As of late February, northern Michigan’s Shanty Creek Resort, located in Bellaire, has new owners. According to a press release, the new ownership group, Bellaire’s Shanty Creek Ski and Golf Resort LLC, which acquired the property from Trinidad Resort & Club LLC, also of Bellaire, has enterprise experience in food service, entertainment, and the resort space—plus longstanding ties to the region and plans to uphold Shanty Creek’s storied history.
“Shanty Creek Resort offers meeting and event planners one of northern Michigan’s most comprehensive destination experiences, with more than 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space (both indoor and outdoor), paired with over 250 lodging accommodations across 5,500 acres and four villages,” says Tracey Ramsey, vice president of lodging and sales at Shanty Creek Resort. “That combination of space, lodging, and natural setting is what consistently sets Shanty Creek Resort apart for groups.”
According to Ramsey, the resort’s flagship hotel, The Lakeview Hotel, currently supports general sessions, networking receptions, and executive retreats, while offering easy access to entertainment and dining and featuring panoramic views of Lake Bellaire. “Planners appreciate that The Lakeview Hotel offers a range of function spaces—from intimate rooms to larger ballroom-style rooms—all within steps of guest accommodations and amenities,” Ramsey adds. With the resort’s offerings and proximity to the outdoors, planners can incorporate team-building experiences, evening receptions under open skies, and wellness programming.
With continuity in mind, the new venture will keep the resort’s current team in place and preserve the venue’s offerings, services, and history Shanty Creek Resort is known for while working to enhance and elevate the resort. Shanty Creek Ski and Golf Resort LLC plans to update Shanty Creek’s hotel, website, and activities. Among these updates will be a comprehensive renovation of The Lakeview Hotel, which is central to the venue’s meetings and events capacity.
“Enhancements will touch every dimension of the guest and attendee experience, including redesigned lodging accommodations and refreshed meeting room environments that support both formal programming and informal connection,” says Ramsey. “The updates to Shanty Creek’s properties are being built with groups in mind.”
Ramsey notes Shanty Creek Resort is a special place. “What Shanty Creek Resort offers [is] genuinely difficult to find: a true destination resort where the environment itself does part of the work,” Ramsey says. “Attendees who feel like they’ve been somewhere—who return home having experienced quintessential northern Michigan—are attendees who give better feedback and return to future events. That intangible is something planners consistently undervalue when selecting venues, and it’s something Shanty Creek Resort has in abundance.”
