Sandestin Investments Partners with Celebrity Chef Hugh Acheson

MIRAMAR BEACH, FL (8/23/2018). Sandestin Investments, LLC (SDI) has announced Celebrity Chef Hugh Acheson will partner with The Sandestin Hotel to develop the culinary offerings of the new hotel, slated to open April 2020. Chef Acheson, a Georgia chef and owner of eateries including Five & Ten, Empire State South, and the National, is a James Beard award winner who has competed on “Top Chef Masters” and served as a judge on “Top Chef.”

“We are looking forward to working with Sandestin to create a culinary experience like none other found on the Emerald Coast,” stated Chef Hugh Acheson. “We will marry our team’s expertise when it comes to food, beverage and brand with the principles of Sandestin to develop a four-star culinary presentation that solidifies the hotel’s four-star status.”

Chef Acheson will develop the food and beverage outlets throughout the Sandestin Hotel blending the tastes of multiple outlets including a yet-to-benamed three-meal restaurant, coffee bar and market, lobby bar experience, and the rooftop pool bar food and drink menus. Additionally, Acheson will develop the menu for the hotel’s in-room dining.

“We are excited to work with Chef Acheson as we embark on this amazing journey with the development of the new Sandestin Hotel,” stated Sara Becnel, Vice President of Development for Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. “Chef Acheson and his team bring amazing skills to the table that will heighten the travel experience our guests have while at the Sandestin Hotel. His food is absolutely delicious, and his cocktails and wine menus are outstanding.”

A major component to Acheson’s team is the incorporation of Beverage Director, Kellie Thorn who lends her expertise with spirits and cocktails to the mix. Recently named one of the 40 under 40 Tastemaker 2018 by Wine Enthusiast, Thorn has over 16 years experience currently serving as beverage director of spirits and cocktails for all of Acheson’s restaurants.

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 four years and has a projected completion date of April 2020.

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.

Contact
Aleis Tusa
Manager - Marketing & Public Relations
[email protected]

April Sarver
Director - Marketing & Communications
[email protected]