Innisfree Hotels is excited to announce that there will be a new place to enjoy a sunset on Pensacola Beach, Florida this summer.  The hotel management company is currently building Red Fish Blue Fish, an open-air dining and beach play venue, located on the water across the street from the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front Hotel.   The project is currently under construction and will open for the 2013 season.

The new restaurant will feature shipping container construction, ‘upcycled’ materials and purposely designed outdoor spaces.  “The concept will offer a fresh new approach to beach hangouts”, notes Julian MacQueen, Innisfree’s Founder and CEO.  “It will have a casual vibe mixed with a very funky intentional design that we describe as ‘upcyled’, casual and ‘eco chic’. Guests will be able to relax in an eclectic green space, kick back on repurposed boat wood furniture, wiggle their toes in the sand, and savor fresh seafood.”

The building is being designed by Courtney Brett, of Casburn Brett Architecture, Daphne, Alabama. This remarkable architect entered college at age fourteen.  Now twenty-five, she is the youngest member of the American Institute of Architects.

Rich Chism, Director of Development for Innisfree Hotels says, “The concept is to use as many green attributes as possible.  We’re investigating the use of solar power, and intend to expand our use of green energy over time..”

Outdoor areas will be designed by Chad Watkins of WAS Design. The site will have a manicured grass dining area overlooking the water with family sized tables, cabanas, and fire pits.  There will also be cozy areas for cocktails, and two white-sand beaches for those who want to stay a while.  Kids will be encouraged to run and play throughout the site.

“The name Red Fish Blue Fish is a tip to the family friendly nature of the restaurant”, notes Julian MacQueen. “We’ve seen that our hotel customers enjoy dining on the hotels’ pool decks in a fun, safe, family-oriented environment.  Red Fish Blue Fish will offer locals and visitors to Pensacola Beach an alternative dining experience in keeping with the fun environment and high quality expected at a family resort.   It will also offer local families an opportunity to enjoy Innisfree’s hospitality without having to stay at staying at a hotel.”

 The restaurant is being constructed via a fast track process with the help of the SRIA Board and staff and the Escambia County building officials.

Romeo Amado, currently Manager at H20 Cajun Asian Grill at the Hilton Pensacola Beachfront Hotel, has been appointed General Manager.   Mr. Amado’s first hospitality job was as a busboy in a restaurant in Orange Beach, Alabama when he was still in high school. He knew right away that he had found his calling in restaurant work and says, “I appreciate that every day is both a challenge and different from the day before.  I love the people I work with.

When he graduated high school, Romeo attended Pensacola Junior College and then studied Psychology at the University of West Florida.  He was offered a job at H20 in 2003 and was promoted to manager in 2005.

Follow Red Fish Blue Fish Pensacola Beach on Facebook and Twitter to track our pre opening progress and for specials or check out the Red Fish Blue Fish website.

For more information contact:

Jill Thomas
Director of Digital Marketing
Innisfree Hotels
jill@innisfree.com
(850) 393-8150

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Contact: Jill Thomas
Director of Digital Marketing
Innisfree Hotels
(850) 393-8150
jill@innisfree.com

HYATT PLACE PENSACOLA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CELEBRATES OFFICIAL OPENING

127 Room Hyatt Place hotel located at Pensacola’s International Airport

After a 10 day ‘soft’ opening Innisfree Hotels and their partners are excited to celebrate the opening of the Hyatt Place Hotel at the Pensacola Airport with an official opening launch party and celebration on April 24th.

 The Hyatt Place Pensacola International Airport Hotel, is an exciting “new generation” hotel offering round- the-clock amenities and modern design for business and leisure travelers alike.

“We’re proud to introduce the Hyatt Place Hotel brand to the Pensacola area market notes Rich Chism, Innisfree’s Director of Development.  Innisfree Hotels. “We believe travelers will appreciate the comfortable and functional amenities offered at Hyatt Place Pensacola Airport such as free Wi-Fi, made-to-order fresh food around the clock and the StayFit@Hyatt fitness center.”

The hotel brings a new level of amenities to airport and will generate additional opportunities for Pensacola in the travel industry.

L-R: Julian MacQueen, CEO of Innisfree Hotels, Steve Patterson, Regional Vice President of Hyatt Place and Hyatt House, Adam Emling, General Manager Hyatt Place Pensacola Airport

“Having this premier hotel at our international airport is a distinctive advantage for our business and leisure travelers,” says Airport Director Greg Donovan. “Our customers now have the option of staying overnight right on the airport campus with top notch restaurants and retail nearby.  Having such amenities is exclusive to Pensacola International as no other airport in the region has the convenience of an on-site hotel or the high levels of service that Hyatt is known for.” 

“I’m excited about the economic impact of this development,” says Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward. “The beautiful new Hyatt Place Hotel is a great addition to Pensacola and adds even more value for travelers choosing Pensacola International Airport. I want to thank Innisfree and their partners for working to create new jobs and new revenue for our city.”

Exceptional landscaping and design concepts extend to the exterior of the hotel and adjacent commercial properties that Innisfree Hotels is developing alongside the hotel property. “Interest in the commercial and office spaces has increased during the construction of the hotel,” notes Chism. Space is still available for two restaurants, a bank with drive through, a Class A office building, and a smaller office building.

 This $24 million project is projected to generate over $420,000 annually in non-airline revenue for the Airport through lease fees, and $100,000 in local option sales taxes for the City of Pensacola.  It will also create over $4 million in payroll revenues through the addition of new jobs to the local economy.

 Innisfree is proud to partner with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians on this project.  Julian MacQueen, Innisfree’s CEO and Founder says, “Our relationship with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians has spanned almost two decades.  We’ve collaborated on other successful projects during this time and are very excited to work with them again.  “We are fortunate enough to be able to reinvest into the community with quality investments like this project,” said Tim Martin, President/CEO of Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority (CIEDA).

The Hyatt Place Hotel offers:

• 127 spacious guestrooms, all of which feature a 42-inch HDTV, the plush Hyatt Grand Bed® and an eight-foot sectional sofa sleeper.
• Complimentary Wi-Fi access throughout the hotel.
• Complimentary a.m. Kitchen Skillet TM, featuring freshly prepared breakfast sandwiches, a variety of fresh fruits, hot and cold cereal, yogurt, breads, premium coffee and an assortment of juices.
• Flexible, high-tech meeting/function space accommodates 1,000 attendees.
• 24/7 Guest Kitchen serving made-to-order snacks and entrees.
• Intimate Bakery Café featuring Starbucks® specialty coffees, premium beers and wines and cocktail.

 Hyatt Place Pensacola Airport LEADERSHIP

Hyatt Place Pensacola Airport is under the leadership of General Manager Adam Emling. In his role, Emling is directly responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the hotel, including overseeing the hotel’s associates and ensuring guests encounter the purposeful service for which Hyatt Place is known.

ABOUT HYATT PLACE

Launched in 2006, Hyatt Place brings to the upscale select-service hotel category the authentic hospitality for which Hyatt is known. Inspired by multitasking travellers’ 24/7 lifestyle, Hyatt Place combines stylish design and practical amenities with forward-thinking technology and purposeful service.

ABOUT INNISFREE HOTELS

For more than three decades, Innisfree Hotels has expertly managed and developed dozens of hotels in partnership with many of the world’s most recognized hotel brands. Today Innisfree owns or manages 2122 hotel rooms, and has approximately 1000 employees.

Innisfree is a triple bottom line company, which means we measure our success not only in profits, but also through our impact on people and the planet. To these ends Innisfree strives to promote a culture of responsibility and service to humanity.  

Our value driven corporate culture enables us to have a deeper understanding of the needs of our guests, partners and clients, and thus deliver service that is synonymous with creating fun and memorable experiences.

# # #

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Innisfree’s CEO and founder Julian MacQueen has three life long passions: hospitality, aviation and technology.  Now his passions are converging with a Gulf Coast first.

On March 25, 2013 a uniquely qualified photographer, Steve Saccuo, will arrive from Florida’s state capital to shoot a Google 360 Tour of the Innisfree Jet Center.  Saccuo is the only photographer in northwest Florida certified by Google to shoot 360 Tours.

Google 360 Tours are the newest feature on Google Maps. Sure, it’s fun using Google Street View to take a virtual walk down Main Street, but what about getting a look inside the points of interest you see along the way?

Google 360 enables web users to explore the insides businesses, world landmarks and natural wonders. Google users can now hike the Grand Canyon or tour The White House from the comfort of the internet.  The map feature was launched in September 2012 and The Innisfree Jet Center will be the first business on the Gulf Coast to create and post a tour.

Saccuo will use High Dynamic Range photographs to render a realistic depiction of the center’s interior. “This is the best possible representation of what a property truly is. It enables people to explore in virtually the same way they would if they were on a walking tour,” he explains.

Once launched the tour will automatically display in web searches as a function of Google Maps.
Innisfree chose the Jet Center from among its many Gulf Coast properties for this innovative project to celebrate its recent designation as a Fixed Based Operation (FB0). The primary function of an FBO is to sell fuel to private airplane owners. The Innisfree Jet Center received its FBO status on November 1, 2012.

The Jet Center is also the perfect candidate for Pensacola’s first Google 360 tour because it is an interesting local place that most people don’t get to visit. Jet Center General Manager Carl Braddock says, “This is a beautiful building with luxurious interior design, art and unique amenities. The 360 tour will enable us open our doors to everyone.”

The Jet Center opened in 2007. The plan was to use it as a hanger for MacQueen’s personal airplanes, as well as a sales office for Innnisfree’s condo developments. A year later the bottom fell out of the real estate market necessitating a new plan for the building.
Braddock spearheaded a four-year effort to procure an FBO designation that included countless political meetings, and a mountain of paperwork.

The Innisfree Jet Center is a high-end state of the art facility. It offers guests unique amenities like classic GTOs courtesy cars, a putting green, full commercial kitchen and hotel style sleep room. However, it’s Braddock’s convictions about southern hospitality that make the Jet Center a special place.

“Even though this is a high-end place we don’t have our noses in the air. We truly do practice southern hospitality. There are so many nice
FBOs in America but we will welcome you with wide open arms and treat you like family,” notes Braddock proudly.

Rave reviews by Jet Center clients posted on aviation industry sites for the Jet Center bare this out. Soon everyone be able to see what all the fuss is about thanks to the 360 tour.

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LOS ANGELES—Innisfree Hotels & Resorts founder and CEO Julian MacQueen is happy to be part of a growing group of owners who have been able to refinance their hotels as the lending environment continues to loosen.  Innisfree worked with Aries Capital to refinance two multimillion dollar debts during 2012: a $57-million transaction in March and an $82-million deal in December.

The first deal, a 10-year non-recourse commercial-mortgage-backed-security loan with a 64% loan-to-value ratio, covered the refinancing of a 137-room Hilton Garden Inn and a 119-room Holiday Inn Express, both in Orange Beach, Alabama, and a 181-room Hampton Inn in Pensacola Beach, Florida. The second deal took care of a 206-room Holiday Inn Resort and a 275-room Hilton—both in Pensacola Beach.

The LTV for that deal was 70%; the lenders providing the financings were not disclosed. “We were able to cash out, which was important to us,” MacQueen said. “It was a two-tiered challenge. We had three hotels in Orange Beach (Alabama) that had more equity in them than the other two. We knew we needed to combine multiple properties in two states, and three of them were land leases.” A big deal for MacQueen was him getting out from under $38 million of personal recourse. “Not only was I able to get out of most of the personal recourse, we were able to replace the debt service from unamortized to amortized,” MacQueen said. “To go off of recourse, that’s huge. To get a 10-year deal, that’s huge. And we closed it in 30 days.” “It takes a lot of hard work and cooperation to close a deal like this in 30 days,” said Neil Freeman, chairman and CEO of Aries Capital.

MacQueen had simple advice for owners looking to refinance: “Start early. Don’t throw yourself in the eleventh-hour crunch.” The executives declined to reveal terms of the refinancing.

Like many deals in the hotel industry, this one was done thanks to a relationship that began at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in 2011 during a financing forum. Freeman was impressed with the Innisfree portfolio and was eager to see how it handled the aftermath of the BP Gulf Oil spill. “They weathered the storm and had stable assets,” Freeman said. “We were in Atlanta on business and (Aries senior VP) Jeff (Bucaro) said ‘let’s fly to Pensacola to check them out.’ So that’s what we did.”

Aries Capital generated more than $250 million in capital volume in 2012 and is looking at new construction and major rehab loans in 2013. It can handle any place in the capital stack for such projects, Freeman said, adding that he expects CMBS funding will be at historical averages in 2013.


Innisfree, which was founded in 1990 and has 1,000 employees, has approximately 2,000 rooms in its portfolio that generate about $57 million in annual revenue, MacQueen said. “We are looking for future growth and more opportunities in high-demand seasonal locations—any place with a strong tourist component,” MacQueen said.

The company has two properties under construction in partnerships with the Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority—a $24-million 127-room Hyatt Place hotel at the Pensacola International Airport that is scheduled to open this spring and a $25-million, 152-room Holiday Inn Resort Hotel in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, that will open in spring 2014.

The Fort Walton Beach development will occupy 17 gulf-front acres that is owned by the U.S. Air Force. The two companies are working as a single local entity called the Emerald Breeze Resort Group to build the property as part of the government’s Enhanced Use Lease program, a new concept from the armed services that helps create revenue streams from underutilized facilities. The property was made available for private development because of this program.

The EUL program, which is managed by the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, identifies underutilized military properties with ongoing mission requirements. In this case, the Air Force will maintain passive radio receiver dish, camera equipment and a passive radar facility on the hotel’s roof. “They freed up 17 acres of land and created an income stream for Eglin Air Force Base,” MacQueen said. “You can see a direct impact of our lease dollars going straight to the base.”

Revenue generated from the lease will be contributed to the Eglin Air Force Base budget. It took four years to develop the EUL, MacQueen said. It began with 100 bids, and then Innisfree won the right to conduct exclusive negotiations with the Air Force.


The company practices the triple bottom-line philosophy, which will work well for the Fort Walton Beach hotel, according to MacQueen. “We are focused on people, planet and profits, in that order,” he said. “We are very conscious of our impact on the beach. For example, the type of sand we use must be the same type of sand that’s there before building, and we’ve made sure we weren’t making any kind of impact on the wetlands.” On the people front, the company will offer 50% off the military per diem rate for members of the U.S. armed services. “This will allow servicemen and women to experience a first class beachfront hotel—it’s a wonderful way to give back to people serving every day.”

MacQueen knows there are advantages to winning the contract. Among the more lucrative perks is not having to pay property taxes because it is on government-owned land. He admits he’s gotten some push back from locals because of the property tax situation, but he’s comfortable with providing the discount to servicemen and women as a good alternative to giving government agencies the funds.

In addition, there’s room to build another hotel on the land when the first one reaches stability. That plays well with MacQueen’s bullish outlook for the next four years. “Through 2017 is nothing but blue skies,” he said. “We’re looking through 2017 as having compounded growth of 6% a year.”

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MIAMI—Innisfree Hotels has secured two CMBS loans totaling $82 million for a hotel portfolio in Pensacola Beach, FL. Aries Capital arranged the loans.

“Innisfree has an amazing track record for both developing and operating their assets, which contributed heavily to our ability to secure permanent debt at a 9% debt yield on adjacent hotels, especially with limited operating history for one of the assets,” says Jeff Bucaro, senior vice president for Aries Capital. The Innisfree portfolio includes a Hilton Hotel and Holiday Inn Resort.

The Hilton is the only full-service hotel in Pensacola Beach and offers 30,000 square feet of meeting space. The Holiday Inn Resort has been open for 18 months. It’s the first new-construction property for the Holiday Inn Resort brand in the country, and earned Innisfree the Intercontinental Hotels Group 2011 Developer of the Year Award and the 2012 Quality Excellence Award. Both properties are on land leases.

The CMBS financing for the portfolio features a 10-year, non-recourse first mortgage and mezzanine loan with a 30-year amortization and a flexible prepayment option for the mezzanine loan. The recently closed loans represent the fourth and fifth completed by Aries Capital for Innisfree Hotels. Earlier in 2012, the firm closed a $57 million three-asset transaction for a portfolio including multiple properties in the Gulf Coast region.

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A 152-room Holiday Inn Resort hotel will break ground in Florida thanks to financing from Navy Federal Credit Union and Pen Air Federal Credit Union.

Innisfree Hotels (Emerald Breeze Resort Group LLC) will develop the resort on a 17-acre parcel in Okaloosa Island in Okaloosa County, Fla., that is owned by the U.S. Air Force and will be leased to the Emerald Breeze Resort Group for 50 years, according to the $50 billion Navy Federal in Vienna, Va., and the $1.2 billion Pen Air in Pensacola, Fla.

The USAF and Eglin Air Force Base made the property available for private development via the Enhanced Use Lease program, which identifies property that is underutilized but does have an ongoing mission requirement, according to the credit unions.

Revenue generated for the USAF from the EUL program is made available for use by Eglin AFB. Although the hotel is being developed on federal property, the hotel will be open to the public.

Navy Federal and Pen Air said this is the third successful Innisfree hotel development project financed collaboratively by the credit unions. The others are the Holiday Inn Resort on Pensacola Beach, which won an Intercontinental Hotel Group brand award for Development of the Year in 2011, and the Hyatt Place Hotel at Pensacola International Airport, which will open in the spring of 2013.

The Emerald Breeze Resort Group project is scheduled for completion in March 2014. The resort is expected to create more than 150 jobs in the Okaloosa Island community, the credit unions said.

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On a cold, overcast morning in Fort Walton Beach earlier this month, ground was broken for a new hotel. Normally, an event of this nature wouldn’t be covered by the Pensacola News Journal; our circulation area is almost exclusively within Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

But this was no ordinary hotel groundbreaking. What makes the $25 million Holiday Inn Resort, Destin West project so interesting — and instructive — is how developer Julian MacQueen put the unusually creative project together.

Founder and CEO of Gulf Breeze-based Innisfree Hotels, which employs 1,000 and manages 2,100 hotel rooms, MacQueen has mastered the art of the deal. And no more so than with this project. “It truly takes a village to keep something like this on track,” MacQueen told the audience attending the groundbreaking. “The tenaciousness of our partners made this happen.” The hotel is being built on Gulf-front property owned by the Air Force and made available for development under the Department of Defense program called Enhanced Use Lease.

The five-year-old program is designed to open up surplus military properties to private sector development. To get the deal off the ground, MacQueen had to convince Pennsylvania-based dck Worldwide to sign on as co-developer and build the 152-room hotel. Innisfree will provide development services and manage the hotel. For financing, MacQueen brought together Pen Air and Navy Federal credit unions, which put up $19 million of the $25 million cost of construction.

Another equity partner is Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority, the investment arm of the Poarch Creek Band of Indians, which operates Wind Creek Casino and Hotel in Atmore, Ala. All three have a stake in two other MacQueen projects: the Hyatt under construction at Pensacola International Airport and the Holiday Inn Resort on Pensacola Beach.

The deal was so complex, and involved so many different parties with different interests, that many thought it would never happen. “This project demonstrates how the military, business and the community can partner and get things done,” said Col. Anthony Higdon, commander, 96th Engineer Group, Eglin AFB. “This project will shape the way EULs (Enhanced Use Lease) are done across the country.”

In addition to his partnership with the Air Force, MacQueen also worked closely with officials from Okaloosa County and the City of Fort Walton Beach.

Over the 18-month construction period, contractors will employ about 500 tradesmen, and when it opens in 2014 the hotel will employ 120 during peak season. It’s predicted the hotel will have a $40 million annual economic impact on the region.

The Holiday Inn Resort, Destin West is not the first hotel to be built under the DOD’s Enhanced Use Lease program. But what makes it unique is the lease itself.

Under the contract terms, the Air Force is allowed to operate a radio receiver, camera equipment and other test equipment located on the roof of the hotel. The equipment is necessary to monitor aircraft operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Air Force personnel will man the roof-top facilities, which will be out of sight of hotel guests.
The Holiday Inn Resort, Destin West is a great example of what can happen when creative cooperation occurs among public, private and military sectors focusing on the same thing.

These days, it’s all about jobs.

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November 14, 2012 -Okaloosa Island Florida – Emerald Breeze Resort Group acquired financing to construct a $25 million, 152 room Holiday Inn Resort Hotel Destin West in Fort Walton Beach on Okaloosa Island. 

They will celebrate with groundbreaking ceremony on the site on Friday November 16, 2012.

The development will occupy 17 beachfront acres near the popular resort area of Destin, Florida in Okaloosa County. 

The land is owned by the United States Air Force and will be leased to the Emerald Breeze Resort Group for 50 years at fair market value. The lease was awarded after a competitive process initiated by a public request for qualifications four years ago.  

The property was made available for private development via the Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) program.  This program is managed by the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) and identifies underutilized military properties with ongoing mission requirements.   In this case, the Air Force will maintain a passive radio receiver dish and camera equipment on the hotel’s roof.

Revenue generated from the lease will be contributed to the Eglin Air Force Base budget.  Additionally, the Holiday Inn Resort will proudly contribute approximately 4,000 discounted room nights at selected times to both active duty and retired military members via the hotel’s Military Appreciation Program.
 
Emerald Breeze Resort Group is a partnership between Gulf Coast based Innisfree Hotels and the Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority–the investment arm of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians from Atmore, Alabama. 

This is the second regional hotel development this economic power duo has collaborated on in less than a year; they’re currently building a 127 room Hyatt Place hotel at the Pensacola International Airport.  The ground breaking celebration for that $24 million project took place last January, and local workers were honored in a topping out ceremony in August.  That hotel, a Hyatt Place, is scheduled to open in the spring of 2013.

Julian MacQueen, Innisfree’s CEO and Founder says, “Our relationship with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians has spanned almost two decades and we’re extremely proud to partner with them once again.  This hotel will have a positive impact on a diverse range of stakeholders in our regional economy including local residents, visitors and military families.”


The general contractor and co-developer on the project is dck North America who is planning on employing approximately 500 regional trades people during the construction phase.  Rich Chism, Innisfree’s Director of Development says, “dck has proven to be an invaluable asset due to both their contracting expertise and their rich knowledge of governmental processes. They’ve made an invaluable contribution to the success of this project thus far.”

The resort has been designed by architect Larry Adams of Bullock Tice Associates.  Design elements will focus on creating physical spaces which nurture fun and memorable vacation experiences.  This is in keeping with Innisfree Hotel’s corporate motto of “having fun.”

When completed, the Holiday Inn Resort will offer a range of family friendly amenities.  The focus will be a $1 million Gulf front swimming pool outfitted with a lazy river and tiki bar designed by WAS Design.  

There will also be 16 family suites with kids rooms and gaming systems, supervised children’s programs, and an arcade.  The hotel lobby and Gulf front room balconies will offer expansive views of the emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  The hotel will have 2,500 sf of meeting space.

Nineteen million dollars in project funding was provided by Pen Air Federal Credit Union and Navy Federal Credit Union.  Both are proud to make such a significant contribution to the Gulf Coast regional economy. Navy Federal provided 90% of the loan.  Navy Federal, with its focus on serving the military, is especially appreciative of the positive impact this development will have on the United States Air Force and of the benefits it will provide to military families. 

This is the third successful Innisfree hotel development project financed by Pen Air and Navy Federal.   These local credit unions also debt financed the Holiday Inn Resort in Pensacola Beach FL which won an IHG brand award for Development of the Year in 2011.
The Okaloosa Island resort is scheduled to open in the spring of 2014 and is expected to employ approximately 120 people during peak season.


The project master plan includes an out parcel on Highway 98 that is available for a ground lease by others where the developer hopes a restaurant will be constructed.  Phase two of the project is already approved by Okaloosa County and the U.S. Air Force.  It currently includes a second 124 room Gulf front hotel.



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For media inquiries and to arrange interviews please contact Jill Thomas (850) 393-8150 or email jill@innisfree.com.



Innisfree Backgrounder

For more than three decades, Innisfree Hotels has expertly managed and developed dozens of hotels in partnership with many of the world’s most recognized hotel brands. Today Innisfree owns or manages 2122 hotel rooms, and has approximately 1000 employees.



Innisfree is a Triple Bottom Line company which means we measure our success not only in profits, but also through our impact on people and the planet. To these ends Innisfree strives to promote a culture of responsibility and service to humanity.  

Our value driven corporate culture enables us to have a deeper understanding of the needs of our guests, partners and clients, and thus deliver service that is synonymous with creating fun and memorable experiences.



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Pensacola Beach, Wednesday October 23, 2012 -The Holiday Inn Resort Beachfront Hotel on Pensacola Beach Florida was selected as the 2012 Quality Excellence Award winner by Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG).    IHG manages 666,000 hotel rooms in 9 hotel brands in over 100 countries.  The company’s mission statement is to create Great Hotels that Guests Love.

The award recognizes the Holiday Inn Resort on Pensacola Beach for maintaining exceptionally high standards in respect to product quality, hotel service delivery and guest satisfaction. The award was presented today at the 2012 IHG Americas Investors & Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida.

This is the second major brand award the Pensacola Beach property has won.  In 2011, Innisfree Hotels, owner operator of the Holiday Inn Resort, was selected by IHG as Developer of the Year.

Martin Kumi, the Holiday Inn Resort’s Maintenance Engineer will also be recognized for his dedication and hard work as will the resort’s Activity Director Shelly Kikel.

The 206 room resort opened in the spring of 2011.  It is located directly on the Gulf of Mexico.  Guests enjoy captivating views of emerald green waters and miles upon miles of sugar white sand.  It is walking distance from restaurants, night life, shopping and recreational activities and only a 30 minute drive from the Pensacola International Airport.

The resort has many unique amenities and services including the best pool on the beach featuring a 250 foot lazy river and cascading waterfall; family suites; seasonal supervised children’s activities, ‘Dive-Inn’ movies; live, interactive pirate and mermaid shows; Riptides Sports Grill & Beachfront Tiki Bar; a 24 hour beach view fitness center; and over 10,000 square feet of beachfront meeting space.

For more than three decades, Innisfree has expertly managed dozens of hotels in partnership with many of the world’s most recognized hotel brands.  Today Innisfree owns or manages 2122 hotel rooms, has approximately 1000 employees and pays in excess of $2,000,0000 in lodging sales taxes and $3,200,000 in real estate taxes annually.

For press inquiries please contact Jill Thomas,  Director of New Media Marketing Innisfree Hotels 850.393.8150.

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September 16th, 2012
By Casey Legard

Students from Dixon School of the Arts were rewarded for good behavior and academic improvement on Sunday with a pool party sponsored by Innisfree Hotels.  The charter school, which opened in 2010, had the greatest improvement in FCAT test scores out of all Escambia County School District schools in 2011, with a gain of almost 178 points. “It’s almost shakingly scary, in a good way, to see the potential of where we’re going,” said LuTimothy May, the school’s executive director. “The sky’s the limit.”

The school recently changed its name from A.A. Dixon Charter School of Excellence, something May said is a reflection of new strategies and changes in the way learning is approached at Dixon.  “We did a massive transformation over this year, and this summer,” May said. “Of course, our charter speaks to the arts, so we wanted to speak to what we represent. We represent art — music, dance, theater, drama, all of those areas are part of what you get at Dixon School of the Arts.”

After the school struggled for two years academically and financially and faced the possibility of being closed by the state of Florida, May said that he wants to be positive and focus on how far the students have come.  Innisfree Hotels, which adopted Dixon School of the Arts three years ago, promised students a pool party if they improved their test scores last year. The party featured access to pools at three Pensacola Beach hotels, hamburgers and hot dogs, face painting and rides on the 360 Pensacola Beach Observation Wheel.

“They deserved it,” said Marianne Tibbits, Hilton convention services manager and event coordinator for the party. “They worked hard. It’s a thank you for last year, and also an incentive to keep up the good work.”

Kalesha Brabley, 21, attended the party with her son, Treven, a kindergartener at Dixon.  “It’s a wonderful school,” she said. “They really work with him.”

Kendesha Woods, 35, has two children at the school, and he said they enjoy the learning experience at a charter school.
“Both of them come home talking about their day, every day,” Woods said. “I think they get more one-on-one time.”
His wife, Shenika Johnson, 31, teaches second grade at Dixon. She said that she is very encouraged and excited about the upcoming school year for all students.  “I know that there’s a lot in store for our kids, and I just can’t wait to see what’s going to happen,” Johnson said. “I am more than confident that they will advance.”

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