By MADDY VITALE
The Atlantis Inn at the corner of Sixth Street and Atlantic Avenue has been a landmark in Ocean City since 1905. It was first owned by one of the founders of the island, Rev. James E. Lake.
For many years, the stately 15-room Victorian has served as an inn. It has survived coastal storms and has remained a constant piece of history, while new construction dots the island. Now, it is coming under new ownership in the latest chapter of its long history.
When Val Reyes, the hotel owner since 2010, decided to sell the property in 2023, he knew who to call to find a good buyer.
He contacted local realtor Kristina Doliszny. She knew the property very well. After all, she and her husband, Robert, purchased the property from her parents in 2001, completely renovated it two years later and ran it as the Atlantis Inn.
The new owners, sisters Alyse Scaffidi, 33, and Lexi Scaffidi, 32, bought the Atlantis on Dec. 2 for an undisclosed price. The entrepreneurial sisters from Glassboro, N.J., grew up going to Ocean City, so when they saw that the hotel was on the market, they wanted to seize the opportunity to do something to preserve and improve it.
Alyse is a pharmacist and Lexi is an event and décor designer. They said they want to meld their strengths to give guests a unique luxury hotel on the island.
“We are just giving the Atlantis Inn a facelift. We are not trying to destroy this beautiful, historic property,” Alyse said in an interview with OCNJDaily.com. “We are so excited. We know how important the history of Ocean City is. Families have grown up with the Atlantis Inn. We certainly want to keep the charm and the feeling of this place, but with modern updates.”
With a renovation of the property, also comes a new name: “Coastal Chateau,” with a grand opening planned for Memorial Day weekend, the sisters said.
The new name for the inn came easily to the sisters.
“The property was designed with the castle concept. When we saw it the first time, the name jumped out,” Alyse said. “We felt there was a need for a fresh, luxury experience in Ocean City. That is what we want to curate here. We want to offer top tier, relaxing, high class and above all, comfort for our guests.”
Lexi said that she hopes guests will enjoy the updates.
“The property has been iconic and we want the old guests and new guests to notice our attention to detail when they come for a stay,” Lexi said. “We hope that new guests and those who came in the past will notice our attention to detail.”
Lexi said she and her fiancé, Anthony Dominick, a contractor, will be on site full time and will be working nonstop to get the inn ready for guests.
“We are excited to get to work,” she said of renovating the space.
“We will be using a lot of paint and wallpaper. We will add new furniture but we will keep the décor classic elegance,” Lexi noted. “There will be lots of white and tan. Think French modern with a coastal chic. There will be neutral, earthy tones.”
The sisters said that they are thankful to Doliszny for working with them on the sale.
“Kristina is the greatest realtor we’ve ever worked with. This is her prized possession. She encouraged us to make it the new 2024 vibe that we wanted,” Alyse said. “She truly supported us.”
Doliszny said the property couldn’t have gone to “two better people.”
“The Atlantis is in the right hands,” she said. “Alyse and Lexi have new, fresh and exciting ideas that will not only help tourism, but commerce.”
Specifically, Doliszny said, “They want to freshen up the product, rather than completely change it. I hope it serves their family as well as it served ours.”
Her parents, Theodore and Janina Mychailyshyn purchased the Atlantis Inn in 1975 and operated it for the next 26 years before passing it on to Doliszny, who undertook the modernization of the building.
Alyse and Lexi said they would be remiss if they didn’t say something about their inspiration for success. Their parents, Tim Scaffidi, a South Jersey attorney, and their mother, Cindi, a pharmacist, have always instilled in them a strong work ethic and also gave them the best vacations at the shore in Ocean City, they said.
“We have careers, but my parents always say you work, but you have to have something else in your life to allow your creativity to shine, and we think this is it,” Alyse said. “We know that Ocean City is a tight family. There are families that have been here for generations. We just want to be a part of the community and bring this amazing building new life.”
For more information about the Coastal Chateau and to reach Alyse and Lexi Scaffidi, email them at hello@coastalchateauocnj.com
