Oceanfront hotel development and redevelopment are putting a fresh face on hospitality in St. Augustine Beach.
Construction workers there topped off a 205-room Courtyard by Marriott last week. It is one of three hotels under construction on A1A Beach Boulevard in St. Augustine Beach. Construction is expected to be completed in December.
New owners are converting the old Holiday Isle Oceanfront Resort in St. Augustine Beach to a Guy Harvey Outpost, scheduled to open in the spring of 2016.
Elite Hospitality, the developer of the Courtyard by Marriott in St. Augustine Beach, also has developed a Hilton Garden Inn on the beachfront there. Elite also operates hotels in Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Lakeland and Ormond Beach.
The average daily hotel room rate in St. Johns County was $142.46 in May, the highest on record, said Kathy Catron, director of communications of the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and The Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau. [Jacksonville Times-Union] – Mike Seemuth