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Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront rebrands to DoubleTree next year

Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront rebrands to DoubleTree Jacksonville Riverfront September 1, 2015. As an aside, I started writing this piece after seeing an article in Florida Times-Union newspaper stating the Crowne Plaza rebrand was happening this Monday, September 1, 2014. Then, I noticed other news sources, including SoTHERLY Hotels website, state the rebrand is actually scheduled for September 1, 2015.

SoTHERLY Hotels, owners of the property, purchased the 292-room hotel for $22 million in 2005 when it was a Hilton brand and SoTHERLY Hotels was called MHI Hospitality Group. They rebranded the hotel to Crowne Plaza in 2006. MHI became SoTHERLY Hotels last year and they have decided to reattach the hotel to Hilton Worldwide as a DoubleTree with a 10-year franchise agreement.

The hotel is currently undergoing a $5 million renovation to be complete in 2015.

The riverfront location on the south bank of the St. Johns River is opposite the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront on the north side of the St. Johns. The first night of my Jacksonville, Florida to Norfolk, Virginia coastal road trip in May on a National Car Rental $15 all-in per day ‘drive out of Florida’ special rate was spent at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville with a view across the river to the Crowne Plaza.

Crowne Plaza Jacksonville
Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront on south bank of St. Johns River, Jacksonville, Florida (May 2014)

Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront on the south bank of St. Johns River Jacksonville, Florida will be rebranded DoubleTree by Hilton Jacksonville Riverfront on September 1, 2015 after $5 million renovation.

Jacksonville, Florida is a location I briefly enjoyed to start my road trip. The city is a great place for a loyalty traveler with all the major brands and low hotel rates and low hotel category reward nights. Aloft Jacksonville Airport is one of only seven Starwood Hotels in the USA listed as a SPG Category 1 hotel. The Hyatt Regency Jacksonville is a category 2 hotel. I stayed a Saturday night using Hyatt’s “My Elite Rate’ and dropped the rate to $71. Parking was free in the garage across the street connected to the hotel by an elevated walkway. The Regency Club lounge was closed and I received 2,500 bonus points as a Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond member and free breakfast buffet.

Loyalty Traveler posts:

Hotel Reviews: Florida Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront

Jacksonville and the St. Johns River

I wonder which HHonors reward category DoubleTree Jacksonville will be placed in?

That Florida rental car deal is such a good value that I hope to take another ‘drive out of Florida’ road trip in May 2015. I will need to find another way to extend my HHonors Gold status for 2015 to get elite treatment.

Loyalty Traveler – Drive North! $15 to $20 per day one-way car rentals from Florida.

*****

Ric Garrido of Monterey, California is writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler.

Loyalty Traveler shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. Check out current hotel loyalty program offers across all the major chains in Loyalty Traveler’s monthly hotel promotions guide.

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