ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The votes are in! Night of Lights tours has chosen the winners of the 30th Anniversary Nights of Lights and Light Up the Nights Visitors Choice Awards.
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Each year, Nights of Lights tours vote for the top 3 hospitality businesses that displayed elaborate lighting during the annual Light Up the Night contest. Businesses and owners receiving top votes for lighting displays received customized trophies and $5,000 in complimentary advertising campaigns, cash and public recognition for their involvement and hard work.
The City of St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights is world-renowned for its more than 3 million sparkling lights stretching for nearly 20 blocks. The event was held from Nov. 18, 2023, to Jan. 28, 2024. The international visitor and local business experience started 30 years ago and is consistently voted as one of the Top 10 “Best Holiday Lighting Displays in the World” and “Best Places To Spend Christmas In The U.S.,” along with additional acclaim by domestic and international publications, broadcasts and travel sites.
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This year’s Nights of Lights Visitors Choice Awards honors and prizes were presented to first-place winners at the Hilton St. Augustine Bayfront, and honors were presented to Scott Dial, general manager of the hotel, with the hotel’s management and engineering team.
“This year exceeded our total lighting display with an additional 150,000 lights added to our more than one million illuminations,” said Dial. “Next year, we plan to surprise our guests and visitors with a new assortment of lighting to be placed in a very special location on the property. My team of engineers looks forward to the extensive work required to display our hotel in the friendly competition among businesses in historic, Downtown St. Augustine.”
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Second-place winners were named at the Casablanca Inn On The Bay and the Tini Martini Bar with Eric Shaw, who heads up the Inn’s engineering team. According to Shaw, this year’s award is special and highlights the festive lighting throughout the property and the inclusion of new figurines and holiday characters inside and outside of the bayfront food and beverage establishment and guest inn.
Third place was awarded to Renaissance St. Augustine Historic Downtown Hotel with honors presented to Adelaida Hume, assistant general manager, and her team of housekeeping and engineering departments.
“Our guests and visitors really enjoy viewing the special lighting inside of the hotel and outside areas during Nights of Lights,” said Hume. “The hotel’s corner location in Downtown St. Augustine shows off our great visuals to locals, guests and visitors, which attracts them to visit the property. We appreciate the award very much.”
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To formally award the businesses, on Feb. 21, Dave Chatterton, Old Town Trolley Tours & Attractions of St. Augustine General Manager hosted an excursion and trophy awards plus check and prize presentations, and photo shoots with program sponsors and winning business leaders. Dial was presented with $1,000 in prize money for the Hilton St. Augustine Bayfront, Shaw was presented with $750 in prize money for Casablanca Inn On The Bay and the Tini Martini Bar and $500 was awarded to Hume in prize money for the Renaissance St. Augustine Historic Downtown Hotel.
During Nights of Lights, Old Town Trolley guests voted on the winning businesses and other establishments that were and were not directly on the tour route with a website, which includes photos of holiday lighting displays.
“The ongoing efforts with this year’s winners and additional businesses are to be admired along with the City of St. Augustine, local merchants, their guests and visitors who add to the success of this high-profile and world-renowned seasonal event,” said Chatterton. “We look forward to our next grouping of awards during the spectacular illumination event to run from Nov. 23 until Jan. 31, 2025, throughout the city,” he said. “Old Town Trolley Tours began the awards program in 2013 and will continue to sponsor the recognition.”
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