Ocean City’s new ‘luxury castle’ hotel brings pet villas and ‘French elegance’ to the family town

Ocean City’s Atlantis Inn, housed in a property built in 1905, got a luxury makeover just in time for Memorial Day. Now dubbed Coastal Chateau, the renovation includes pet-friendly villas and boasts “French modern meets coastal elegance.”

“When we saw it, we just fell in love with it because we saw this vision of this luxury castle in Ocean City and something that the town really didn’t have,” said Alyse Scaffidi, co-owner of the property, located at 601 Atlantic Ave.

Sisters and co-owners of the hotel, Alyse and Alexis Scaffidi, share co-ownership with other family members. Alyse Scaffidi described the hotel venture as “a family affair.” Her sister’s fiancé served as the general contractor.

The family purchased the property in January for $3.45 million, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. Coastal Chateau opens to the public this week.

“We had a very tight timeline because given the cost of the building and the cost of renovations, it was really important that we be able to open this season in order to drive revenue through the summer months,” said Alyse Scaffidi.

The sisters, who grew up in Glassboro, did not share the exact amount invested in the renovation but told The Inquirer it was around “a couple hundred thousand dollars,” including a loan from Sturdy Savings Bank.

“We did self-fund this as a family in order to make sure that our end product reflected what we envisioned,” said Alyse Scaffidi.

The original hotel property was built in 1905, and an addition was incorporated in 1922, according to the hotel’s website. The property was renovated over 20 years ago and opened as the Atlantis Inn in 2002.

This recent renovation was a “cosmetic refresh,” Alyse Scaffidi said, which included new paint, furniture, bedding, and fixtures. The hotel aesthetic is intended to reflect a “French modern meets coastal elegance,” she said. Instead of the traditional coastal color palette that includes blues, grays, and wave elements, they opted for white, tans, and neutrals.

The hotel includes three pet-friendly villas on the ground floor that can accommodate between four and eight guests, and 12 guest rooms above that. The property includes a roof deck, a lobby, dining area, wraparound porch with rocking chairs, and a garden with a small dining table.

A two-night stay over Memorial Day weekend can cost $631 before taxes and fees for the Pearl Room, which accommodates two guests. The Sunscape Villa can cost $1,411 before taxes and fees for the same dates and accommodates six guests. The rooms come with beach tags, and guests can purchase beach parking nearby, said Alexis Scaffidi.

They hope to attract people working remotely for midweek stays and can accommodate up to 40 people for weddings or retreat events. After the summer season, which runs through mid-October, the property will remain open on the weekends.

The hotel will provide 24/7 coffee service and “grab and go” breakfast items such as granola bars, but the sisters say they want guests to discover the food options in the area.

“There’s tons of little local mom-and-pop breakfast shops and eateries, and we want to support them. We’re housing you, but go enjoy the town,” said Alexis Scaffidi.

Before redesigning Coastal Chateau, the sisters launched a body-confidence fashion show in 2017 and have also done interior and event design work.

Alexis Scaffidi, who formerly worked for the FBI, and Alyse Scaffidi, who is a trained pharmacist, collectively have over 150,00 followers on Instagram. Their fitness brand, BiteSizedFitness LLC, got its start in 2014 when Alyse Scaffidi was in pharmacy school and shared “how to have a healthy lifestyle” while leading a busy schedule, on social media.