Tampa-based McKibbon Hospitality has taken over the Courtyard Jacksonville Beach Oceanfront, located at 1617 1st St N, and plans to make several changes, specifically to its food and beverage offerings.
McKibbon acquired the hotel earlier this month and will operate the Courtyard property for the Noble Investment Group, which purchased the hotel, according to Jacksonville Business Journal. This marks the 32nd project between the two groups. This will be the third hotel from Noble Investments in the greater Jacksonville area, following Hilton Garden Inn Jacksonville Ponte Vedra Beach Sawgrass and Homewood Suites Jacksonville South at the St. Johns Town Center.
“There will be some improvements done in the food and beverage area,” McKibbon president Bruce Baerwalde tells the Business Journal. “We believe that there’s some efficiencies that can happen there for a better experience to the guest. We’re going to find ways to better activate the pool bar that exists with better food as well as an improved beverage experience there. What’s happening right now is the final planning on a pretty significant renovation of the hotel. It needs an investment of capital, and Noble is committed to that. That plan is underway, and we expect to get started within the next 12 months.”
This is a massive accomplishment for McKibbon Hospitality, which first entered the Jacksonville market with the Homewood Suites in St. John’s Town Center in 2005. Now, the group will take over the pet-friendly Courtyard, featuring 150 guest rooms and almost 2,500 square feet of meeting space. This isn’t the only project for the hospitality group, which says it is searching for more opportunities within Jacksonville.
“McKibbon will continue to look at Jacksonville for expansion,” Baerwalde continues. “We are working on a project for a third-party developer in the downtown area. We like the Jacksonville market when you look at it as a whole. The entirety of it is staying a little bit ahead of the national trend. Jacksonville is popular, and for good reason. There’s a lot of good things happening. If downtown can stay on course with the development that’s happening, that’s going to be very special.”
