S
andestin Golf and Beach Resort is poised to usher in a new era of hospitality when the much-anticipated Hotel Effie opens its doors to travelers later this year. Located on the north side of the 2,400-acre resort, the elegant 250-room hotel sits between the Gulf of Mexico’s sugar-white beaches and the verdant shores of Choctawhatchee Bay. Hotel Effie, which physically connects to the busy and popular Baytowne Conference Center, is the only full-service hotel owned by Sandestin Investments, LLC. “Sandestin has never had an offering like this. Effie brings charm, personality and a new luxury experience to Florida’s Emerald Coast,” said Sara Becnel, vice president of development at the resort. Hotel Effie is one of only two major projects to be built at Sandestin since the Welcome Center was completed in 2012. The other was Osprey Point, a neighborhood of luxury condominiums that opened in the summer of 2020. In development since 2016, Hotel Effie officially broke ground two years later. The property’s namesake is Effie Burns, the grandmother of Sandestin owner and developer Tom Becnel. “She was considered to be the ultimate hostess — there was always an open rocking chair next to her on the porch, and she always had a hot meal ready to serve,” Sara said. “It felt like the right fit to name the hotel after her as she has so many qualities we still emulate today. From the genuine smiles, open doors and friendly greetings, Southern hospitality is at the core of the hotel’s welcoming and helpful service style.”
SET TO OPEN in 2020, Hotel Effie combines luxury and comfort with the scenic vistas of the Gulf Coast.
NEXT-LEVEL COMFORT
Hotel Effie brings together world-class dining curated by celebrity chef Hugh Acheson, a luxury spa — Spa Lilliana, expansive new event and meeting spaces and a stylish rooftop pool and lounge that is singular across the Emerald Coast. For Sara, who has lived and breathed the entire project from its infancy, the hotel’s opening will be a vision and labor of love fully realized. SANDESTIN.COM
SUMMER 2020
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