Hilton Garden Inn, Fort Walton Beach Now Open


FORT WALTON BEACH, FLA. – May 12, 2017 – On Friday, May 12, 2017, Innisfree Hotels opened the doors to the new Hilton Garden Inn in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.


The 175-room beachfront hotel features …



  • Beautiful ‘Lazy River’ pool and deck overlooking the Gulf of Mexico

  • Large 5,500 sq. ft. beach view banquet room

  • Full-service on-site restaurant

  • Indoor bar and outdoor bar with fire pits

  • Indoor pool

  • Hot tub

  • Supervised children’s activities


The Hilton Garden Inn sits adjacent to the Holiday Inn Resort, Innisfree’s first successful property built within the U.S. Air Force Enhanced Use Lease Program. A percentage of hotel revenues will be provided to nearby Eglin AFB to support initiatives benefiting service members.


“This is a special property for Innisfree, because we know we’re doing something right in Fort Walton Beach,” says founder and CEO Julian MacQueen. “Our guests so loved the hotel next door that design immediately began on the Hilton Garden Inn. We’re excited to share with our guests a brand new, beautiful hotel that truly reflects this community and its spirit.”


Innisfree has long enjoyed a relationship with Hilton Hotels, operating a full-service Hilton in Pensacola Beach, Fla., a Hilton Garden Inn in Orange Beach, Ala., and two Hampton Inn & Suites locations – with a third coming to Panama City Beach, Fla. in Summer 2017.


The latest franchise will draw members of the popular Hilton Honors rewards program to Fort Walton Beach, further establishing the location among Florida’s top vacation and conference destinations.


Although the Hilton Garden Inn will offer 5,500 sq. ft. of beachfront meeting space, its design reaches far beyond traditional business hotels. The new hotel is one of few among the worldwide brand to be located in a beachfront community.


“Our design team worked hand-in-hand with the brand to incorporate coastal elements throughout the property,” says Director of Development Rich Chism. “From the moment you walk into the lobby until you hit our expansive Gulf front courtyard, the feeling of being at the beach comes at you wave upon wave.”


The accomplished design team includes:



  • Architectural design by Larry Adams of Bullock Tice Associates of Pensacola, Fla.

  • Interior design by Debbie Adrian of ACC Design of Memphis, Tenn.

  • Pool and landscape design by Chad Watkins of WAS Design of Foley, Ala.

  • Civil Engineering by Choctaw Engineering of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

  • Construction services by Robins and Morton Construction of Birmingham, Ala.


Innisfree is proud to partner once again with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians of Atmore, Ala. Financing was provided by Pen Air Federal Credit Union and its largest participant, Navy Federal Credit Union.


# # #


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 2,406 hotel rooms, with approximately 1,500 employees.


Innisfree is a triple bottom line company, measuring success not only in profits, but also through its impact on people and the planet. To these ends, Innisfree strives to promote a culture of responsibility and service to humanity. A value-driven corporate culture enables the company to have a deeper understanding of the needs of its guests, partners and clients, thus delivering service that is synonymous with creating fun and memorable experiences.