Just a month after winning the rights to develop a Margaritaville Resort in Hollywood Beach, Florida, the Pensacola News Journal reports that Jimmy Buffett will build a Margaritaville Beach Hotel in Pensacola, Florida:

The legendary singer-songwriter has reached an agreement with Pensacola developer Marilyn Woodbury-Hess to launch the first Margaritaville Beach Hotel in a $50 million, 162-room Gulf-front hotel expected to open in late May or early June.

Buffett’s Orlando-based development partner, Jim Wiseman, announced the deal during the Santa Rosa Island Authority’s regular board meeting Wednesday evening.

Wiseman said the decision to launch the hotel brand in Pensacola was the result of three weeks of rapid-fire meetings he and Buffett held with Woodbury-Hess’ Little Sabine Inc., developers of the property owned by American Fidelity Life Insurance Co.

“Up until three weeks ago, our plans were to locate the first Margaritaville Beach Hotel in Hollywood, Fla.,” Wiseman told Island Authority members. “It’s really providential how this all came about. It was meant to be at Pensacola Beach.”

Wiseman noted that Buffett, a Mobile native, “grew up on Pensacola Beach” and his strong affinity for the area factored heavily into the decision to locate the first hotel there.

Woodbury-Hess’ deal with Buffett comes on the heels of a falling-out with Indigo, a boutique brand developed by IMG, parent company of Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Intercontinental franchises.

“This is not just an economic boost for Pensacola Beach and this community, but we will have the advertising and billing of Jimmy Buffet,” Woodbury-Hess said.

In addition to the hotel, Wiseman said plans are under way to build a 5,000-square-foot temporary gazebo-like structure immediately east of the hotel.

A large restaurant and water park also are part of the second phase development plan for the Gulf-front property, Wiseman said.

Preliminary site plans for the gazebo, additional parking and other exterior amenities were approved unanimously by the SRIA.

The hotel is on land once occupied by the Holiday Inn, built in 1972 and destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

While Jimmy Buffett was in Jamaica last Friday to christen the new Boscobel Aerodrome, he also hopped over to his Margaritaville in Ocho Rios to attend a welcome home party for Newton Marshall who recently completed the Iditarod dogsled race.

Jamaica’s dogsled musher, Newton Marshall, received a grand welcome Friday afternoon at Margaritaville’s Ocho Rios during a special welcome home party dubbed “Rootin’ for Newton”.

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville is Marshall’s main sponsor and Buffet was on hand to congratulate and celebrate with the musher who became the first black man to complete the Iditarol.

Also celebrating with Marshall were entertainment, sports and culture minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange and Chukka Caribbean’s Danny Melvin who established the Jamaica Dogsled team and where Marshal is employed as a dog musher.

Business mogul Chris Blackwell, Margaritaville’s CEO Ian Dear and executive director Mike Shamry and St Ann Custos Radcliffe Walters and wife Norma also joined in the celebration.

Entertainment was provided by the selectors at the turn tables at Margaritaville and they included in their selection several of Buffett’s hit.

Marshall said he was pleased with the love and support he has received from Buffet and all his other sponsors and Chuckka Caribbean for establishing the Dogsled team and believing in him.

Marshall placed 47 in the 2010 Iditarod in Alaska and finished the race in 12 days, 4 hours, 27 minutes and 28 seconds.

Northern Light Media has more: “The Jamaican: Newton Marshall”

(Photo by Brian Webb)

The official website for the Margaritaville Cafe in Niagara Falls, ON is now online at www.margaritavilleniagara.ca. Like the recently launched site for the Nashville location, there isn’t a lot of content yet but more will be added soon.

Niagara Falls will be the first Canadian location for Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. At the corner of Fallsview Blvd. and Murray St., the restaurant will boast 14,000 square feet on two indoor levels with breathtaking panoramic views of “The Falls” from three of its four outdoor patios. It’s slated to be open sometime this spring.

The Margaritaville Nashville website is now up at www.margaritavillenashville.com with some content, including a section for management opportunities. They currently list five positions open:

• Assistant General Manager
• Executive Chef
• General Manager
• Merchandise Store
• Sales Manager

Visit the site for more information and to apply online.

Margaritaville Nashville is slated to open downtown on Broadway at the end of the year.

May is “National Hamburger Month” and naturally, Margaritaville is celebrating!

This year, Margaritaville celebrates all things hamburger with Meat us at Margaritaville, a month long promotion focusing on the American classic, and offering a variety of burger and beverage features. “With close to 25 years of serving up our signature Cheeseburger in Paradise, we have guests that have grown up on our burgers,” explains Tamara Baldanza, Margaritaville’s director of marketing. “It only makes sense that during National Hamburger Month, we would celebrate this great American food and the folks who love to eat them!”

Nationwide, the Margaritaville restaurants now serve-up over 1 million burgers annually. This year, Margaritaville encouraged its Facebook fans to log on and vote on their favorite burgers created by various Margaritaville chefs. The 5 winning burgers were announced on April 21st and will be featured during the month of May at all participating Jimmy Buffett restaurant U.S. locations.

Here were the winning burgers:

• Carolina Cheeseburger (Chef Kevin Muldoon/Myrtle Beach)
• Caprese Burger (Chef Dan Murray/Orlando)
• Cajun Surf and Turf Burger (Chef Mark Collins/Mohegan Sun)
• Goin’ Back to Cali Burger (Chef Ron Sturm/Key West)
• Smokey Mountain Burger (Chef Randall Aguillard/New Orleans)

Become a fan of Margaritaville on Facebook. And while you’re at it, become a fan of BuffettWorld on Facebook too!