EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine November 2018 | Page 30

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by Wilhemina Anderson
estled amid the high-rise condominiums, international
GEMS
retailers and world-class lodging brands, Volusia
County is home to some of the area’s best kept secrets
– family-owned hotels.
These gems inhabit a niche in an area of Florida known for
speed records, beach lifestyles and world renowned destinations.
Coral Sands Present Day
he shows off photos and postcards dating back to the 1950s, his
love for the area is evident.
Once a small lodging stop-over with a handful of cottages
in the 40s, founded by William Akers Jr. and his wife Georgia,
the Coral Sands has grown to 35 cottages, 68 hotel rooms and
Coral Sands 1957
They are a throwback to days gone by, reminiscent of the “Old
Florida Lifestyle”, and bursting with history.
Dating back to the 1940s the Coral Sands Resort & Seaside
Cottages is tucked away along State Road A1A in Ormond Beach.
You may have driven past it countless times and have never
really seen it, but a stop into the property reveals a hidden oasis.
Sitting in the gazebo, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, it’s easy to
imagine you’ve stepped back in time.
Philip Smith, general manager of the Coral Sands, started
there almost twenty years ago working the front desk. What
began as his first job in 1999, has become a lifelong career, and as
33 recreational vehicle sites, without ever losing the charm of
the original property, now owned by Continental Property
Services. “The owner we have now is great, he puts a lot into it,”
said Smith. “When the hurricanes hit us, our hotel was really
damaged and he totally put his backbone into it and rebuilt it all.
He’s just a great owner like that.”
It’s this ambiance that draws families to the Coral Sands, and
Smith has had the pleasure of seeing families return year after
year, watching the children grow up and return with families of
their own. He credits the personalized experience an independent
hotel like Coral Sands provides, for building loyalty among his
guests and a circle of trust among local businesses.
“We try to keep it Old Florida and that’s what they like. They
View from the Streamline Hotel’s rooftop bar
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