Renaissance World Golf Village Names Thompson Director of Catering Sales & Destination Services

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. August 12, 2011

August 11, 2011 - Kristin Thompson , CMP, CMM, has been named Director of Catering Sales & Destination Services at The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort and Convention Center in Jacksonville/St. Augustine, Florida. In her new position she is responsible for overseeing catering sales, event planning and destination services at the AAA Four-Diamond Northeast Florida resort, which together with the adjacent World Golf Hall of Fame is the largest combination hotel and convention center between Atlanta and Orlando, with 101,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

Prior to joining The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort and Convention Center, Thompson served for six years at Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where she was the founding manager of the resort's Destination Management Department, Destinations by Marriott. In that position she was responsible for overseeing the department, which coordinated off-property events, teambuilding activities, recreational programs, specialty classes, spouse events, atmospheric decor and design, and transportation for meeting and convention groups at the resort. During her tenure at the resort she also served as Event Manager, and was recipient of Interstate Hotels and Resorts' “Top 10 Convention Services Manager of the Year Award” in 2005. Previous positions include serving as Senior Meeting Planner at Allied Domecq/Dunkin Donuts for six years, and as Meeting Manager at Quinwell Travel/QTW Meetings for five years. She may be reached at [email protected].

“We are thrilled to have Kristin Thompson now overseeing the catering sales and destination services at The Renaissance Resort,” said Jeffrey Oliasami, the resort's general manager. “I worked with Kristin when I was the hotel general manager at Sawgrass Marriott, and she does an outstanding job. She is the perfect person to oversee the resort's catering sales and our new Destination Services Department. She truly will be a wonderful resource for meeting and convention groups, incentive/recognition programs, and leisure and golf groups.”

Located within the lush 6,300-acre World Golf Village, The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort and Convention Center is the only Northeast Florida resort and convention center to receive the prestigious AAA Four Diamond rating, which is an honor achieved by less than 4% of the AAA approved properties. Additional awards recently bestowed on the resort include Successful Meetings magazine's acclaimed “Pinnacle Award.”

Featuring a picturesque setting overlooking a lake, the resort completed a $10 million resort-wide renovation in 2008, which included the complete remodeling of guest rooms and suites, a dramatically-renovated lobby, newly-remodeled guest room corridors, an expanded fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment, enhanced meeting space, and the opening of 500 South Restaurant & Bar.

As part of the renovation guest rooms and suites received new furniture, soft goods, window treatments, lighting, 37” flat-panel screen LCD HDTV televisions, and the Marriott JackPack, which provides complete connectivity to the guests for laptops, MP3 players, digital cameras, and video game players. The rooms and suites feature a contemporary design with an Asian feel, which includes rich red bed coverings, crisp white linens, along with a color scheme of warm neutral gold. In-room offerings also include high-speed Internet access, two telephones with data ports, a wet bar and refrigerator, an in-room safe, and in-room coffee.

The resort also boasts a dramatically remodeled nine-story atrium lobby, featuring a Colonial/Asian theme with lush foliage and a colorful 7-story modern hanging sculpture that is reminiscent of open Florida skies.

Recreational offerings at the resort include two championship golf courses: the popular Slammer & Squire (just steps from The Renaissance Resort), and the renowned King & Bear (co-designed by Arnold “The King” Palmer and Jack “The Bear” Nicklaus). Guests also have access to four additional golf courses within 15 minutes of the resort, for a total of 108 holes of golf. Additional offerings at the resort include a sauna, pool, hot tub, and full-service concierge.

Guests also are an easy walk to The World Golf Hall of Fame's 18-hole real grass putting course, a 132-yard Island Challenge Hole, an IMAX® 3D Theater, and the Walk of Champions. In addition, guests can take golf lessons at the renowned PGA TOUR Golf Academy.

When visiting the resort, guests and groups have the opportunity to visit nearby pristine Atlantic beaches, take fun eco-tours and chartered fishing trips, enjoy exceptional shopping at two large outlet malls, and explore historic St. Augustine.

To make it easy for its guests to enjoy area offerings, The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort is now offering a complimentary shuttle for individual guests (based on availability) to and from historic downtown St. Augustine. This new service enables guests to easily visit sites in St. Augustine, which was founded in 1565, including the historic Castillo de San Marcos fort, The Fountain of Youth, and shopping on the charming, brick-paved St. George Street. Additional options in downtown St. Augustine include the Old Town Trolley Tour, The Old Jail, The St. Augustine History Museum, The Spanish Quarter, The Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Whetstone's Chocolate Factory, Lightner Museum, Flagler College, and a variety of water activities.

In addition, the resort's White Glove Meeting Services include complimentary transportation to and from Jacksonville International Airport for new group business booked in 2011 and beyond. To qualify for the complimentary airport transportation a group is required to contract for a minimum of 50 rooms per night for 2 nights and 2 banquet meals daily.

For information on The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort and Convention Center, call 888-740-7020 or 904-940-8000, and visit www.WorldGolfRenaissance.com .