Hilton Head Business Expo After Hours Photo

This photo on the front page of the Island Packet today of Mark Halverson reacting to sinking a winning putt to win a free round of golf at the Dolphin Head Golf Club booth shows how much fun the Business Expo is on Hilton Head island.
---
Hilton Head Vacation Rentals

How to Make the Most of Vacation Rentals When Traveling to Hilton Head Island, SC

Hilton Head Island, SC February 7, 2010 – With a TV commercial highlighting vacation rentals having aired in Sunday’s big game, football fans are discovering why renting vacation homes, condos, villas and cabins is a favorite choice for many versus hotels. Beyond the experiences families and friends build by staying in a home away from home in Hilton Head Island, SC, there are numerous benefits to choosing vacation rentals – sometimes in ways they’d least expect.

Whether trying vacation rentals for the first time or if you’re one of the nearly nine in 10 travelers who plan to rent again,* Hilton Head travel and vacation rental expert, General Manager Robert Stenhammer offers the following planning tips and insights as a post-game update for visiting Hilton Head Island, SC:

• KNOW YOUR DESTINATION: Whether you are a first-time traveler to Hilton Head or an old pro, it’s recommended that you become familiar with the state’s special events, seasons and offerings. Some of the most popular activities on Hilton Head Island include deep sea fishing, biking, dolphin tours, kayaking the lagoons, jet skiing Calibogue Sound, spa treatments, shopping at Harbour Town or Shelter Cove Marina, the Coastal Discovery Museum and more. This spring, two of Hilton Head’s signature events grace the island: the 25th Annual Hilton Head Food & Wine Festival and the Verizon Heritage Golf Tournament.

• LOOK FOR PACKAGES: During certain seasons, vacation rental packages can provide even more value, some with 2-bedrooms starting at just $175 per night, with all of the typical amenities of a resort and more. Search Hilton Head Vacation Specials online to become familiar with various vacation rental types, reservation rates as well as travel specials available in Hilton Head.

• AVOID AIRLINE BAGGAGE FEES: Most Hilton Head vacation rentals come equipped with washers and dryers, and ResortQuest Hilton Head Island also provides free laundry detergent and bath amenities. Travelers may choose to use these perks to pack less clothing and toiletries, avoiding commercial airlines’ baggage fees and restrictions.

• USE SPACE TO YOUR ADVANTAGE: Hilton Head vacation homes and condos can be from 1,000 to more than 7,000 sq. ft., often costing less than a single hotel room by sleeping up to 20 guests versus just a few.

• SAVE ON DINING OUT: With full kitchens, and sometimes, outdoor grills, Hilton Head vacation rental travelers often make and store meals and snacks for less, including football favorites like homemade nachos during postseason trips. Use local ingredients and recipes for more memorable mealtimes, like the famous blue crab and succulent shrimp found just off the Hilton Head coast. This also provides healthy travel options, cutting the amount of calories typically consumed while on vacation.

• ASK ABOUT AFTER-HOURS SERVICE: When looking into any vacation rental accommodations, check to see if there is an accessible customer service number for emergency needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and for after-hour requests. ResortQuest Hiton Head provides a 24-hour guest services line for our customers.

• ENTERTAIN FOR FREE: Most of ResortQuest Hilton Head’s vacation homes, villa rentals and condos include amenities not found in hotels, some with game rooms, BBQ grills, wireless internet, wet bars, Jacuzzi tubs, private pools and hot tubs, sundecks, outdoor entertainment areas, free DVD rentals, discount golf and free tennis. Many are also in communities with access to bike paths, beachfronts, lagoons, parks, community pools, fitness centers, tennis clubs, golf courses and more.

• ASK ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS: Beyond the ability to live like a local on Hilton Head Island, vacation rental guests can also take advantage of our relationships with activity providers, shops, restaurants, tour companies and more. The ResortQuest Hiton Head Recommends Program offers exclusive discounts for ResortQuest guests on over 160 of Hilton Head’s most popular activities, shopping, dining and spa vendors.

• REMEMBER BIG EVENTS: Whether it’s for football championships or national Bowl games, concerts, baseball series’, basketball or other events, vacation rentals can save fans from the hassle of finding multiple hotel rooms during big events, and on the cost of multiple reservations.

• TRANSPORTATION: Other relationships to remember are those made between vacation rental managers and transportation providers, whether it’s rental cars, shuttle services, golf carts, bicycles or more.

For more information on Hilton Head vacation rentals, visit the ResortQuest Hilton Head website at www.resortquesthiltonhead.com or call 800-875-8726.

ResortQuest General Manager Robert Stenhammer Nominated to Three-Year Term on the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce

The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to helping the business community and expanding the regional economy on Hilton Head Island and the nearby town of Bluffton, South Carolina. Hilton Head is one of the nation’s premier resort destinations and offers a variety of villas and private homes available for vacation rental.

November 16, 2009, Hilton Head Island, SC -- Robert Stenhammer, General Manager for ResortQuest Hilton Head Island has been nominated to serve a second term on the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, beginning in 2010. In his first term, Stenhammer has been instrumental in advancing the common interest of the professionally managed Home & Villa vacation rental industry on the Island by establishing VTRiP (the Vacation Travel Research Program) which monitors and projects the health of tourism on the Island. Additionally, Stenhammer has served as the Co-Chairman of the Home & Villa Committee and has worked to increase participation and support of bringing rental company leaders together to prioritize issues and seek a collective voice.

“I am extremely proud to again serve on the Board of this great Chamber”, Stenhammer says, “I will work to further promote tourism on the Island while balancing the quality of life our residents enjoy with the objective of increasing property values for homeowners. My family and I feel fortunate to live and work in this great place; and are extremely happy to call the Hilton Head Island community home.”

ResortQuest Hilton Head Island is Hilton Head Island’s largest vacation rental company, offering over 500 vacation rentals. The ResortQuest Hilton Head portfolio of rentals includes a large variety of villas, luxury private homes, beachfront properties and exclusive golf course locations. For more information on ResortQuest Hilton Head vacation rentals, visit www.resortquesthiltonhead.com or contact a reservations specialist at 800-875-8726.

About ResortQuest:
ResortQuest, one of the nation's leading hospitality and resort real estate companies, provides a one-stop resource in North America's premier resort destinations. ResortQuest is the largest marketer and management company of vacation condominiums and home rentals in the U.S., based on a portfolio of nearly 10,000 vacation rental properties. With the inclusion of Partner Affiliates in North America and Europe, ResortQuest now offers over 100,000 vacation rental choices in over 140 destinations world-wide. With over a billion in sales, ResortQuest Real Estate is one of the nation's leading real estate companies focusing exclusively on resort properties, offering superior brokerage services in the country's premier beach, ski and golf destinations.

SNOWBIRDS REJOICE! EXTEND YOUR WINTER VACATION WITH MONTHLY RENTALS ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND

ResortQuest Hilton Head Island offers over 500 vacation rentals, villas and private beach homes on the premier resort destination, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. With a year-round temperate climate, Hilton Head Island is the perfect winter escape for snowbirds looking for a warm getaway this winter. ResortQuest Hilton Head offers monthly villa and home rentals on Hilton Head Island, SC.


Hilton Head Island, SC (PRWEB) September 23, 2009 – Unlike many other beach destinations, the year-round temperate climate on Hilton Head Island keeps the island beaches and activities open any time of year. The balmy winter weather has kept Hilton Head Island one of the top destinations for snowbirds looking for a warm weather escape. With the island’s signature activities, golf and tennis, continuing in full force throughout the winter months, there’s no shortage of activities and entertainment during the fall and winter on Hilton Head.

ResortQuest Hilton Head Island offers deeply discounted monthly rentals from October through March, a perfect solution for an extended winter vacation. Choose from a selection of over 500 villas and private homes in premier locations, including Palmetto Dunes and Sea Pines. All ResortQuest Hilton Head vacation rentals offer fully-equipped kitchens and all the amenities of home, ideal for an extended stay. They also include immediate access to beaches, tennis, golf and water sports. Hilton Head monthly rentals start as low as $1100 a month* and these discounted rates are available for stays over 28 days. (*Restrictions apply)

In addition to reduced rates for monthly rentals, ResortQuest Hilton Head offers winter travelers a host of other perks, including discounted golf rates, free tennis, free DVD rentals and discounted bike rentals. Palmetto Dunes extends ResortQuest Hilton Head monthly rental guests discounted monthly golf rates of $630 for 30 days of unlimited golf (including cart and green fee) for individuals, or $1050 for 30 days of golf for up to two family members.

Plus, all ResortQuest Hilton Head guests enjoy the benefits of the exclusive ResortQuest Recommends Program which offers deals and discounts on over 160 restaurants, shops and activities year-round. For more information on Hilton Head monthly rentals, visit the ResortQuest Hilton Head website at resortquesthiltonhead.com or call 800-875-8726.

Foodies! Don't miss the Seafood, Jazz & Brew Fest, September 14 - 19, 2009!

September 11, 2009

HILTON HEAD HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATION

MEDIA UPDATE

Contact: Ann-Marie Adams
Office: 843.686.4944 Cellular: 843.247.2283
Email: execdirector@hiltonheadhospitalityassociation.com

New Events, Family Friendly Options, Six Days of Brews~SJB Festival turns year three into major island activity, September 14-19, 2009

Hilton Head Island, SC – The Seafood Jazz and Brew Festival (SJB) is a six-day destination event showcasing the island’s food and beverage market with craft brews playing the supporting role throughout the week. The activities associated with the festival vary by price tag and venue, but the intent remains true to the mission. That is, to introduce every pleasure available on the island while at the same time pairing great culinary destination locations with superb beers.

The 3rd annual SJB festival includes several new offerings for attendees in 2010. The first new offering takes the form of more beer selections at the public tasting. The public beer tasting on Saturday, September 19th beginning at 2 o’clock will showcase 25 beer booths each with five to six product offerings (16 booths in 2008). Another new offering is a weeklong series of beer and food pairings at island dining locations. The Lakehouse at Sea Pines Resort serves as the signature kick-off event on Monday, September 14th and the German Beer Garden at the Hilton Oceanfront Resort and Spa provides the perfect cap note to the festival. The third new offering in 2010 is the availability of family-friendly options incorporated into the weekend timeframe of the festival. The first family friendly option comes with the picnic and jazz event “Jazz at the Park” transpiring at Shelter Cove Community Park and is hosted by the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra on Friday, September 18th beginning at 6 p.m. Another family friendly activity transpires from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 19th as part of the Brews on the Harbour public tasting and includes active learn and play options for children 9 years and younger. That area is hosted by the Waddell Mariculture Center, the SandBox, and Puppet Factory/Kidstown. Finally the island’s food and beverage community brings together a host of later evening options through an activity blotter called “Brewing After 8.” The complete event summary for the festival can be found at: www.hiltonheadhospitalityassociation.com

The Hilton Head Hospitality Association (HHHA) extends an invitation to all media to attend and participate in the activities associated with the Hilton Head Island Seafood Jazz & Brew Festival. The promotional period for this destination event begins on September 14, 2009 and continues through September 19, 2009. For more information or to notify the Association of your presence at any of the events associated with the Seafood Jazz & Brew Festival please contact Ann-Marie Adams, executive director for the Hilton Head Hospitality Association at 843.686.4944 or 800.424.3387.


## #

“The Hilton Head Hospitality Association is a non-profit organization serving the hospitality industry and related businesses in the Hilton Head region. The Association actively represents its members to national, state and local agencies and organizations, provides members networking opportunities, develops and implements industry workforce training, and produces acclaimed destination related festivals to enhance the region’s tourism.”

Website: www.hiltonheadhospitalityassociation.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HHISeafoodJazzandBrew
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MenDrinkingBeer

----

If you're looking for the best Hilton Head vacation deals during the Seafood, Jazz & Brew Fest, visit www.resortquesthiltonhead.com

Hilton Head Vacation Rentals

Hilton Head Traveler Reviews: Thank you for the exemplary service!

From: Mr. Thomas Martin, Anderson, SC.

Mr. Stenhammer: My family and I have stayed at the Palmetto Dunes villas during the S.C. Association of Counties annual meetings forever. We stay at Hickory Cove each year, but have recently discovered Centrecourt and fallen in love with it. I am not sure when ResortQuest took over the bookings for those units – whether it was when checkin was still at the entrance to Palmetto Dunes, or later – but in recent years I have had the pleasure of working with Shani Harris for our bookings, and, frankly, have been amazed at how pleasant she is to work with. I should have written you, or her supervisor earlier and said so, because now you’re likely to think that I’m just making that up, because of the remainder of this note. But I assure you that that is the truth – she has been a true pleasure to work with, even in a day and age when customer service, and just plain courtesy, seem to be lost arts. We have never had a single complaint when working with Shani – to the contrary, she is an exemplary model of customer relations, always building great customer confidence, satisfaction, and appreciation.

However, this year’s trip, ending Sunday, has forced me to add to my list of kudos for you and your staff. We stayed in Centrecourt 7804, as we have the last couple of years – and loved it again. We enjoyed the new keyless entry and the DVD rentals – and all the old, familiar accoutrements of that unit with which we are so familiar. We truly hated to have to check out Sunday morning. On the way home, my wife, Terry, noted that she didn’t have on her engagement ring – but confidently remembered she had put it into her jewelry bag, along with her other jewelry, as she was packing up. When we got home, she discovered that the ring was not in the jewelry bag. Panic city. MAJOR panic – not just because of the cost – by Hilton Head standards, the ring probably isn’t all that valuable – but as a piece of personal jewelry, of course, it is unimaginably precious. She called your housekeeping Sunday night and got the emergency housekeeper – a female, whose name I wish I had. That person was as assuring as she could be – stating “You’ll get it back!!” She told us to call housekeeping at 9:00 yesterday (Monday).

Terry did call housekeeping at 9:00, but the line was busy and she got a message. She was going to call back, but in the meantime called the regular reservation number and got Stacey. I could make this easy and tell you that was the end of the problem. In fact, I’ll do that. We told Stacey where we thought the ring was hiding, Stacey contacted Talley, and within the hour we had received one of the happiest calls we have gotten recently. Stacey literally took care of everything, from retrieving the ring from Talley (who actually delivered it, I think), to getting all the shipping info, packing the ring ultra carefully, and getting it in next day UPS to us. The ring was safely delivered this morning.

I cannot begin to tell you how grateful we are, to your entire staff, for many, many pleasant stays at Palmetto Dunes, for always being accommodating and courteous, and for giving exemplary service. I also can’t tell you how well they represent you. BUT, for right now, and because of the singular events of the past 48 hours, all I can tell you is “Thank you!!!”, from the bottom of our hearts!!

---
Hilton Head Rentals

Town of Hilton Head to Use Twitter to Alert Residents to Emergencies

Courtesy of IslandPacket.com...

The Town of Hilton Head Island is using the social networking site Twitter to help get out information about natural disasters and other emergencies to residents.

Cities across the United States have begun using the free technology to broadcast short messages to people who follow Twitter through their personal computers and cell phones.
The town plans to use it primarily in the event of a hurricane to alert residents of evacuation orders, re-entry procedures and where residents can find bags of ice and other necessities, said emergency management coordinator Paul Rasch.

It is expected to be especially useful after a hurricane, when people will be scattered throughout the region and won't necessarily be near a computer with Internet access, but will still have their cell phones.

Rasch likened the town's Twitter account to a tap on the shoulder, alerting people -- often on their mobile devices -- that new information is available. "It serves the purpose of being an active notification device versus the town's Internet site and 800-number, which are passive," he said. "We can put all the information we'd like (on the Web site and hotline), but we have to wait for people to call or check in."

While the primary use will be during and after storms, the town's emergency management office also plans to use it for other emergencies, including chemical spills, tornadoes and other situations that warrant an update. Residents can follow the Twitter feed while they're away to stay abreast of any incidents that might damage their property.

Even though the town's Twitter site allows people to send messages, town officials stressed they won't be monitoring the comments, so it's important for people with questions or comments to contact town officials through traditional means: an e-mail or a phone call.

Follow ResortQuest Hilton Head Island on Twitter

Hilton Head Vacation Rentals

High Surf and Rip Tides in the Forecast

It appears hurricane season is upon us and as Hurricane Bill nears the Eastern shores, high surf and rip tides are in this week's forecast for Hilton Head Island.

According to the National Weather Service, influences from new moon and lunar patterns will produce high astronomical tides today across South coastal South Carolina and North coastal Georgia with the evening high tide.

Starting Thursday, South Carolina beaches could start seeing the effects of Hurricane's Ana and Bill in the form of powerful rip currents and big waves. Some moderate beach errosion may result.

More information on weather on Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Vacation Rentals