Destination of the Week: The Reeds at Shelter Haven
Photo courtesy of The Reeds at Shelter Haven
Set along the bay in Stone Harbor, The Reeds at Shelter Haven offers a refined Jersey Shore escape where luxury meets laid-back coastal living. With its dual waterfront setting, elevated dining, and a strong focus on personalized service, the resort is designed for effortless relaxation. In our latest Destination of the Week, David Myers, President of Bridge Hospitality, shares how thoughtful hospitality and a passionate team continue to define the guest experience.
The Reeds has earned repeated recognition from Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler. What do you believe consistently sets the resort apart in the competitive Mid-Atlantic luxury market?
The difference with The Reeds vs the competition is undoubtedly the people that work at the property. We are very fortunate to have a long-term core team that have passion for industry with a sincere care and respect for the property and the people who visit our resort. They are aligned and supportive to ensuring all our guests have a great experience and truly care of each interaction. The level of guest service is unprecedented and results in countless repeat visitors - guests who over time have become like family for our associates.
Positioned on the bay and just steps from the beach, how does the dual waterfront setting shape the rhythm of a guest’s day, from sunrise to sunset?
Being a beach resort, our day revolves around the sun, from starting our day with a calming experience of breakfast by the bay and yoga on the sun deck. As the day warms, we focus on light, fresh foods and beach service providing shade and hydration. Mid afternoon in the peak time of radiant heat, we provide happy hours to escape some sun and have refreshing cocktails and lite appetizers. In the evening, after our guests have refreshed from the day and temperatures start to decline, we add in some live music and multiple dining options for our guests to enjoy to match their mood. As the sun sets, we incorporate a daily sunset celebration at Water Star Grille - just as the sun meets the horizon over the Bay, completing a lovely day.
From beach butlers to bay activities and boat docking, service feels central to the experience. How do you create a sense of relaxed indulgence that still feels authentically Jersey Shore?
Our quality of service is provided by the dedicated team - each are empowered to address any situation and all take pride in providing genuine hospitality in every encounter with guests. The team is engaged and the service our clients receive and feel is truly the team members’ personalities on display. Internally, we often reflect about how our guests look forward to staying on property. It is our shared focus to ensure we all do what we can to follow through on that commitment.
With five dining outlets, including Water Star Grille, how do you approach culinary programming to appeal to both returning multi-generational guests and new luxury travelers?
Our focus on property is to be able to provide a wide range of experiences with menus and options for all guests. Ranging from large families returning year after year who may enjoy the Pizza Pub to be able to all sit together and use as a meeting place, to couples who are looking for more of a quiet curated dining experience in Sax. With all the options on property we can provide different environment, themes and experiences for which any traveler will be able to find a favorite. With our diverse offering, a guest can dine at a different spot each day on property, providing an easy-going, laidback resort experience.
Salt Spa introduces elements like Turkish Bath rituals and Brine Light therapy. How important is wellness to the modern coastal traveler, and how has that influenced the evolution of The Reeds experience?
In the last three years we have seen a positive shift to the awareness of self-care and overall wellness. There is a larger desire for downtime to not only be relaxing, but truly recharging, ultimately creating a positive impact on lifestyle. Salt Spa has been able to add select services to aid our guests in wellness and the team constantly attends training courses to ensure they’re staying informed of how to make the overall experience that much better.
