Litchfield Inn to return to family values

DAWN BRYANT
The Litchfield Inn on the south end is getting back to its roots as a family vacation spot.
Litchfield Real Estate, which took over rentals at the 155-unit condo-hotel this month, plans to focus on that core market instead of luring golfers to fill the place, which was the priority for the previous management company, Myrtle Beach National Co.
Myrtle Beach National, which owns nine golf courses along the Grand Strand and has an interest in several lodging properties, was forced to drop the Litchfield Inn after years of legal wrangling. A judge ruled that the company's purchase seven years ago of the building's commercial areas, such as the restaurant and lobby, wasn't legal. The building's units are individually owned.
When built in 1960, the oceanfront condotel - one of the first examples of the now super-hot condominium-hotel trend - catered to families wanting a week at the beach.
For the past seven years, Myrtle Beach National focused on luring golfers who would play the company's courses. The new rental company doesn't want to cater to that crowd.
"We are not trying to bring people down for the golf courses," said Sharon Abee, the marketing coordinator for Litchfield Real Estate. "It's just a different direction. We want families and groups that have come down to this area for years and years because it's quiet.
"It's been a destination and that's what we want it to be again."
The owners of the popular Austin's restaurant plan to open a spot inside the inn by July, Abee said.
JetBlue comes to Carolinas
JetBlue Airways will expand into the Carolinas for the first time in July, raising hopes among area tourism leaders that Myrtle Beach might be next on the list.
The New York-based airline doesn't have specific plans for the Grand Strand, though it remains on a list of possible destinations, said Brandon Hamm, corporate communications manager. Hamm wouldn't say how many cities are on that list.
So far in 2006, JetBlue has announced expansions to eight new cities, including the N.C. cities of Charlotte and Raleigh.
"Definitely, Myrtle Beach is on the radar, along with many other destinations across the country," he said.
Hamm couldn't say if JetBlue has specific concerns about Myrtle Beach or when a decision on whether to come here would be made.
Locals have lobbied JetBlue since 2002, even flying to New York that year to meet with company leaders.
Mickey McCamish, president of marketing group Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, continues to call JetBlue officials, pitching the beach, but his calls are never returned.
"I still make the phone calls and leave the messages," McCamish said.
"I will be persistent."
Air service continues to be a hurdle in growing Myrtle Beach as a destination. Most airlines stop service in the winter, and it is difficult to get direct flights at reasonable prices even when all the airlines are in full swing.
The high prices and connecting routes have forced some golfers to bypass Myrtle Beach and go to other destinations such as Orlando, Fla., McCamish said.
JetBlue is an attractive airline for Myrtle Beach because of the cities it serves, including Washington, D.C.; New York City; and Buffalo, N.Y., he said.
JetBlue, a six-year-old company, will start direct flights between New York and Charlotte on July 12. A nonstop flight from New York to Raleigh-Durham begins July 20.
Pier to come down
Beachgoers shouldn't get used to the pier at 53rd Avenue North in Myrtle Beach.
The pier is used only for workers building an underwater pipe for stormwater drainage. It will come down in the next couple of weeks, city spokesman Mark Kruea said.
The working pier has caught the attention of some residents wondering if it was permanent, Kruea said.
"We've actually had some questions come in about it," he said. "They'd like the open beach back."


Contact DAWN BRYANT at 626-0296 or dbryant@thesunnews.com.

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Written by: DAWN BRYANT