Four Seasons Is Redesigning 26 Ocean-View Rooms at This Iconic Bahamas Resort

The palms around the Hartford courtyard have been here for generations. The fountain, the low-rise wing, the short walk to the Martini Bar — they belong to the part of The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas that traces directly back to the resort’s earliest years on Paradise Island.

Now the Hartford Wing is getting a significant update.

The Ocean Club (set on one of the best beaches anywhere) is redesigning 24 Hartford Ocean View Guestrooms and two Hartford Ocean View Suites, with the refreshed accommodations scheduled to debut in early October following the resort’s seasonal closure. Reservations are already available for stays beginning Oct. 8.

The project brings a new interior by Joanna Kerr Design to the resort’s original accommodation wing, which opened in 1962, while keeping the ground-floor terraces, upper-level balconies and close proximity to the lobby, restaurants and several of the resort’s signature venues.

It’s part of a broader series of additions at the Paradise Island resort this year, from newly opened padel courts to refreshed pool furniture and a pair of fall wellness weekends.

What Is Changing Inside the Hartford Wing?

The new interiors will be noticeably brighter than the current rooms.

Dark wood paneling in the guestrooms is being replaced with blue linen-inspired wallcoverings, accompanied by new furnishings, finishes and textiles. Mirrored details will appear along the headboard and television walls, while wood finishes will range from deep chocolate tones to greige oak.

Joanna Kerr, whose firm is based in South Florida, drew heavily from the property’s history and the colors surrounding the resort. Custom artwork will include marine-life paintings, while furniture details will reference vintage travel trunks.

Underfoot, the rooms will have new tile inspired by sand and shell stone. Hand-tufted rugs will use basketweave motifs drawn from the Hartford courtyard, and custom lighting will include woven pendant fixtures.

One of the more distinctive additions will be the private bar, finished with a blue glass mosaic inspired by tropical fish scales.

Black-and-white photography will also appear throughout the accommodations, drawing from The Ocean Club’s long history on Paradise Island.

The Bathrooms Are Getting A Full Redesign, Too

Bathrooms in the renovated rooms and suites will receive new large-format stone tile with a wave pattern, along with basketweave stone mosaics in the showers.

The redesign also adds new stone details at the vanities and shower benches and updated lighting.

The Hartford Ocean View Guestrooms currently measure 450 to 475 square feet, with king or two-queen configurations available. The rooms accommodate as many as three adults, or two adults and two children, depending on configuration.

The Hartford Ocean View One-Bedroom Suites are considerably larger at 975 square feet, with a separate king bedroom, living room, queen sofabed, extended terrace or balcony and two full bathrooms.

Both categories look toward the Atlantic and the Ocean Pool.

Why The Hartford Wing Has Always Been Different

The Hartford Wing carries an unusual place in the history of the property. It was the original accommodation wing when The Ocean Club opened in 1962, and its palm-lined courtyard remains one of the resort’s defining architectural features.

Its location also gives the rooms a practical advantage.

The wing is close to the main lobby, the resort’s restaurants, The Spa and the Martini Bar. Ground-floor Ocean View Rooms open to private terraces overlooking the lawn, an arrangement particularly useful when you’re traveling with children. Rooms on the upper level have private balconies and additional separation from the lawn.

You’re also close to several of the resort’s most frequently used areas, including the Ocean Pool.

The renovation is limited to the 24 Ocean View Guestrooms and two Ocean View Suites included in the current project, rather than a wholesale reinvention of the wing.

General Manager John Conway said the Hartford accommodations remain among the resort’s most requested rooms, particularly because of their history, location and ground-floor options for families.

Three Pools, Including A Newly Refreshed Versailles Pool

A stay at The Ocean Club gives you three distinct pool choices.

The Ocean Pool runs along the Atlantic side of the resort. The Family Lagoon Pool provides a separate option when you’re traveling with children, while the adults-only Versailles Pool offers another experience near the resort’s Versailles Gardens.

The Versailles Pool has recently received new custom loungers and parasols, with floral and marine-inspired patterns.

Families also have the resort’s complimentary Kids For All Seasons program for children ages four through 12.

The wider activity roster includes complimentary watersports and daily fitness programming, while the resort’s golf experience is nearby at the Ocean Club Golf Course.

Two New Padel Courts Have Arrived On Paradise Island

One of The Ocean Club’s newest additions has nothing to do with the guest rooms.

The resort recently opened two illuminated padel courts, adding the increasingly popular racquet sport to a recreational lineup that already includes tennis, pickleball, basketball and lawn games.

The padel courts are near the Versailles Gardens, alongside three recently resurfaced Har-Tru tennis courts.

If you want instruction, tennis and padel professional Marvin Rolle offers private lessons for varying skill levels.

Padel has been appearing at a growing number of Caribbean resorts, and its arrival here gives returning Ocean Club visitors a genuinely new activity between pool time, tennis and golf.

DUNE, Ocean Blu And The Martini Bar

The Ocean Club has long had a strong restaurant and bar identity, led by DUNE by Jean-Georges, where Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s menu is served in an oceanfront location.

There’s also Ocean Blu, focused on grilled Bahamian dishes, and the Martini Bar, one of the property’s longstanding social fixtures.

If you’re staying in the Hartford Wing, all three are close to your room, particularly compared with some of the resort’s more secluded accommodation categories.

The resort itself has 107 rooms, suites, bungalows and villa residences, ranging from Hartford Wing guestrooms to larger beachfront villa residences with private pools and full kitchens.

The Hartford renovation gives the historic wing a new interior identity while retaining its smaller-room appeal and central location within the property.

The Ocean Club Is Adding Two Wellness Weekends This Fall

The October reopening will also coincide with the return of wellness expert Nora Tobin, who is leading two Rejuvenation Weekends at the resort later this year.

The first, Nature Reset, runs from Oct. 16 through Oct. 19. Programming is expected to include fitness classes, guided meditation, outdoor wellness experiences, sound-healing sessions, journaling and sleep-focused programming.

A second weekend, Holiday Healthy, is scheduled from Dec. 4 through Dec. 7.

The programming centers on Tobin’s approach to stress, sleep, performance, nutrition and biophilic design, with complimentary fitness classes and workshops available to overnight resort guests during the scheduled weekends.

If you’re planning an October trip specifically for the renovated Hartford rooms, the Nature Reset weekend arrives just over a week after the first available stays in the redesigned accommodations.

A New Look Inside One Of The Bahamas’ Historic Resorts

The October debut adds another chapter to a property whose history reaches well beyond the Four Seasons era.

The Hartford Wing has remained physically connected to the resort’s beginnings for more than six decades. Its courtyard, terraces and low-rise profile have survived multiple eras of Caribbean hotel design while the wider resort has added newer rooms, bungalows, villa residences, pools and recreational offerings.

The upcoming renovation focuses closely on the rooms themselves: 26 accommodations, new materials, lighter interiors, new bathrooms, custom artwork and furnishings, with the historic wing continuing in the same location beside the resort’s central venues.

When The Ocean Club reopens after its seasonal closure, the Hartford Wing will be one of the clearest places to see what has changed.

The palms and fountain will still be outside. The Martini Bar will still be nearby. Behind the guestroom doors, nearly every surface will be new.

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