Gulf State Park Project Team applies for partnership with Hilton Hotel chain
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Gulf Shores, AL
Alabama officials are hoping to get a little help from a hospitality giant as they look to build a new Gulf State Park Lodge and meeting space on one of the state's most breathtaking beachfront properties.
Organizers of the Gulf State Park Enhancement Project announced Friday they have applied for a partnership with Hilton Worldwide to develop a replacement for the old Gulf State Park Lodge, destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
The new lodge would be owned and operated by the state, but Hilton would provide the franchise support system and help with reservations and sustainability initiatives.
According to project organizers, the new lodge will fit completely within the footprint of the old lodge and incorporate the latest in sustainable green building techniques for low energy usage and durability.
Cooper Shattuck, executive director of the project, said partnering with Hilton would help the lodge reach its environmental and economic goals.
"Hilton's clear sustainability goals for reductions in energy use, carbon output, waste output, and water use are consistent with the Gulf State Park Enhancement Project," Shattuck said in a news release. "They would make a great partner and are consistent with the vision to make the Gulf State Park an international model of economic and environmental sustainability."
According to the news release, "Hilton would support the booking of meetings, weddings and vacations, helping to welcome everyone and improve public access to the park."
The partnership would still have to be approved by Hilton, and then Gov. Robert Bentley, in processes that could take several months. No indication was given whether Hilton would be likely to accept the deal. Shattuck was not available for a follow-up interview Friday.
The project will be funded partially by $85.5 million in Natural Resource Damage Assessment funds stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A bill to take out a $50 million bond issue to cover the remaining costs of the project died in the Alabama Senate, but Bentley later announced that $50 million of Alabama's $1 billion settlement with BP would go toward the project.
'Misunderstood' Gulf State Park project moves forward
The planning phase of the $85 million project to improve Gulf State Park and build a lodge and meeting venue is moving forward in spite of a lawsuit aimed at stopping the project.
After the project was first announced, Bentley contracted with the University of Alabama to administer it. Shattuck, now the general counsel for the University of Alabama System, is a former legal advisor to Bentley.
The project has been the center of much controversy, including a lawsuit filed by conservation group Gulf Restoration Network, which argued the project was an inappropriate use of oil spill restoration funding.
Others strongly support the project as a way to generate revenue for the coastal economy and the Alabama State Park System, which still generates much of its revenue from Gulf State Park, even after the lodge was destroyed. In addition to the lodge, the Enhancement Project would include construction of an environmental interpretative center and an education center, as well as dune restoration projects and new hiking and biking trails throughout the park.
The project is expected to cost $117 million and be completed in 2018.
This story was updated at 8 p.m. to clarify the details of the partnership being sought between the Gulf State Park Project and Hilton. The state would still be the owner and primary operator of the new lodge if the deal goes forward.