Corbin's Corner
Families flock to beach till Labor Day
Grant Corbin

I talked with Tom Rasinen, Director of Sales at the Hilton Garden Inn. I talked to him about the hotel rooms on the beach, the busy times and the not so busy times.

Tom said the busy season begins around Memorial Day and starts to end around Labor Day. The room bookings aren't as high as they could be due to local schools taking shorter summers.

Most schools "up north" start much later (around Labor Day), thus tourists continue to flock to Pensacola Beach until around Labor Day. Tom said around Labor Day there are lots of families trying to get in a lastminute vacation before many schools go back into session (Labor Day, Labor Day, Labor Day, OK I'm done saying Labor Day).

What about winter? How do the hotels fair during this time period?

During the winter months, Tom said there is an influx of senior citizens during the winter time (snow birds). Corporate events and conventions are quite popular during the winter months when the beach is not a selling point. Fall can be a popular time for tourists to come to the beach since the weather is overall pretty nice during that time.

I asked Tom about the new proposed developments that are planned for the area and how this would work out. Tom said that the area basically sells itself. Pensacola Beach is centrally located between Perdido Key and Destin, a popular fivemile stretch on the Gulf Coast frequented by many.

Development is inevitable; it's close to an airport (Pensacola Regional) and it's within driving distance of many cities; it's amazing such an influx of hotels and business did not catch on long ago. Essentially "build it, and they will come" is true.

Obviously, the tourism industry on Pensacola Beach is going to continue to grow and thrive.

Lastly, I asked Mr. Rasinen, what's up with the colors of hotels on the beach (obviously he is not "the" person to ask, but he had an answer!) Most the hotels are looking the same color (Sewage-treatment-plantbrown). He said that color scheme is going to stay and will probably be implemented in the new developments (I didn't know brown paint was all the rage these days).

I'd like to thank Tom Rasinen for talking to me (I'm not a "talkative person", but I get around) and you the reader for reading my deadline-fueled submission.