A Jimmy Buffett hotel resort is coming to the Myrtle Beach area. Here’s where

Legendary performer Jimmy Buffett’s hospitality group is expanding its Grand Strand presence, with plans to build a 150-room hotel along a busy stretch of North Myrtle Beach.

Company officials announced in a Feb. 8 press release groundbreaking on a new Compass hotel is slated to begin in the coming months on property at 1717 S. Ocean Blvd., with plans to open in early 2025.

Compass is affiliated with Buffett’s Margaritaville, which operates three restaurants in Myrtle Beach.

Jim Wiseman, Margaritaville’s president of development, said in a statement the success of those eateries prompted the company to invest even more in the region. In addition to the hotel, another branded beach resort is in the works, but details on that project weren’t made public.

According to county land records, the .89-acre parcel has more than 10,000 square feet of finished area with a market value of just more than $4 million.

Compass opened its first hotel on Florida’s Anna Maria Island in 2020, with a second location following in Medford, Ore.

According to the company’s website, the North Myrtle Beach facility is among two Compass brands pushing into the southeast as a Beaufort, N.C. hotel is also in the works.

Compass’ announcement comes at a busy time for North Myrtle Beach’s hospitality industry.

Construction on a planned 127-room Hampton Inn & Suites along the 3500 block of Ocean Boulevard is expected to start soon.

The project has been talked about since 2019 but it wasn’t until city leaders late last year approved an amendment to the Prince Resort development that work could begin.

Properties in that area include The Horizon at 77th, Grande Shores and the Towers at North Myrtle Beach.