A320 EOW

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050208/85020_1.html

Press Release Source: Hilton Hotels Corporation

Hilton Hotels Corporation Announces Opening of Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront, a New Hotel with a Historic Twist
Tuesday February 8, 6:00 am ET
New 72-Room Hotel Inspired by Spanish Colonial Period of "America's Oldest City"

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 2005-- Hilton Hotels Corporation (NYSE:HLT - News) today announced the opening of the new Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront, a 72-room property in "America's Oldest City." The hotel was designed by local architect Gerald Dixon and is composed of 19 buildings. The unique design was inspired by the owners' vision to return the area to the look, the charm and the feel this location offered during St. Augustine's Spanish Colonial Period of 1784-1821.

The Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront is owned by Sea Wall Motor Lodge, Inc., managed by Jalaram Hotels, Inc., and operated under a franchise license agreement with Beverly Hills-based Hilton Hotels Corporation.

"The unique new Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront combines a reverence for the history of St. Augustine with the modern-day luxuries and amenities guests expect in a Hilton," said Jeff Diskin, senior vice president, brand management, Hilton Hotels Corporation. "The property's intimate size and feel are reminiscent of a boutique hotel, and yet it offers the extensive services and facilities that are usually found only in much larger hotels."

The charming, vibrant Spanish Colonial Period structure consists of a "hollow-square" design -- in this case, 19 different buildings set around an inner courtyard and connected by an interior corridor. The buildings were inspired by the Second Spanish Colonial historical period, with wooden balconies, cedar-shake & tile roofs, with different elevations and colors that allow it to blend in with its surroundings. Virtually all rooms offer stunning views of Matanzas Bay or the city of St. Augustine. Thoroughly modern in-room amenities include the Suite Dreams® bed by Hilton, 27" flat screen TV, mini-fridge, coffee maker and complimentary high-speed wireless internet access.

The hotel's facilities include an outdoor pool and hot tub, fitness center, business center, concierge service and a guest laundry and valet service. The Menendez and Ponce de Leon meeting rooms, at 800 square feet of space each or 1600 square feet when combined, can accommodate meetings of up to 140 people or banquets of up to 100. Two outdoor terraces are large enough for receptions of up to 30 guests. The 250 square foot board room can accommodate 12 and offers views of the bay. The Aviles Restaurant and Lounge within the hotel features creative global cuisine with touches from the region surrounding Aviles, which is the sister city of St. Augustine in Spain. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and offers a comfortable outdoor seating area.

Situated within the Historic District, the new Hilton has restored St. Augustine's old-world charm to the site. In keeping with its status as "America's Oldest City," St. Augustine sets stringent requirements for new structures; the design and approval process for the hotel took two and a half years, and the site had to be excavated prior to building. The hotel is located on the site of the old Monson Motel, a structure from the 1950s that had fallen into disrepair. Some of the historical artifacts discovered in the excavation, which was conducted by the city of St. Augustine will be featured in a display inside the new hotel.

The Hilton is within walking distance to many of the area's finest restaurants and most popular attractions. Horse-drawn carriages and a trolley also transport visitors from the hotel through the streets of the old city. Historical points of interest include the Spanish Colonial Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, dating from 1672, the original Government House and the magnificent Victorian structures of the period built by Henry Flagler, famous for bringing the railroad to St. Augustine, and on south to the Florida Keys. Guests can also enjoy the area's miles of stunning beaches, world class golf, tennis, charter fishing and sailing, among many other recreational activities.

GETTING THERE

The Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront is destined to be one of the area's premier full-service hotels, and is located in the Historic District on Avenida Menendez. The hotel is midway between Daytona Beach Airport and Jacksonville International Airport at 32 Avenida Menendez, St. Augustine, FL 32084. Phone: 904-829-2277. For more information or to make reservations, contact Hilton Reservations Worldwide at 1-800-445-8667 or visit www.hilton.com.


Source: Hilton Hotels Corporation

Marq

This press release sounded great as I am planning a weekend in St Augustine. Then, I saw that this is a Cat 5 property. No way am I going to part with 70K for a weekend stay at a hotel with no track record.

Has anyone stayed here yet? Were you able to get a good introductory rate? How does it compare to the other Hilton/Hampton properties on/closer to the beach?

thanks,

Marc

traveler4ever

I went to St. Augustine a few years back and stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn on the beach because there was nothing in the "Historical District" which was a bit of a disappointment. Not sure if this has been mentioned before, I did a quick search of "St. Augustine Hilton" and nothing came back. In my opinion, the only decent "hotel" there was, was the Casa Monica. I am proud to report, there is a beautiful Hilton in the Historical District now! They have a restaurant (Aviles) a small lounge area, and a very comfortable sitting area with a large screen T.V. No executive lounge though. As a gold I was offered breakfast for two in the morning consisting of: 1 glass; choice of juice, fresh seasonal fruit, two eggs; any style, lyonnaise potatoes, 3 strips of bacon or sausage or 1 ham steak, 2 pieces of toast, and your choice of 1 cup of coffee, tea or milk. Seems strange that it's "one" cup of coffee but other than that I think it's quite a breakfast. Can't wait till morning Any way, it's in a great location. I guess it's been here a few years now though. Anyone else have any experience at this hotel?

UpgradeMe

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ight=augustine

traveler4ever

Thanks UpgradeMe! I'm not going to bother doing a search next time. I'll just PM you and ask you! Amazing...


This morning, as a Hilton Gold, they said we could have the breakfast (previously described) or deduct thirty dollars from anything on the menu!

travelnurse

I agree it's a nice hotel, we received a bay view room with balcony. Nice decor and premium bedding. Parking is $18 per night plus valet tip. As diamond we were served continental breakfast by a less than friendly waitress; 2 mini-muffins, coffee, granola, melon bowl and yogurt. Given an option I would have preferred hot breakfast option or at least a choice of cereal. Better restaurant options are an easy walk in either direction.

The location is excellent and pricing is comparative to the many upscale B&B's that populate the historic district.

KathyWdrf

Seems rather odd that the HHonors Gold guest was given much better breakfast options than the HHonors Diamond!

Maybe it's a training issue....?

sallyerd

Here is my trip report for the The Hilton Historic Bayfront Inn - St. Augustine. We stayed late March 2006. The room rate was near ($160?) about the same in price as the other St. Aug. choices. That time of year is primetime. When we arrived we almost couldn't find the front portico entrance. Very humble front entrance for a Hilton but nicely befitting of the locale (more about that later). Parking fee $18 - enforced even for Gold. We ended up hardly ever using our vehicle and instead used it as a lockup for our bikes. The parking is worth it, IMO, for this location - just so you can enjoy the ambience of walking everywhere without hassles. Upon arrival, we were given two certs for full breakfast in the restaurant for Gold (good brekkies and service everyday). 2 bottles of water replenished every evening and turn-down service. Fairly new hotel; luscious, deep-mattress bedding. Coffee pot and fridge in each room. We never had dinner at the hotel but instead used the fridge for leftovers and basically skipped lunches.

I followed the excellent (as usual) advice gleaned from this forum and E-mailed the manager about 4 days prior with a polite, hopeful note for an upgrade for humble Golds. Indeed, the upgrade came through. Upon arrival we thought this was especially gracious since this was a busy time (waterfront yacht show nearby, several wedding parties staying at the hotel and this is a smallish property). We were placed in a prime balcony room overlooking the Bridge of Lions and Intracoastal Waterway of St. Aug. We sipped wine during the dusk hours while pedestrians trudged on the sidewalk below us (every once in while somebody would glance upward with an envious smile). The room had EXCELLENT light-darkening curtains to counteract the glaring east sunrises. The rooms are inside corridors. This is sort of hard to determine from the website and layout. The layout is intentionally deceiving in keeping with the historic appearance and ambience.

Of course, the biggest pleasure was the location. We were within walking distance of everything. I looked over the other St. Aug choices carefully and noted that the HI on the ocean was actually setback far from the waves of the Atlantic and VERY close to the public facilities (pier, bathrooms, etc.). Google satellite maps are great for helping you spot hotel site pitfalls, btw. I had read somewhere (trip advisor?) complaints about spillover crowds from the college kids and locals using the pool, etc. We didn't want to chance it and we didn't regret the Bayfront choice at all. Besides, about 8 miles north on AIA we enjoyed the most pristine, under-used state park imaginable for beach use called Guana State Park. Great hiking trails, too. Here is the link. http://funandsun.com/parks/GuanaRiver/guanariver.htm

Please no Guana jokes... bat guano ... hmmm ?

All in all, one of our most luxurious Hilton experiences, ever. During our stay, I composed a hand-written thank you note to the manager (no response). TTFN.

Kaiserin

I just stayed there on May 5th as a Diamond. I was there for work, so I appreciated the location, but didn't have a lot of opportunity to do anything touristy. My rate was $169.

I had candy/water in my room, and a letter talking about the hotel/free breakfast. I didn't opt for the free breakfast (it was a standard egg/meat/potato affair) since work was paying...I had pancakes instead (they were delicious).

The only negative about this hotel (IMO) is the fitness center. It's tiny and is next door to a guest room. Because of where it was located, they didn't open until 7am. (Hours for the room weren't published in the hotel's binder..)

I got up at 6am to work out, and couldn't get in, so the front desk explained. I went and walked for 45 minutes, came back at 7:10..and it still wasn't open.

The valet ended up propping the door open for me so I could get in.

Overall, the employees were very nice and the hotel fits into the ambiance of St. Augustine very well.

I would like to go back for a little vacation and bring my husband!

CNWO4LIFE

Stayed there Sunday for $151. I booked a regular room and requested a 2nd floor bayfront balcony. I was given a deluxe first floor with balcony overlooking the bay. Not to bad.
Breakfast was included in the rate. Standard Hilton fare. Staff throughout the property were helpful. Valet parkeing $18 dollars, only option.
This property is unlike most Hilton properties in that it is designed to resemble Historic St Augustine. Overall a nice stay.

Travelgirl1967

Has anyone had any recent experiences here or recommendations? Just made a reservation for early/mid November and got a very good weekday AAA rate. I have been to St. Augustine before and have had dinner in the evening at their restaurant, but have never stayed at the hotel. I am only a gold, but requested a quiet room with a water view balcony, if available. So I am hoping to get an upgrade and to avoid any late hurricanes.

Milhous Gloriosus

Any recent reports on this property?

Milhous Gloriosus

Anyone?

RMC500

I had a one-night stay about a month ago. As others have noted, it's in the historic district within walking distance of the tourist sites, courthouse, and local govt. bldgs. There are two buildings (front and back units) nestled together, both with two stories. The rooms on second floor of front unit facing the bay obviously have the best view. I was upgraded to a larger corner room on first floor of front unit facing bay - had to keep curtains shut since traffic on sidewalk is only a few feet from your room, but no bother to me since I got there after sunset and left rather early. Small restaurant/bar with very good food; it is very popular with locals. Received complementary full breakfast, internet, bottle of water, and large bag of m&m's (I'm a diamond). Because of its location downtown with limited street parking, the hotel only has valet parking at $21 per night. Friendly staff. Guests are predominately tourists. No complaints on my short stay.

Milhous Gloriosus

Thanks, RMC500!