The Local St. Augustine
512 Anastasia Blvd
St. Augustine, FL 32080
904.907.96o8
stay@thelocalinns.com

What inspired you to open THE LOCAL?  What about the name?
My husband (Adam Bedoian) and I have always dreamed about opening a bed & breakfast of some sort. We grew up in the hospitality industry and I actually have a degree in Hospitality Resort Management. We also have worked for corporate hotels like Doubletree, Hampton Inns, Holiday Inns, etc. We have a lot of hotel experience! I have worked pretty much every position from Front Desk, General Manager, Revenue Manager & Sales Manager. We wanted to start investing in Airbnb's and this opportunity came across our desk for a 20 room roadside motel and it felt like such a natural transition! It helped that I was working in Marketing at Welch Team Keller Williams and surrounded by realtors! My boss at the time, Christina Welch, immediately started helping me with the transaction and let me tell you it wasn't an easy transaction but she got us to the closing table! Shout out to Welch Team! 

We named it The Local - St. Augustine because we wanted the guest to feel like a local while staying with us! We want it to be a unique experience that they wouldn't get at the bigger brands. We also want to feature local businesses only. If you go to our website, you can find our blogs where we give recommendations on all sorts of things. All local only! 

When did you open and how has business been?
We opened in September 2021. Business has been really good the last few weeks. We started off slow because I spent so much time revamping the hotel, I got a late start on the marketing. Lesson learned there! 

What were some of the renovations you made?
Honestly, the previous owners did really great renovations but the place was super drab. Mostly, we have made cosmetic changes and gave it a good cleaning. The rooms now look bright and fun with retro Florida vibes! We are also working on a mural and doing some upgrades to the pool area which will be SUPER fun! Lastly, we are still working on the hospitality suite where guests can come grab a coffee, sit and talk with friends or work on their laptops.

We also made it completely digital which meant we had to change the locks out. Their stay is powered by the Virdee app. They book online, get prompted to download the Virdee app, complete the registration then on the day of arrival they get a digital key!

What does a typical room look like?
All the rooms are are slightly different. For a 20 room hotel, we have 8 different room types! They all have a retro feel with really pretty wallpaper and very minimal, meaning there is zero clutter! We changed out all the mattresses so they are super comfy. There is a mini fridge, microwave, cable, pump dispensers for soap, shampoo etc and each room has their own designated internet.

What are guests favorite thing about The Local?
On our reviews you can see that their favorite is the location, service, cleanliness and the digital checkin process! It's close to the Bridge of Lions, The St. Augustine Amphitheater & the Beach! You can easily walk to downtown or the Amphitheater and the beach is just a 5 minute drive.

What makes The Local special?
Our digital experience for sure. You don't have to worry about lines at checkin or going through that whole process. You can do your registration before the day of arrival and on checkin day, you just click a button! It really can't get easier than that. Also, we really pride ourselves on thinking like our travelers. We love to travel ourselves and couple that with our extensive hotel experience, we really can create a unique guest experience!

By Jeanne Hernandez
Premier Travel Advisors
​www.PremierTraveladvisors.com

​If you’re thinking about changing or canceling your vacation plans, I would advise that you change your travel dates instead of canceling your trip.  Many cruise lines and airlines are allowing travelers to change dates without charging a change fee. If you’re available to change your vacation to sometime in the summer or later, consider changing your vacation instead of canceling it completely.  This will help boost your mood and get rid of your “I had to cancel my vacation” blues. 

According to my favorite travel expert, Samantha Brown, “A little fact I love is that simply the act of PLANNING travel puts us in the same psychological happy place as BEING in a destination. So dream and PLAN your next trip for this (Summer/Fall)  because right now your Mental Health is just as important. What makes us happier makes us healthier.” 

If you wish to cancel a cruise because you’re worried about the Coronavirus it’s best that you wait until the last possible minute. If the cruise is canceled by the cruise line you should (on most cruise-lines) receive a future cruise credit from 100% to 150% of the amount of your first cruise and no penalty will be assessed.  Depending on the cruise-line, if you cancel your cruise yourself (and you’re within the cruise-line penalty) you might only receive your taxes back.

The same situation applies with the airlines.  If you are concerned that the airline might cancel your flight, you should wait and keep your fingers crossed that they do so. If you cancel it yourself, you can keep the amount of the ticket as a future credit, however, they’ll charge a change fee when you want to use it.  The fees are usually $200.00 for domestic and $300.00+ for international flights.   With the current Coronavirus situation, most of the airlines are allowing changes to flights at no additional charge and some (not many) are giving their customers a refund.  So it’s better to change rather than cancel.   

Your travel agent will be able to walk you through your options to come up with the best solution for you.  If you didn’t work with a travel agent for your vacation, it may be a good idea find an experienced travel agent to work with in the future.  It’s their job to help you navigate this world and be your advocate.  

If you are unable to change your dates, don’t stop dreaming and planning future trips, because travel will bounce back. It always does.