Innisfree Breaks Ground for New Hampton Inn at Former Clarion Suites Property
Pensacola Beach marked a major milestone July 10 with the ceremonial groundbreaking for a new Hampton Inn & Suites, a $100 million project developed by Innisfree Hotels.
The new 185,000‑square‑foot hotel — informally dubbed “Project Omega” because it is expected to be the last viable beachfront hotel project in the commercial core —will feature 215 rooms, a 170,000‑gallon lazy river with a waterslide, indoor and outdoor meeting space, and a two‑story bar and grill. It will be Innisfree Hotels’ sixth hotel on Pensacola Beach.
Innisfree founder Julian MacQueen devoted many of his remarks to the hotel’s economic impact. The new Hampton Inn & Suites is expected to create 150 new jobs on Pensacola Beach, adding to Innisfree’s existing 825 teammates in Escambia County.
“We’re bringing in not just jobs but jobs for people at all levels of society,” MacQueen said, noting that hospitality careers can grow from entry-level roles to C‑suite positions. “This industry allows people to use their God‑given talents… it doesn’t require a degree.”
MacQueen said the project and Innisfree’s portfolio on the beach will:
Generate over $4.4 million in Tourist Development Council (bed) taxes, which he estimated as roughly 20% of all TDC collections,
Contribute about $6.8 million in state tax,
Produce approximately $1.7 million in local option sales tax, and
Generate about $2.1 million in Santa Rosa Island Authority fees.
In all, he said Innisfree’s operations on the beach are expected to generate around $16 million in local sales tax.
District 4 Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger, whose district includes Pensacola Beach, praised Innisfree for its community-focused approach.
“You’re providing 150 new jobs coming to Pensacola Beach… and you don’t just give them a job; you give them a career,” she said. “I also want to highlight that they have done this without coming to the Board of County Commissioners and asking for tax breaks or asking for incentives. They are investing their own time to make Pensacola and Escambia County better.”
Hofberger said the project shows how tourism can benefit year‑round residents when companies reinvest locally.
From buying a 100‑room former Howard Johnson’s in 1994 to overseeing about 1,200 beachfront rooms today, MacQueen called the Omega Project a personal and professional milestone.
“It’s been a long, lovely process, and we are so happy to be part of Pensacola,” he said. “We spend our time and energy in trying to make Pensacola better and better in areas that are underserved… and we are very proud to be here today after working on this for a couple of decades.”
The event concluded with the traditional shovel ceremony, as project leaders and community representatives turned the first spades of sand to mark the official start of construction.