St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and The Beaches Among Best of Best

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. October 14, 2008

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL, January 15, 2008. St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches is starting 2008 with an impressive new list of accolades that highlight the accommodations, attractions and people that make this Florida destination so popular with visitors. These awards include:

World's Best Hotels: Both the Lodge and Club at Ponte Vedra Beach and the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club were included in Travel + Leisure magazine's sixth annual guide to the world's 500 highest-rated hotels. The annual compilation of the world's best accommodations is released each January. Of the 16 Florida hotels on this impressive list, the Lodge and Club ranked fourth and the Inn and Club was named sixth. In addition, the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club has received AAA's Five Diamond rating for 2008. Only 100 properties nationwide received this prestigious rating.

Choice Gold Hospitality Award: Choice Hotels International has presented the Castillo Real St. Augustine Beach with a Gold Hospitality Award. The award is given to Choice Hotels that exceed established standards for customer service, housekeeping and product quality. Gold Hospitality Awards winners are selected from among more than 5,000 hotels in the United States and in 37 countries.

Spirit of Hilton Garden Inn Award: Manuel Bravo, an engineer at the Hilton Garden Inn in St. Augustine Beach, has been selected as the recipient of Hilton's 'Spirit of Hilton Garden Inn Award.' The award is presented quarterly to the most outstanding employee selected from the staffs at more than 260 Hilton Garden Inns in North America. This is the second time an employee at the St. Augustine Beach property has received this prestigious award.

VCB Website Honored: On January 28, the Visitors and Convention Bureau's website will be recognized with a Bronze Adrian Award in Website Marketing from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI). Founded in 1927, HSMAI has more than 7,000 members representing all segments of the hospitality industry worldwide. The VCB's award-winning website is www.getaway4florida.com.

White Glove Awards: All 20 St. Augustine inns recently inspected by Superior Small Lodging received top White Glove Awards. Eleven of the inns received perfect scores! These were Bayfront Inn; Bayfront Marin House; Bayfront Westcott House; Casa de la Paz; Cedar House Inn; The Cozy Inn; Inn at Camachee Harbor; At Journey's Inn; Ocean Sands Inn; The Saragossa Inn; and Southern Wind Inn. Superior Small Lodging sets standards and assists in marketing more than 400 independently-owned inns in Florida.

America's Best New Golf Courses: In its December issue, Golf Digest included 'The Conservatory' at Ginn Hammock Beach Resort in its annual listing of 'America's Best New Golf Courses' The course was ranked third in the United States in the category of Best Public Course with fees of $75 or more.

VCB Research Featured: Brian London, marketing research manager for the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau, has been selected to address the Southeastern Travel and Tourism Research Association's Annual Conference. London's presentation at this prestigious meeting will focus on the realities and opportunities related to applying marketing intelligence at a local level.

To find out more about accommodations, attractions and vacation opportunities in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, contact the Visitors and Convention Bureau at 1.800.653.2489 or go to www.Getaway4Florida.com.