First Margaritaville Beach Hotel opens in Pensacola

Courtesy Wagner/Junker Agency

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. – Meeting planners in search of a beachfront hotel with “barefoot elegance” can try out the world’s first Margaritaville Beach Hotel, opened June 28 on Pensacola Beach. The hotel’s decor and detail are inspired by Jimmy Buffett’s lyrics, so guests can experience the laid-back tropical lifestyle described in Buffett’s songs.

Buffett and Marilyn Hess, president of hotel developer Little Sabine Inc., hatched the idea for the theme hotel. Hess was finalizing details to open a gulf front hotel on Pensacola Beach when she met Buffett. He toured the hotel and invited Hess along on a road trip to Buffett’s Margaritaville Cafe in Panama City Beach, Fla.

“About a month ago, I had a meeting with Marilyn Hess in Gulf Shores to just look at possibilities of doing something on the Gulf Coast with the Sabine Company, but what happened next was beyond my wildest dreams,” said Buffett. “I guess you never quite know what is going to happen when you take a road trip east on Highway 98. It is great to be coming home and making a commitment to Pensacola and to the Gulf Coast, especially at this time.”

Set on 800 feet of gulf front property and 800 feet overlooking the bay, the Florida vernacular-style hotel has 162 rooms, a business center and meeting facilities for small corporate events. Guests are greeted with fresh Florida orange juice upon arrival.

“The community response has been exciting and overwhelming,” said Ed Schroeder, director of Pensacola Bay Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We know Margaritaville will have global appeal for visitors.”

Music will be an intricate part of the hotel’s atmosphere with island music on the pool deck and beach pavilion, the Margaritaville station on the in-room Sirius Radio and seasonal live music.

For more information, visit www.margaritavillehotel.com.

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