Northern Florida Has Plenty of Pleasant Places to Meet

Whether you're on the Atlantic side or facing the Gulf of Mexico on the Panhandle, Northern Florida is a decidedly pleasant place to be, with an abundance of white sand beaches, sunshine, and a diverse collection of cities and towns in which to meet.

Jacksonville, with about 850,000 residents, is a big city with sizable convention facilities, a pro football stadium (home of the Jacksonville Jaguars), and plenty of cultural facilities, as well as being a major port. And yet nearby Amelia Island is one of the calmest and most "away-from-it-all" spots in Florida.

Across on the Panhandle is more laid-back attitude with smaller, quieter communities in the South Walton and Emerald Coast areas, facing lovely green surf. (Pensacola's naval facilities and the resident Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron can certainly add a bit of excitement, though.) On either side, it's a long way -- and not just in miles -- from the bustle and glitter of Miami and its Gold Coast neighbors, as well as from the theme parks and convention centers of Orlando.

The Atlantic Side
On Florida's Historic Coast -- the St. Augustine/Ponte Vedra area -- the Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, host of the PGA's THE PLAYERS Championship golf tournament, completed a major renovation last year, overhauling its golf course villas, several restaurants, and the hotel's 56,000 square feet of meeting space. The Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine, with 12,000 square feet of meeting space and 138 guest rooms, recently unveiled its new 95 Cordova Restaurant and renovated spa.

Several new venues are available in the area, notably a new, 200-person covered outdoor pavilion in Fountain of Youth Archeological Park (which can hold up to 1,000 people throughout the grounds), and the St. Augustine Distillery, which has several event spaces in a restored early 20th century icehouse. Flagler College has opened several of its venues to outside groups, including the historic Hotel Ponce de Leon, dating to 1888, which has a reception area for 400 and a dining salon for 300.

If you haven't been to Amelia Island in a few years, it's a new place now. The Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort completed a major $85 million "re-imagination" last year, adding 155 additional oceanfront guest rooms, including 27 suites; a new lobby with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking an infinity-edge pool and the ocean; and a new expanded Beach Club pool. Work also included an expanded, 80,000-square-foot conference center, improvements to the golf facilities, a spa renovation that added two couples relaxation rooms, and a variety of new dining options. The 446-room Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, with more than 48,000 square feet of indoor function space, recently added luxury private pool cabanas, on top of the multi-year renovation project in 2012.

In Jacksonville last year, The Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront overhauled its 963 guestrooms. It has 110,000 square feet of meeting space, including a nearly 28,000-square foot grand ballroom. The 137-room Aloft Jacksonville Tapestry Park, with more than 7,700 square feet of meeting space, reopened after an intensive renovation.

The Jacksonville Omni Hotel in the downtown area has begun work on all 354 guestrooms as part of a $9 million project that includes an overhaul of the 14,000 square feet of meeting and dining spaces. It will wrap up in February 2015.

The AAA Five-Diamond Ponte Vedra Inn & Club reopened its oceanfront Beach House after a renovation that saw its 20 rooms and suites get new oversized windows, soft goods, and furniture. At its sister property, the Ponte Vedre Lodge & Club, the family pool received a full overhaul in 2014, following last year's renovation of the Oceanfront pool and its 12,000-square-foot deck.

The Jacksonville Airport Hotel and the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront are both undergoing renovations prior to rebranding under the Doubletree by Hilton flag. The Radisson Jacksonville Butler Boulevard recently renovated all public spaces. The Wingate by Wyndham Southpoint is rebranding as a Hampton Inn & Suites following a renovation. The Wingate by Wyndham at Mayo and the Wingate by Wyndham Jacksonville Airport both became Holiday Inn Express properties.

The Panhandle
A new level of luxury is coming to Rosemary Beach, part of the 26-mile stretch of white-sand that makes up South Walton. The Pearl, a 55-room property features private balconies, spa products by skincare expert Kerstin Floria, and in-room Apple TV systems. Complimentary iPads can be used to book dinner reservations, room service, and request concierge assistance. The Spa Pearl has four poolside treatment cabanas as well as a poolside manicure and pedicure parlor. The Havana Beach Bar and Grill features a hand-carved mahogany replica of the bar in Cuba's La Floridita, one of Ernest Hemingway's favorite haunts. Ingredients are procured from small family-owned producers within a 100-mile radius. There is also a rooftop bar, Sol Luna, and guests have access to the nearby Rosemary Beach Fitness Center & Tennis Club.

Visit South Walton, the area's convention and visitors bureau, is emphasizing the growing dining scene, which will be featured nine times over the year on season two of chef Emeril Lagasse's Cooking Channel show "Emeril's Florida." The nine restaurants included can provide planners a dine-around event with a built-in theme.

In the Destin/Ft. Walton Beach area, the Emerald Coast Convention Center's new Bayview Plaza, unveiled this summer, adds 30,000 square feet of exhibition and event rental space to the facility's 35,000 square feet of interior space, including a 21,000 square foot ballroom and 12 meeting rooms. The concrete pad has water and electric hook-ups for sports competitions, trade shows, and exhibits, among other events, and can be tented. "With this addition, we have a variety of events and trade shows that can come in here for space they can't find anywhere else in Northwest Florida," says Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau executive director Ed Schroeder.

The other big news in the area is the 602-room Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa's completion of its $12.5 million phase two renovation, following on the recent renovation of the Emerald Tower and meeting space. In February, the resort will be adding a new, 8,000 square foot ballroom, bringing its total meeting space to 40,000 square feet. The redesigned Spa Tower now has 202 renovated Gulf-view rooms, including two presidential suites, as well as refreshed public spaces. Three restaurants have been expanded, adding 3,600 square feet of public space, and the new lobby features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Gulf. The Serenity by the Sea Spa was renovated and added nine new spa beds.

On nearby Okaloosa Island, a new 152-room Holiday Inn Resort opened right on Fort Walton Beach, facing the Gulf of Mexico. It features a lazy river pool, free Wi-Fi, and 2,500 square feet of beachfront, indoor, and outdoor meeting and event space.

Last year, Panama City Beach celebrated the opening of the $2.6 million, 7,500-person Amphitheater at Aaron Bessant Park.

In Pensacola, the Pensacola Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau split from the Greater Pensacola Chamber after 25 years. As of this year, it is now a standalone entity directed by an 11-member board of local hospitality leaders and tourism professionals. The two organizations will continue to work closely together.

The city has also seen a continuing renaissance in the historic downtown district centered around Palafox Street, which was recently named one of the "10 Great Streets in America" by the American Planning Association. Along with local restaurants, chic boutiques, trendy bars, and plenty of art galleries, the city also has a ballet, opera, symphony, theatre, and museum of the visual arts.

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