Sandestin Investments Taps Highgate to Manage New Hotel

Full-service Hotel Will Benefit from Firm’s Extensive Experience

MIRAMAR BEACH, FL (5/17/2018). Sandestin Investments, LLC (SDI) has announced Highgate, a premier real estate investment and hospitality management company whose growing portfolio includes more than 100 properties in gateway cities worldwide, will manage the newly developed Sandestin Hotel and Conference Center.

“Highgate was selected for their breadth of experience operating hotels across the U.S. and abroad,” stated Sara Becnel, Executive Director, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. “We know their expertise will allow the Sandestin Hotel and Conference Center to realize its highest potential and value while providing our guests with a truly unique experience.”

The new Sandestin Hotel and Conference Center will be a 250-room full-service hotel and conference center located adjacent to the Baytowne Conference Center at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. This four-star hotel is the first new development within Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in over 4 years. Construction will commence in August 2018 with completion projected for April 2020.

“Highgate is thrilled to be managing this new, full-service hotel that we expect will be something very special within the Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort and community,” said Steve Barick, Chief Operating Officer, Highgate. “We are confident this hotel and its state-of-the-art meeting and event space, plus the existing resorts’ abundant conference facilities, will make this a first-class, group and meetings destination option, and we are excited to be a part of it.”

The new full-service hotel will include a three-meal restaurant, a lobby bar, room service, a luxury spa, a fitness facility, a signature rooftop pool and bar allowing Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort to better meet the needs of our leisure traveler as well as expand our group business.

Sandestin Hotel and Conference Center will include 20,000+ square feet of meeting space and feature a 13,000-square foot ballroom. This meeting space, contiguous to the 30,000+ square feet of existing meeting space at Baytowne Conference Center, will allow Sandestin to book much larger groups, upwards of 800 participants or multiple group configurations simultaneously. Adjacent condominiums currently on the Sandestin Rental Program will handle overflow from hotel which is beneficial for Sandestin’s owners as they will see more and consistent occupancy year-round. The Baytowne Conference Center will be fully renovated as part of the new hotel project with similar finishes throughout.

Additionally, guests of the hotel will have access to the many amenities offered by Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort including more than seven miles of beaches and pristine bayfront, four championship golf courses, 15 world-class tennis courts, a 113-slip marina. Due to its prime location near The Village of Baytowne Wharf, hotel guests will also have access to and enjoy this charming pedestrian village filled with events, shopping, dining and nightlife.

About Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort
Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is a major destination for all seasons and all ages, and was named the #1 Resort on Florida’s Emerald Coast. The resort invites guests to a world of 2,400 acres and 30 charming neighborhoods featuring 1,300 vacation rentals, condominiums, villas, town homes and the best in hotel accommodations. As a member of Visit South Walton and Visit Florida, the resort features more than seven miles of beaches and pristine bay front, four championship golf courses, 15 world-class tennis courts, 19 swimming pools, a 113-slip marina, a fitness center and spa, meeting space and The Village of Baytowne Wharf, a charming pedestrian village with events, shopping, dining and nightlife. Follow @Sandestin on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest events and news. To learn more about Sandestin meetings and events or to request a proposal, visit Sandestin.com/meetings or call 855.912.MEET.

Sandestin offers 65,000 square feet of function space from the gulf to the bay. The resort features the 32,000- square-foot Baytowne Conference Center, the largest ballroom on Northwest Florida’s Gulf Coast and the most sophisticated meeting facility in the region. In addition to its 13,500-square-foot ballroom, the Baytowne Conference Center offers boardrooms, break-out rooms and functional meeting space on the Grand Lawn.

Sandestin also features more than 25 break-out rooms for meetings of virtually all sizes, a 12,600-square-foot exhibit hall, two bayside conference rooms and four boardrooms, all supported by Sandestin’s on-site team of award-winning professional sales, conference services and culinary staff experts.

About Highgate
Highgate is a premier hospitality investment and management company widely recognized as an innovator in the industry. Highgate is the dominant player in U.S. gateway markets including New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco and Honolulu. Highgate also has an expanding presence in key European markets through properties in London, Paris, Barcelona, Vienna and Prague. Highgate’s portfolio of global properties represents an aggregate asset value exceeding $10B and generates over $1.5B in cumulative revenues. The company provides expert guidance through all stages of the hospitality property cycle, from planning and development through recapitalization or disposition. Highgate also has a proven record of developing bespoke hotel brands and utilizes industry leading proprietary revenue management tools that identify and predict evolving market dynamics to drive outperformance and maximize asset value. With an executive team consisting of some of the industry’s most experienced hotel management leaders, the company is a trusted partner for top ownership groups and major hotel brands. Highgate maintains corporate offices New York, London, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Seattle.