The 209-room, $75 million beachfront Fairfield Inn & Suites Pensacola Beach has opened in Florida. The property—a collaboration between Gulf Breeze, Fla.-based Innisfree Hotels and Dallas-based RREAF Holdings—stands on the site of the former Best Western Beachside Resort, a hotel that was razed after sustaining severe damage from Hurricane Sally in 2020.
“In many ways, this milestone opening of the Fairfield Inn & Suites Pensacola Beach marks the final piece of the Island’s recovery from Hurricane Sally,” Innisfree Hotels President and CEO Ted Ent said in a statement. “We’re proud to once again provide the community with a new, robust hotel that has incredible accommodations and amenities to attract locals and visitors for many years to come.”
Among the hotel’s highlights:
- The Gulf Coast’s largest lazy river: At 315-feet-long and holding 60,000 gallons of water, the lazy river goes past three waterfalls, palm trees, a hot tub and a zero-entry pool. Other water features include an adult pool, two hot tubs and direct access to the Pensacola beach.
- Food and beverage outlets: Fish Heads, the pool bar and grill with views of the Gulf of Mexico from an open-air deck, has reopened on-site. The property also has a lobby bar that overlooks the Gulf.
- Fitness center: A 800-square-foot modern facility with floor-to-ceiling windows that give views of the Santa Rosa sound with workout equipment from top performance brands.
- Modern upgrades: Gulf-facing rooms have oversized furnished balconies. A comprehensive recycling and sustainability program was implemented to meet Innisfree’s and RREAF’s environmental standards.
“Having been here for the Best Western days and now being part of this Fairfield Inn & Suites project, it is truly rewarding to introduce our community to this amazing new property,” said Seth Fagan, GM of Fairfield Inn & Suites Pensacola Beach, adding that the hotel created about 200 local jobs.