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Meet the Innkeeper
Jenkins is not new to the inn keeping business, nor with making inns successful. He owned and operated two successful inns in Savannah and Macon, Georgia and was named Georgia’s Hotelier of the Year in the late 1990s by the Georgia Hospitality and Travel Association. The 1842 Inn in Macon was Jenkins’ first project and attained the coveted Four Diamond Award from AAA and the Mobil Four Star Award. Prior to selling in 1999, his Georgia inn was named “One of the Top Ten Inns in America” and was featured on the TV series InnCountry USA and on the PBS series, Great Historic Hotels of America. Later, Jenkins purchased one of the legendary inns in Historic Savannah, The Foley House, which he sold last year. Stock retained Jenkins as a consultant in the summer of 2001, and discussions of purchasing The Inn at Honey Run began. Future plans for Honey Run are still being developed, although Jenkins’ first priority is enhancing the inn’s 120-seat public restaurant and re-positioning the property in the marketplace. “Selected guestrooms have already been re-furbished with savvy interiors,” says Jenkins. “I feel like I’m in a very special contemporary lodge at Honey Run and will focus future design on nature and wilderness with an upscale twist.” Jenkins is an avid gardener with a background in arts management and leadership development. He indicates that he wants Honey Run to be more arts-centered and desires to eventually create a reflective leadership center for top executives. “Finding the right fit between being a top-notch executive conference center and a place for personal renewal is all about being creative,” exclaims Jenkins. “I’ve decided that our ultimate mission is to be a creative oasis where nature meets humanity and souls are refreshed.” Although a native of Georgia, Jenkins has a Midwest base. Prior to inn keeping, he was a management consultant in strategic planning for educational and cultural organizations, mostly in Michigan. Most recently, Jenkins has served as a governance consultant for the inn’s national trade association, and earlier as a consultant for the Michigan Council for Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. He served as president of the Georgia Inn Association for many years and served on numerous tourism boards. His initial degrees are in music and education, and he is a singer, pianist and choral conductor. Phil lives on property at Honey Run along with the inn’s new mascot, Morgan, a feisty Welsh Terrier.
Inn & Spa at Honey Run |
The Inn at Honey Run founder Marge Stock sold the property in January 2003 to innkeeper friend Phil Jenkins, a native of Georgia. “I took the time to find the right person to continue the Honey Run legacy and take it to its next generation of success, and Phil was my choice,” says Stock. The two met over a dozen years ago at a regional innkeeper meeting hosted by Stock. “I was awed by Honey Run at first glance and was inspired by Marge’s vision and tenacity for excellence,” says Jenkins. At the time, Jenkins was an aspiring innkeeper, never knowing that he would return back twelve years later as owner.