Steve Pike Anywhere: Chateau Elan Winery & Resort

The Chateau Winery & Resort in Braselton, Georgia offers beauty and variety with 45 holes of championship golf, encompassing rolling Georgia hills of the Woodlands and serene valley lakes on the Château, each course is unique in character and design.

BRASELTON, Ga. – Chateau Élan Winery & Resort, the golf resort and full-service winery nestled among North Georgia’s foothills, here today unveiled plans for an extensive $25 million dollar renovation, scheduled for completion in November 2019. The complete transformation introduces a fresh, yet timeless, modernized design, while delivering a distinctly southern concept dressed in French undertones, honoring the existing estate’s 16th century-style charm.

The transformation will include a complete overhaul of 251 guest rooms and 24 suites, four new food and beverage outlets, the winery, as well as the resort lobby, with a facelift to the existing pool terrace and immersive spa.

“Embarking on a renovation of this magnitude for a resort destination with such a well-respected reputation requires a committed responsibility to honor the property’s legacy, while still delivering upon the modernized expectation to mirror our ever-growing wine, epicurean and experiential programs,” said Ed Walls, general manager at Château Élan Winery & Resort. “Every single detail was hand-selected with great intention and we cannot wait to introduce the new generation to our beloved Chateau Élan.”

The Chateau Golf Club offers several affordable golf travel programs with overnight accommodations in a Villa with Unlimited Golf per person on the Chateau, Woodlands and Par 3 Courses, that Includes golf carts and driving range access.

Project details include:

• Full redesign of 251 guestrooms and 24 suites including custom designed carpeting, bathrooms with upgrades including freestanding vanity areas made of wood and stone. The selected color palette of greys and taupes simplify the backdrop, allowing for pops of walnut, brushed oak and the studded, leather-tufted headboard to make a statement.

• Upgrading corridors to create a clean and sophisticated feel, the reimagination uses local Georgia carpeting, a raw silk inspired wall covering layered by local art and iron sconces to help tell the resort’s rich, modernized story.

• Maximizing every square foot to enhance the resort’s public spaces, the renovation will include a fully refurbished lobby, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere complete with a centrally located, custom carved limestone fireplace and hand-tufted rugs. The atrium will also be fully transformed with white marble and natural details complimented by polished bronze and gold accents, in addition to adding a cozy, vintage-inspired library and 2,000-piece crystal chandelier dripping across the glass ceiling – evoking the shifting landscape of the vineyard.

• Adding flair to both flavor and design, the renovation calls for both revamped and completely new food and beverage outlets to create individualized, yet cohesive, gathering options.

• Adding to the ‘new’ will be a coffee and wine bar located in the lobby, which delivers a modern take on a Paris café, combined with a curated gift shop and outdoor seating. The Marc Bar will be added to the back of the winery restaurant incorporating French oak, iron accents and soapstone. The all-new expansive Atrium Bar, designed to anchor the grand room, will be crowned with an iconic 40-foot Douglas fir wood sculpture, which was crafted around the vineyard’s movement to be interactive, changing views as you drift through the space.

• The revamped areas include a complete transformation of Versailles, the American cuisine buffet located in the Atrium and a full overhaul, including rebranding, of the existing L’Auberge Lounge to Louis’ House of Bourbon – which will act as a contemporary sports bar with the ambiance of an old-world speakeasy. With wood paneling, leather furniture, eclectic art, neon signage and a curated bourbon display behind the glowing amber bar, the lounge will be a junction between country and chic to evoke the southern charm of Kentucky bourbon, while the old-world accents recall the bar’s French namesake, Louis.

The renovation of Château Élan Winery & Resort follows the recent purchase of the property by an affiliate of the Connecticut based real estate investment firm, Wheelock Street Capital, in January 2018.

The entrance to Chateau Elan Winery & Resort.

“Since joining the Château Élan family, we have looked forward to this much anticipated transformation,” said Keith Manning, vice president of asset management, Wheelock Street Capital. “Creating a cohesive, refreshed and timeless design, was the natural next step to set the tone for our guests and elevate the overall resort experience.”

Located within the Atlanta metro of Braselton, Château Élan Winery & Resort has 40,000 square-feet of meeting space, a 35,000-square-foot European spa, 45 holes of golf and a newly renovated golf club house and tennis center.

https://www.chateauelan.com/

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Steve “Spike” Pike is a lifelong journalist whose career includes covering Major League Baseball, the NFL and college basketball. For the past 26 years, Spike has been one of the more respected voices in the golf and travel industries, working for such publications as Golfweek, Golf World and Golf Digest for The New York Times Magazine Group. In 1998, Spike helped launch the PGA.com web site for the PGA of America. As a freelance travel and golf writer, Spike’s travels have taken him around the world. He has played golf from Pebble Beach to St. Andrews, walked the Great Wall of China, climbed an active volcano in the Canary Islands, been on safari in South Africa and dived with sharks off Guadalupe, Baja California. He lives in Delray Beach, Fla, and can be reached at spikee41@hotmail.com.

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