The acclaimed Woodlands Inn in Summerville will be sold next month, according to a spokesperson for the current owner, Salamander Hotels and Resorts. (Photo/File)

By Lauren Ratcliffe
lratcliffe@scbiznews.com
Published Aug. 23, 2012

Less than a year after changing hands, South Carolina’s only five-star inn is changing hands again.

The Woodlands Inn in Summerville, which holds Forbes’ five star and AAA five diamond ratings, will be sold next month, said a spokesperson for the current owner, Salamander Hotels and Resorts.

Previous coverage Foreclosure threat pushes Woodlands to former owner

The spokesperson would not confirm how the property might be used in the future, but The Summerville Journal-Scene first reported this week that the property will be made into a private residence, and memberships to the resort will expire.

Salamander took back the title to the property in late 2011 after selling it to Charleston attorney Johnny Linton in 2010. The property was under threat of foreclosure when Salamander resumed ownership. The company confirmed the most recent sale in an email.

“There is a transactional closing scheduled for Woodlands Inn on Sept. 17, and more information will be available after this date,” said Matt Owen, spokesman for Salamander Hotels. “In the interim, the hotel and restaurant remain open during our regular hours of operation.”

Rooms are available for a handful of days until Sept. 13, according to the inn’s online reservation system. Prices for rooms range from $210 to $570 per night.

The Summerville Journal-Scene reported that the inn was being sold after receiving a copy of a letter sent by General Manager Wayne Malagon to members of the resort.

Salamander Hotels and Resorts is the hotel management company run by Sheila C. Johnson, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television. Johnson originally purchased the Summerville hotel in 2006 and renovated the resort before selling it to Linton.

The inn is an 18-room resort housed in a former private mansion originally built in 1906 in Summerville on what is now Parsons Road. It was first opened as an inn in 1986, according to the property’s website. It opened as the Woodlands Inn and restaurant in 1995.

Malagon did not return messages left by the Business Journal regarding the latest sale or the letter sent to members of the club.