Innisfree Hotels

The Gulf Coast gem pays tribute to the city’s Spanish Creole heritage, while adding a contemporary twist

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla., September 14, 2021 –  Separated from the Gulf of Mexico by just a few hundred feet of white sand, Sal de Mar is the perfect poolside gem for travelers as well as food and drink-obsessed locals.  

Fusing Spanish influence with local ingredients, the Hilton Pensacola Beach restaurant defies typical hotel restaurant fare with homemade tortillas and authentic Spanish cuisine—made entirely from scratch. Not to mention, Sal de Mar serves up three types of generously garnished margaritas in 40-ounce sizes. 

With flavors like jalapeño and local strawberry and smoked pineapple, the drinks are culinary creations in their own right. The restaurant also offers larger-than-life stacked milkshakes that can be made with or without alcohol. 

“Sal de Mar’s menu has a lot of character,” said Chef Omar Torres, the hotel’s food and beverage director and executive chef. “The flavorful lineup features Floridian favorites such as conch fritters, coconut shrimp, and handmade tacos and also includes shrimp ceviche, octopus, and an Americanized version of bombas, the traditional Spanish potato croquette. Popular bar foods, like burgers, are available as well.”

Since his arrival at the Hilton Pensacola Beach in 2019, Chef Omar has remained focused on uniting the local community of farmers and artisans. Chef Richard Assaf, the restaurant’s executive sous chef, has made his mark internationally as a past recipient of Dubai’s Finesse Cooking Award and having cooked for President George W. Bush.  

Inspired by the history of Pensacola, hotel development and management company Innisfree Hotels decided on a restaurant concept largely influenced by the city’s storied heritage. The first multi-year settlement in what is now the continental US, Pensacola was held by various Western powers following its founding, but was most frequently returned to by the Spanish, who defended their claims throughout the 17th century. Today, Pensacola’s rich Hispanic heritage can be felt through its many historic sites and cultural touchstones.

The city’s centuries-old history has spawned a passion for the past—both archaeologically and culturally. With its Mediterranean look and authentically Spanish Creole menu, Sal de Mar (which means “sea salt” in Spanish) embodies all that Pensacola has to offer.

Hilton Pensacola Beach is featured on ResortPass, a booking platform that allows users to purchase day passes to use certain hotel amenities. This includes food and beverage offerings, such as a cocktail package for $20, and appetizer package for $20, and access to Cabanas neighboring Sal de Mar for $100. Locals also can enjoy a 20% discount on menu items.
Daily hours of operation at Sal de Mar are 11:00 am to 7:00 pm for outdoor food and drink service and 11:00 am to 11:00 pm for indoor service. The hotel is located at 12 Via De Luna Drive. For more information, visit hiltonpensacolabeach.com.

To help website visitors capitalize on those enriching experiences, Pensacolabech.com enables users to complete bookings for hotels, vacation rentals, tours, and more

September 13, 2021, Pensacola, Fl – Pensacolabeach.com, a one-stop resource for all things Pensacola Beach, announces its official launch on September 13, 2021. 

A true island destination known for its pearly white sand beaches and turquoise waters, Pensacola Beach is a prime location for soaking in the surrounding beauty, beach hopping, ocean exploration, and so much more. Offering expert advice on places to stay, local dining options, and profiles of local personalities, chefs, and key community members, the new website allows visitors to explore, learn about, and even book everything they need for a great stay at Pensacola Beach.

Built from the perspective of a local team of experts, Pensacolabeach.com is unapologetically authentic—relying not on actors or paid talent but real locals who remain close to the action.

In addition to tips and booking deals, Pensacolabeach.com will also feature interviews with local chefs and bartenders as well as profiles of Pensacola heroes, like Chappie James, Tuskegee Airman and the first African American to reach the rank of four-star general in the US Armed Forces, and local seafood empire entrepreneur Joe Patti. 

Pensacolabeach.com was created in partnership with Jacksonville-based web development agency Drawing Lines Media. In fact, many of the site’s builders originally hail from the Pensacola Beach area.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to have had the opportunity to develop a digital platform that showcases the beauty and stories behind Pensacola Beach and the surrounding area,” said Lead Web Developer and Pensacola native Justin Weber. “Our goal with PensacolaBeach.com was to create an online platform to share Pensacola Beach with the rest of the world and enrich the experiences of visitors and locals.”

To help website visitors capitalize on those enriching experiences, Pensacolabech.com features a deep booking function, enabling users to follow through to complete bookings for hotels, vacation rentals, tours, as well as concerts, sporting events, and performance arts. The website will also include a Hot Deals section, the contents of which will be dispatched to email newsletter subscribers early. 

“By assembling a talented team of locals and Florida creatives to develop an authentic brand, create original content, we’ve built a website that is welcoming and easy to navigate,” said Weber. “This is the beginning of a new chapter, much like in 1931 when the original bridges opened and connected Pensacola Beach to the mainland.”
Pensacolabeach.com will launch with a multi-channel ad campaign, including social ads, billboards, and more. For more information, visit Pensacolabeach.com.

Readers just can’t get enough of the Pensacola Beach eatery’s slow-cooked ribs, smoldering smoked wings, and other succulent delights.

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla., January 7, 2021 — Right on the heels of grabbing the #1 spot on TripAdvisor’s list of 3,200+ Florida Panhandle restaurants, Water Pig BBQ has handily won the hearts — and taste buds — of USA Today’s national audience. 

Readers from New York to Napa named Water Pig BBQ the #4 Best New Restaurant in America, flocking to the beachfront eatery for melt-in-your-mouth St Louis-style ribs, rustic, delectable mac and cheese, and other tempting barbecue staples from Texas and beyond. 

The Readers’ Choice Award from USA Today and 10Best.com comes roughly six months after the restaurant’s 2020 summer opening. Nominees are chosen by an elite panel of USA Today and 10Best.com editors, but only the readers decide where restaurants stand on the top-10 list. 

“When we opened Water Pig BBQ, we knew we’d be facing competition from a legion of extraordinary, established barbecues and other restaurants. We couldn’t settle for anything less than perfection,” said Water Pig BBQ’s award-winning pitmaster Steve Seige. “We’re humbled by the devotion of USA Today readers, and absolutely thrilled that they love the dishes we serve up — just as much as we love making them.”

Thanks to spectacular word-of-mouth, hundreds of daily visitors now travel to Water Pig BBQ, owned and operated by Innisfree Hotels, to savor Seige’s creations. Ingredients are farmed locally and sausage is made in-house, adding an extra layer of authenticity to the restaurant’s slate of shareable sides, appetizers, and main courses.

While award-winning food draws diners to the family-friendly restaurant, Water Pig BBQ’s location follows very closely behind. Seats and tables adorn the sandy shores of Pensacola Beach, where visitors can sway to live music, sip on carefully crafted cocktails, and take in live sporting events on the restaurant’s oversized TV screen. 

The restaurant is currently open Thursday through Sunday, starting at 11 am. Water Pig’s staff remain dedicated to following COVID-19 safety, sanitation and social distancing protocols.

Visit 5 Via De Luna Drive, located across from Hilton Pensacola Beach, to find out why USA Today readers chose Water Pig BBQ as one of the best new restaurants in the country. 
Follow Water Pig BBQ on Instagram, or visit the restaurant’s website at waterpigbbq.com.

A $5.9 million renovation launches the boutique hotel onto the Space Coast scene

COCOA BEACH, Fla., July 15, 2020 – Following a 10-month, $5.9 million makeover of its Cocoa Beach property that included a complete rebranding, Innisfree Hotels opened its newly renovated boutique hotel doors on Florida’s Space Coast in May. 

Formerly known as the Quality Inn & Suites Port Canaveral, the strikingly updated Beachside Hotel & Suites has been returned to its sixties glory, giving off a relaxed retro vibe that’s virtually synonymous with its home – the surfing capital of the East Coast.

The hotel’s location at 3901 N. Atlantic Ave. is situated just 300 feet from the world-famous Cocoa Beach oceanfront. Guests can expect optimal beach access and complimentary use of beach cruiser bicycles, beach wagons, boogie boards and surfboards, among other covetable amenities. 

“Our property puts guests right at the epicenter of Space Coast culture and excitement along one of Florida’s most-beloved pieces of coastline,” said Ted Ent, CEO of Innisfree Hotels. “We have 170 guest rooms available, plus a new lazy river pool and deck area, a poolside bar and a considerable courtyard space, appealing to families and couples, leisure and business travelers and solo wanderlusters alike.”

Providing loads of additional charm, the hotel’s lobby has been remodeled and its conference rooms redone with more than 3,000 square feet of meeting space. Hotel guests will benefit from an expanded array of amenities that include complimentary breakfast, pet-friendly accommodations and shuttle service to and from Orlando International Airport and Port Canaveral.

The exterior of Beachside Hotel & Suites also received a major facelift in the form of vibrant, rainbow-colored walls and a large, can’t-miss outdoor mural from a local Space Coast-based artist. 

“We are thrilled with the transformation of this hotel – it puts you in vacation mode the second you spot it,” said Ent. “We believe it will become an essential part of the traveler’s local experience as they get an authentic taste of the lifestyle and laid-back spirit of the Space Coast.”

Innisfree acquired the Quality Inn & Suites property in 2018 as part of a strategic move into the Space Coast region. The hotel, which was originally built in 1965, lies within walking distance of more than 20 restaurants and dozens of shops, including the original flagship Ron Jon Surf Shop. Other nearby attractions include the historic Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier, the Brevard County Zoo, Canaveral National Seashore and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. 

For more information, visit beachsidehotelcocoabeach.com or call (321) 783-2221. 

UFO’s Pensacola Beach Mini Golf, Arcade & Ice Cream Opens March 14 in
One Giant, Cosmic Leap for Putt-Putt

GULF BREEZE, Fla., March 14, 2020 – Innisfree Hotels today opens its first out-of-this-world project, UFO’s Pensacola Beach Mini Golf, Arcade & Ice Cream.

In a nod to the Florida region’s extraordinary UFO heritage, the long-awaited, extraterrestrial-themed miniature golf course promises to become a family favorite for locals and tourists alike. 

“We’ve wanted to elevate the local mini golf experience for quite some time,” said Ted Ent, Innisfree Hotels CEO. “This beachfront course is one of those unique things that is now a destination unto itself. It has to be seen to be believed.”

The UFO theme isn’t materializing in Pensacola Beach just by happenstance. The area is famous for being an alleged UFO hot spot, with hundreds of eyewitness accounts reported in recent years. The numerous local sightings of strange objects and unexplained lights in the sky have contributed to Florida’s status as one of the country’s most “alien-active” states.

“According to local legend, aliens began visiting Pensacola Beach back in the 1980s,” explained Ent. “This history, paired with the wave of space-related tourism that has popped up here in the Florida Panhandle, inspired us to transform our old course into a portal to extraterrestrial adventure. It’s the next best thing to having a close encounter.”

The 18 customized holes are dominated by engaging, intergalactic-themed obstacles. Alien sculptures, statues of robots, and a far-out mural are spread throughout the course, making for great photo opportunities. In the evenings, a cosmic light show set to the aliens’ favorite tunes will envelop the grounds. Meanwhile, a display of old newspaper clippings will give guests an opportunity to brush up on the local UFO history.

Additionally, an ice cream bar and a slew of arcade games make the UFO’s facility perfect for parties – planned groups will even have access to a pool next door.

The March 28 grand opening activities will take place from noon to 4 p.m. The price for a round of mini golf will be half-off all day. There also will be other games and prizes, food vendors, and DJ entertainment.

Regular admission to UFO’s Pensacola Beach Mini Golf, Arcade & Ice Cream will be $10 for children ages 12 and under; $10 for military personnel (with appropriate ID); and $13 for ages 13 and up. Children ages 4 and under will be admitted free.For more information on the new UFO’s Pensacola Beach Mini Golf, Arcade & Ice Cream, visit ufospensacolabeach.com.

GULF BREEZE, Fla., Feb. 26 –Innisfree Hotels, a hotel management, development and marketing company out of Gulf Breeze, has kicked off 2020 with a pair of leadership appointments in its development department. Rich Chism has been elevated to Vice President of Development and Asset Management, while Kevin Warwick has been promoted to Director of Construction.

Ted Ent, the CEO and president of Innisfree Hotels, announced the two promotions at a weekly corporate meeting in early February.

Ent credited Chism’s enduring loyalty to the Innisfree team and its mission. “Rich has worked at Innisfree for 12 years and has been instrumental in our growth and the execution of our strategic initiatives,” Ent said.

While continuing to oversee the activities of the development department, Chism adds a number of new duties to his Innisfree role. He will supervise the Director of Construction (the position being assumed by Warwick), assist with new development and acquisition activities, oversee various real estate matters, and act as president of HNL Construction LLC, Innisfree’s wholly owned construction company.

“In addition, Rich is assuming new responsibilities for Innisfree in the asset management of our hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and other real estate holdings,” Ent explained. “He will be developing short-, mid- and long-range plans for our assets, participate on our capital expenditures committee, oversee property management of our alternative assets, and collaborate with operations and other departments to maximize asset value. The addition of these responsibilities is integral to our long-term hold real estate strategy.

“Furthermore, Rich will continue his role on our TBL team,” Ent added. TBL symbolizes Innisfree’s status as a “triple bottom line” company, meaning the organization measures its success not only in profits but also through its impact on people and on the planet.

Ent also noted that Chism has helped lead the Dixon School of Arts & Sciences through several years of success, most recently as President of the Board of Directors. Dixon is a kindergarten through 8th grade school serving primarily underprivileged youth living in nearby Escambia County here on the Florida Panhandle.

In acknowledging Warwick’s ascension to Director of Construction, Chism emphasized how Warwick has flourished within the organization. “Kevin is a valued team player who has emerged as a true leader at Innisfree,” he said. “His ability to guide teams, understand construction issues and meet brand standards is unparalleled. Kevin and his team of project managers will be critical players in Innisfree’s pursuit of its long-term vision.”