[NFBF-L] Southbank Hotel description

[Kaye Baker]

Greetings Federation Family and Friends:

I hope you are all looking forward to our 2022 State convention in
Jacksonville  as much as I am. The Greater Jacksonville and Daytona chapters
are making sure everything is in place for a wonderful weekend.

Some of us have visited the hotel, and it seems to be a great place to hold
our family gathering.

Attached to this message, and in the body of the email, you will find a
description of the hotel.  I hope you will find this helpful when navigating
the hotel.

As always, the hosting chapters and state board stand ready to assist where
ever needed,  so don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Look forward to seeing all of you in October.

Kaye Baker

Secretary, National Federation of the Blind of Florida

 

 

Welcome to the Southbank Hotel by Marriott

Site of the 2022 National Federation of the Blind of Florida

State Convention

 

The Greater Jacksonville and Greater Daytona Chapters of the National
Federation of the Blind of Florida are ready to welcome you to our 2022
State convention at the Southbank Hotel. 

Built in 1981, the Southbank Hotel is nestled on the south bank of the St
Johns River and boasts convenience to both the San Marco and Riverside
neighborhoods. The hotel has many amenities including an outdoor pool,
fitness center and on-site bar and restaurant. The hotel has been recently
renovated and draws inspiration from the many ports and bridges around
Jacksonville.

As we enter the hotel's entrance, we find ourselves in a spacious lobby. The
lobby area is shaped like a rectangle, with the entrance and elevators on
the short sides of the rectangle, and the check-in area and bar along the
long sides. If we were to walk straight upon entering the lobby we would
come to a seating area with several couches and tables. This area can be
best identified by the carpeting on the floor. The carpet is a great
landmark to help us find the check-in desk, so after entering the main
entrance, we will walk straight until we encounter the carpet, then make a
right. Follow the carpet until it ends, then continue walking straight, and
the check-in counter will be right in front of us.  Immediately to the right
of the counter is an ATM machine. 

If we place the counter on our right and continue walking straight, the next
area we come to will be a vending area. Here, items such as snacks,
Starbucks coffee, sodas and other sundries can be purchased. Note, the
machine used to purchase the items is currently not accessible, so a member
of the hotel staff, friend or volunteer will be happy to assist.

Making a right immediately after the check-in counter ends will lead down a
long hallway which has the fitness  center  on the left, and a vending
machine containing medical supplies such as pain relievers and masks.

Continuing past the vending area will bring us to a water station on the
right. The water station is a table with a water cooler and cups sitting on
it. There is also a trash can directly to the left of the water station so
that any used cups can be discarded.

Once we come to the end of the water station, there will be a column on the
left. This column is a good indicator that the hallway that leads to the
elevators is coming up soon.  Turning right at the next hall, will lead into
the hallway that holds both the elevators, and Convention center. The
elevators are to the left, and convention center to the right.

For now, lets return to the main entrance, and explore the other side of the
lobby. This time, from the entrance, we will again go straight until we get
to the carpet, but instead of a right, we will turn left. Walk until the
carpet ends on the right and turn right again. Johnny's bar will be
immediately on the left. 

 If we continue past Johnny's and walk until the wall on our left side ends,
the hotel restaurant will be straight ahead. The restaurant currently is
open for breakfast only.

If we pass Johnny's and make a left when the wall ends, we will enter an
area that has a pool table and a foosball table. Going straight will take us
to an exit door. This door can be used to get to one of the dog relief
areas.

For this exit door, a room key is not needed. Once we have exited the hotel,
we will continue to walk straight until we reach a sidewalk. Make a right on
the sidewalk and keep walking straight. One great landmark is the sound of
the air conditioning units. Once we hear the AC units we know the dog relief
area is on the right. A trash can with baggies is also being provided. To
find this continue down the sidewalk until it veers to the left.  Once the
sidewalk turns, start checking on the right for the trash can and bag stand.

Now that we are back in the hotel, lets check out the convention center
area. Remember that if we enter the hallway just after the water station,
the elevators will be on the left, and the convention center on the right.
The convention center is shaped like a crescent, with 3 entrances. When we
first enter the convention center, we will find ourselves in the prefunction
registration area.  This is where we will hold convention registration.
Making a right here will take us down a long hall with meeting rooms on the
right, and seating on the left. The first meeting room we come to is Anchor,
followed by Rope. After Rope is an open area with hallways that lead to the
hospitality suite, the pool, and the second dog relief area. If we turn
right here, we will come to some restrooms, and an exit that leads out to
the pool. If we make a left instead of a right, we will come to a hall with
some suites, including our hospitality suite and an exit. Using this exit to
get to the second dog relief area will require a room key. 

However, if we continue going straight through the open area and down the
hallway, we will come to a dead end. If we make a left here, there will be
windows on the right, and Port Ballroom on the left. Port is where our
General Session will be held. The next room is Winward which is where the
auction will be held. Starboard is next which is where our exhibit hall will
be.

Remember that when we were in the pre-function area, we made a right to get
to the meeting rooms. Now let's go back to the pre-function area and make a
left. Doing this will bring us to a hallway with meeting rooms on either
side. The first room on the right is Tug, on the left are Rigging and Sail.
There are two final rooms that should be mentioned. They are just outside of
the pre-function area. If we are coming from the elevators and walking
straight, they will be on the right. Those rooms are called Commerce and
Dockside.

Now that we have finished our tour of this great hotel, it is time to get
ready for an awesome state convention.  Remember that if you get a little
lost listen for the talking signs.  We will have talking signs and
ambassadors throughout the hotel to assist whenever needed.

Also, don't hesitate to reach out to either of the host chapters or the
state board with any questions or concerns.

 

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