Jekyll Island Club Resort: The 1888 Millionaires’ Clubhouse, Now a Hotel

Every fact on this page comes from a named source listed at the bottom: the hotel’s own website, the National Park Service, Historic Hotels of America and other published histories, checked October 3, 2026. Where sources disagree, we say so. We don’t quote room rates, which change.

Part of It’s Georgia’s sourced list of Georgia’s historic hotels: every hotel and inn in the state still taking guests in a historic building, with the year each one went up.

Jekyll Island Club Resort at a glance

A private club for America’s richest families

In 1886 Newton Finney, acting for the newly formed Jekyll Island Club, bought the island from the DuBignon family for $125,000, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia. Ground was broken on the clubhouse in mid-August 1886 and the club officially opened in January 1888. The National Register nomination says the main building was finished in 1887.

The club was a members-only winter retreat. Finney found 53 people willing to join, among them Marshall Field, Henry Hyde, J. P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer and William K. Vanderbilt, and between 1888 and 1928 members built their own winter homes, or “cottages,” around the clubhouse (New Georgia Encyclopedia). Sans Souci dates from 1896, and {A(J[‘HHAH’],’Historic Hotels of America’)} notes that many architectural historians consider it one of the first condominiums in the United States.

The four-story Annex was finished in 1901. SAH Archipedia, the Society of Architectural Historians’ guide, says Charles Alling Gifford designed it to match the clubhouse’s scale and details.

Two moments that reached far beyond the island

In 1910 six financiers, including Nelson Aldrich, Paul Warburg and Frank Vanderlip, met in secret on Jekyll Island to draft the Aldrich Plan, which shaped the Federal Reserve Act, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia. On January 25, 1915, AT&T president Theodore Vail took part in the first transcontinental telephone call from the island.

State ownership, closure and restoration

The club opened for the 1942 season but closed early because of financial problems. The State of Georgia bought Jekyll Island on October 7, 1947, for $675,000 (New Georgia Encyclopedia). The state ran the club as a public resort, but Historic Hotels of America says it struggled to make money and closed in 1971.

In 1972 the Jekyll Island Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1978 it became a National Historic Landmark.

The clubhouse then sat empty for more than a decade. Radisson took it over in 1985 and restored it, and it reopened as a hotel in 1987, according to SAH Archipedia and the resort. Smith Dalia Architects completed another restoration in 2001. J. P. Morgan’s 1929 indoor tennis court became the Morgan Conference Center in 2010, and the oceanfront Jekyll Ocean Club opened in 2017 (SAH Archipedia).

Today the resort is owned by the Jekyll Island Authority, a State of Georgia agency, and has been managed by Noble House Hotels & Resorts since 2021. It finished a renovation in spring 2024, according to the resort’s own information page.

What it is today

Guests stay in the Clubhouse and Annex, Sans Souci (1896), Crane Cottage (1917) and Cherokee Cottage (1904), or at the separate oceanfront Jekyll Ocean Club, built in 2017, which has 40 suites. The resort does not publish a single room total.

Restaurants and bars include the Grand Dining Room, The Wharf, the Alexander Bar & Boar’s Head Lounge, The Pantry, Eighty Ocean Kitchen and Bar at the Ocean Club, The Sand Bar and The Pool House.

The resort lists a spa, two year-round pools and more than 20 miles of island bike paths. A daily resort fee applies and includes the fitness room; the resort FAQ has the details. There is no charge for self-parking. The accessibility page lists ADA rooms at both properties with roll-in showers or transfer showers, elevators, and accessible restaurants. It also notes that beach access, the shuttle and the Club front desk have limits.

Holidays around the club: Holly Jolly Jekyll

From November 27, 2026 to January 3, 2027, the island’s Historic District around the club hosts Holly Jolly Jekyll, according to the Golden Isles visitors bureau. It is an island-wide event, not a resort-only one, and is open to the public: holiday lights, storytelling, caroling, craft workshops and carriage rides past the lit oaks and decorated buildings.

Where the sources disagree

• 1985 or 1987: Historic Hotels of America dates the takeover and renovation to 1985 (it names Leon N. Weiner & Associates); SAH Archipedia says Radisson took over in 1985 and reopened the hotel in 1987, which matches the resort’s own page.
• Two closures: the private club closed in 1942; the state-run resort that followed closed in 1971, per Historic Hotels of America.
• Finished or opened: the National Register nomination says the clubhouse was completed in 1887; the club officially opened in January 1888.

Plan the rest of the trip

• Jekyll Island, Georgia: our island overview.
• Jekyll Island visitor guide: the entry fee, beaches and the Sea Turtle Center.
• Jekyll Island vs St. Simons: which Golden Isle fits your trip.
• Georgia’s historic hotels: 33 more still taking guests, including The King and Prince on St. Simons (1935).

Questions people ask

When was the Jekyll Island Club built?

Ground was broken in August 1886 and the club officially opened in January 1888. Chicago architect Charles A. Alexander designed the Queen Anne-style clubhouse, and the Annex was added in 1901.

Who were the Jekyll Island Club’s members?

It was a private winter retreat for some of America’s richest families. Its original 53 members included J. P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, Marshall Field and William K. Vanderbilt, per the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

Is the Jekyll Island Club a historic landmark?

Yes. The Jekyll Island Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and named a National Historic Landmark in 1978. The hotel is also a member of Historic Hotels of America.

Can I see the Jekyll Island Club without staying there?

In the 2026 holiday season, yes: Holly Jolly Jekyll, a public island-wide event, runs in the Historic District around the club from November 27 to January 3, according to the Golden Isles visitors bureau. Every car pays the state’s Jekyll Island entry fee.

About Hank Whitlock

Hank Whitlock is the pen name of the It's Georgia editor. Every guide is built around the questions a busy family actually asks before a trip: how long is the drive, what does parking cost, can the stroller make it, are dogs allowed. Details are checked against official park, city, and venue sources, and each guide shows the date it was last updated.