored by how welcoming everyone has been."
For more information and to explore bookings, visit lakelandgetaway.com.
