The process of transforming aging marinas into marina resorts is one of patience, persistence, vision, and compassion. Our goal is to take existing marinas and redevelop them into havens of compassionate hospitality, which requires all of the above. We have a clear vision for what we want each marina to become, and that vision requires time, money, and a commitment to excellence.
There are many factors, from state and federal requirements, to infrastructure and construction, that require us to approach each redevelopment in phases. In each and every case, we must walk before we can run, but we know where the finish line is and we know how to run the race.
A traditional marina has historically been little more than a parking lot for boats, and while many of them offer amenities such as gas, maintenance, and snacks, they’re like a parking lot with a gas pump and a tackle shop. We envision something quite different, one that is both familiar and new.
Creating A Marina Resort
A Haven Marina Resort is a new waterscape hospitality concept with a marina as its core physical attraction. Floating hotel rooms in a waterfront environment that offer unprecedented proximity to nature and a truly unique hospitality experience.
We begin by upgrading the marina infrastructure, so that we have a strong foundation to work from. This requires a lot of behind the scenes work you can’t always see, as we navigate the many regulatory and environmental hurdles required to improve the marina itself. Meanwhile, we must still operate the marina, even as we are dismantling it dock by dock, so it’s a bit of a dance and it requires patience from our slipholders and guests, as well as compassion from our staff.
While this is going on, we reimagine The Ship’s Store at each location, a unique combination of general store, tackle shop, gift shop, and hotel lobby. In these early stages of redevelopment, The Ship’s Store becomes the heart and soul of the marina, and provides a central meeting place for our slipholders and guests.
Once we have the infrastructure in place, we introduce purpose-built, custom-designed, European-style houseboats, that resemble luxurious, floating, hotel rooms. These become the lifeblood of the marina resort, and the reason we can afford to redevelop the marinas in the first place. The houseboats allow us to create a waterscape hotel in a working marina, offering a unique hospitality experience without requiring additional land uses. Eventually, we introduce other traditional resort amenities such as upland lodging, restaurants, bars, lounges, pool clubs, and more.
But first, we must walk.
Bidwell Creek
Bidwell Creek is our site with the most potential, but also in need of the most work. There is a lot of work to do just to bring the infrastructure up to our standards, so we are essentially operating with one arm tied behind our backs. On the bright side, we have a completely redeveloped Ship’s Store which is our crown jewel at the moment, a combination of lobby, office, general store, gift shop, tackle shop, and convenience store.
Once we have clearance from the various federal and state agencies we will begin repairs on bulkheads, dredge the basin, replace all the docks with beautiful new Ipe docks, significantly upgrading the marina experience. We will also be adding houseboats in a variety of designs and configurations that will provide a truly unique hospitality experience with incredible views. Future development may include upland lodging, a restaurant, social club, pool, spa, and more.
