US: A Home2 Suites by Hilton will open in South Walton, Florida, in 2023.
The developer of the project and future manager of the hotel, St. Joe, is a real-estate development, management, and operating company that manages around 1,200 rooms in the surrounding area.
Developers announced that they expected to break ground on the property, which is located near US Highway 98 in Northwest Florida, later this year.
Patrick Murphy, St. Joe’s senior vice president of hospitality, believes that the location will be ideal for the hotel and that it will be a “a great complement to our other hotels in the area”.
The hotel is planned to be a four-story, 107-room property designed with Home2’s all-suite extended stay concept.
In addition to building the hotel, the county planning committee will require St. Joe to make improvements to nearby roads that currently create a high traffic area. The county has indicated that a certificate of occupancy will not be granted to the hotel until road improvements have been made.
Hilton, who currently operates 500 Home2 suites around the country with 400 more in development, has described its Home2 properties as “mid-tier, all-suite, award-winning extended-stay hotel concept designed to offer stylish accommodations with flexible guest room configurations and inspired amenities for the cost-conscious guest.”
Other Florida Home2 locations include Destin, Pensacola, and Panama City Beach.
News of the new Home2 Suites comes amidst a list of other developments in South Walton County.
In June, county officials rejected a plan from Banyan Investment for a TownePlace Suites in Miramar Beach due to lack of landscaping on the site. Banyan has presented amended plans for landscaping, which gained approval.
Additionally, in January, the county halted plans for a WoodSprings Suites in Miramar Beach due to local property owners concerns that hotels would drive down their rates and resident concerns that travellers would wander through their neighbourhoods on their way to the beach.
