'Something for everyone': St. Joe to open Residence Inn in Panama City beach soon
PANAMA CITY BEACH − A local land development company plans to open its sixth Bay County hotel within the next few months.
According to Mike Kerrigan, spokesman for the St. Joe Company, the group is very close to opening the 121-suite Residence Inn by Marriott being built in Panama City Beach. The property is located along Panama City Beach Parkway near Pier Park and Frank Brown Park.
It also sits adjacent to the 124-room TownePlace Suites by Marriott, another St. Joe Project.
"(It) is progressing really well," Kerrigan said of Residence Inn. "We anticipate opening that in the spring, so we're getting very close. We are excited for (it) to be in a position to welcome guests.
"It was the success of that TownePlace Suites that ... gave us the confidence to move ahead, break ground and develop this Residence Inn."
Both hotels stem from a partnership between St. Joe and InterMountain Management, a property management company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana.
The Residence Inn, which began construction in May 2022, marks St. Joe's 12th hotel. Half of the properties sit in Bay County, and the others are in Walton County.
The Bay County hotels are: Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Hilton Garden Inn (143 rooms), Homewood Suites by Hilton (131 rooms), Embassy Suites by Hilton (225 rooms) and Hotel Indigo (124 rooms).
The Walton County hotels are WaterColor Inn (67 rooms), Watersound Inn (11 rooms), The Pearl Hotel (55 rooms), The Lodge 30A (85 rooms), Home2 Suite by Hilton (107 rooms) and Camp Creek Inn (75 rooms).
Of those properties, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hotel Indigo, The Lodge 30A, Home2 Suite by Hilton and Camp Creek Inn all opened in 2023.
"What's great is they're all unique and different enough that they serve different types of travelers who might be visiting our region for different reasons at different price points," Kerrigan said. "We think we now have kind of something for everyone."
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Residence Inn is the only St. Joe hotel currently under construction. It will boast 121 suite-style rooms equipped with full kitchens, full-size refrigerators, stovetops, microwaves and dishwashers, as well as a pool, fitness center, laundry services and breakfast area.
Kerrigan said he thinks the hotel will be especially good for tourists who plan to stay in the area for more than just a couple of days. This might be families participating in different sporting events at Frank Brown Park.
"We don't anticipate any new hotels breaking ground in the real-near future, but this region has become such a great destination for all sorts of travelers that we'll continue to look at our land holdings for potential future hotel sites," Kerrigan said.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: St. Joe Company to soon open 6th Bay County hotel in Panama City Beach
