The Auburn Marriott Opelika Hotel & Conference Center at Grand National was recently named a 2016 Editor’s Choice resort by Golf Digest.
Kevin Cross, the general manager of the resort, spoke of the excitement that the PGA Tour Barbasol Championship has brought to the town.
The resort was alsocompletely renovated just in time for the tournament.
“My favorite part about the tournament is the electricity in the air,” Cross said. “We talk about the tournament on a year-round basis. So it’s exciting to see our new product (the renovated result) at this time of the year.”
Cross mentioned it takes about three to four months to prepare for this tournament. It takes a lot of planning and man power to prepare for all of the guests.
“In terms of the hotel itself we had a game plan going into this year,” he said.
Completing renovations of all of the guests’ rooms also made it a busy time of the year. The goal was to have the resort ready prior to the Barbasol’s second season.
“Renovating and running a hotel can be hectic,” Cross said. “As we did with our last project, we do it towards a slower time of the year, during the first quarter so the guest impact is lighter.”
Receiving the reward in conjunction with the PGA tournament for the second year in a row has given the resort some publicity.
“It's a great testament to the golf facility that is available,” Cross said. “And the residents from the National Village are very proud of the reward as well.”
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