The Holiday Inn Resort Destin West will be located directly on the Gulf of Mexico in beautiful Fort Walton Beach, Florida. This $25 million, 152 room project is projected to open in the Spring of 2014 on 17 beachfront acres in Okaloosa County.
Resort amenities will include a gulf front lazy river, tiki bar, kid’s club, kid’s suite, game room, on-site restaurant and 2,000 square feet of meeting space.
Emerald Breeze Resort Group acquired the financing for the project. General contractor and co-developer, dck North America, plans to employ approximately 500 tradesman during the construction phase. The land is owned by the United States Air Force and will be leased to the Emerald Breeze Resort Group for 50 years at fair market value.
The property was made available for private development via the Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) program. This program is managed by the Air Force Civil Engineer Center and identifies underutilized military properties with ongoing mission requirements. In this case, the Air Force will maintain a passive radio receiver dish and camera equipment on the hotel’s roof.
Revenue generated from the lease will be contributed to the Eglin Air Force Base budget. Additionally, the Holiday Inn Resort will proudly contribute approximately 4,000 discounted room nights at selected times to both active duty and retired military members via the hotel’s military appreciation program.
Emerald Breeze Resort Group is a partnership between Gulf Coast based Innisfree Hotels and the Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority, the investment arm of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians from Atmore, Alabama. This is the second regional hotel development this economic power duo has collaborated on in less than a year; they’re currently building a 127 room Hyatt Place Hotel at the Pensacola Airport scheduled to open in the spring of 2013.