Renaissance World Golf Village Resort Captures Association Meetings' “2012 Inner Circle Award”

. August 31, 2012

August 31, 2012 - The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort, Convention Center and Beach Club in Jacksonville/St. Augustine, Florida, has captured another prestigious award from the meetings industry: Association Meetings magazine's “2012 Inner Circle Award.” The award will be presented to Jeffrey Oliasami, general manager of the 301-room, AAA Four Diamond resort. Together with the adjacent World Golf Hall of Fame, The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort, Convention Center and Beach Club is the largest combination hotel and convention center between Atlanta and Orlando, with 101,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

Considered one of the most prestigious awards in the meetings industry, the “Inner Circle Award” is determined by Association Meetings magazine's readers, who voted for the top hotels, resorts, convention centers, convention & visitor bureaus, and tourist boards in the United States and Canada that were the best at servicing their meetings and conventions from July 2011 to June 2012. The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort, Convention Center and Beach Club is one of only 40 resorts or hotels in the United States chosen to receive the award. The magazine's readership consists of association executives and meeting professionals.

“The Inner Circle Award is a very prestigious award, and we are very pleased that our resort is again recognized by association executives and meeting professionals for being one of the very best hotels in the country for hosting association meetings,” said Oliasami.

Located within the lush 6,300-acre World Golf Village, the resort is the only Northeast Florida resort and convention center to receive the esteemed AAA Four Diamond rating. The honor is achieved by less than 4% of the AAA approved properties. Other honors recently bestowed on the resort include Smart Meetings magazine's prestigious “Platinum Choice Award,” Successful Meetings magazine's acclaimed “Pinnacle Award,” Meetings & Conventions' sought after “Gold Key Award,” and Corporate Meetings & Incentives magazine's prestigious “Paragon Award.”

Not resting on its many laurels, the resort continues to enhance its offerings. This includes a dramatic renovation and expansion of its outdoor meeting, event and recreational space, which was completed in September 2011. The large project included new and expanded outdoor function space with beautiful brick pavers, elegant new furniture in conversational groupings, and a beautiful new fountain called La Piazza; as well as a new and expanded pool deck with new seating areas. The new outdoor function space, now named La Terrazza, is able to accommodate groups of up to 2,000 guests. With this expansion the resort added 15,000 square feet of new function space, bringing the resort's offerings to 101,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

The resort also completed many other enhancements in 2011, which included the opening of the Villagio Italian Grille; the opening of The Resort Shop, which serves a full menu of Starbuck's coffees, breakfast fare, sandwiches, soups, salads, wraps, and desserts, as well as an array of local gifts and souvenirs; and the addition of a picturesque new gazebo.

In 2012 the resort added another new feature, as it now provides privileges for its guests and groups at the private Serenata Beach Club, which features a breathtaking setting overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Serenata features: a 12,000-square-foot oceanfront clubhouse; three swimming pools; a Mediterranean-inspired dining room with views of the Atlantic; two bars; a fitness center; locker facilities; and scheduled activities. In addition to providing privileges to guests, The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort also provides a complimentary shuttle to and from Serenata Beach Club for individual guests (based on availability). Serenata Beach Club is located in Ponte Vedra Beach, a comfortable drive from The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort.

These enhancements follow a $10 million resort-wide renovation that was completed in 2008, which included the complete remodeling of guest rooms and suites, a dramatically-renovated lobby, newly-remodeled guest room corridors, and an expanded fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment. 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 options 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. Additionally, the resort features a sauna, pool, hot tub, and full-service concierge.

Guests and groups also are an easy walk to the World Golf Hall of Fame, which is the ultimate destination for the celebration of golf's greatest players, with fun interactive exhibits, and historic golf artifacts. Also within an easy walk are 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, groups and guests have the opportunity to 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 the area, The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort now provides a complimentary shuttle for individual guests (based on availability) to and from historic downtown St. Augustine. The service enables guests to easily visit such sites in St. Augustine, which was founded in 1565, as 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 Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, and a variety of water activities.

For information on The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort, Convention Center and Beach Club, call 888-740-7020 or 904-940-8696, or visit www.renwgv.com .