Sweetwater’s amazing and knowledgeable event planners will be serving samples of Chef Colin’s delicious catering menu at the Solutions Bridal Expo this Sunday January 27th from 12-4 at the University of Florida Hilton! They’re ready to answer all of your questions and show you how Sweetwater Branch Inn is the perfect all-in-one wedding location to make your dreams come true. Make sure to get your tickets early – there are GRAND PRIZES: Honeymoon Cruise Getaway and 2 Wedding Day Giveaways! More information can be found atwww.solutionsbridal.com. Whether you’re still deciding on a venue or haven’t found the perfect caterer – we’ll see you Sunday!

We’ll be serving our tasty wild mushroom ravioli with a sherry cream sauce topped with toasted pinenuts. YUM. Stop by to get a taste!

– 1 king size bedroom (Rosa’s) & 1 queen size bedroom (Annie’s), each with a private bathroom. There will be a common living room area with a double pull-out couch, as well as a guest bathroom, a kitchen and front porch. 

We’re trying something new with Nora Belle’s – we’ll let you reserveeverything under the roof and hold a special party! Nora Belle’s as a whole is absolutely perfect for a family get-together, a Gator football party, bridal/baby showers, girlfriend getaways, and much more!***

And guess what! Sweetwater Catering is available for all Nora Belle’s Parties! Have your get-together catered in our chef’s kitchens onsite – takes all the remaining stress and hassle out of planning!

Family Get-Togethers are a Breeze in Nora Belle’s!

The cottage now has a couple new coats of fresh paint on its new walls, and we’re beginning to find those perfect furniture pieces to go inside. We’ll upload some pictures once we get some stuff in there!

Nora Belle’s scheduled availability begins December 1st – less than a month away!

*** Please note, there are additional fees for gatherings, events, and extra guests. Call us (352-373-6760) for more information!

We can’t wait to show it off!

http://www.sweetwaterinn.com/rooms-and-cottages/cottages/nora-belles-cottage/

Sweetwater’s blog is back and ready to roll!

Take a look around our brand new website, www.sweetwaterinn.com (thanks everyone who helped with this!) and let us know what you think! We’ve even got a mobile website up, so make sure to take a look at that on your mobile devices!

We’ve made a few changes to our Staff as well! Unfortunately we had to say a teary goodbye (& good luck!) to our lovely Katie O., who was so incredibly influential to our events and marketing departments, as she moves on to bigger and better things! But don’t fear! Our new Events gal is just as talented and we’re so excited to see what intern-turned PRO Sarah will do! We’ve got a couple new changes to our marketing staff, as Laura stepped down and Katie G. has stepped up (hi guys  ) to tackle the job.

But WAIT! That’s not all!

Be on the lookout for Sweetwater’s other new changes..

• our new GROUPON with a 2 night stay and a massage (!!!) at our on campus Casa Ma Holistic Spa and Studios will be up and running on Groupon starting September 4th! Be sure not to miss out on this deal!
• You guessed it, Sweetwater is getting a POOL!  Our new pool will be an eco-friendly salt (not chlorine) pool with a jacuzzi – the perfect place to relax outside our lush gardens and historic homes. We’re so excited about this one, guys!
• We’re renovating yet another cottage set to be available later this fall! Nora Bell’s cottage will have two separate suites inside, Annie’s and Rosa’s, and the whole cottage, perfect for family or extended stays will be available as well!
• Make sure to keep an eye out for our new BILLBOARD up on I-75 coming in October!

That’s all for now, Sweetwater fans! Thanks for reading! We’ll update you again soon!

Of course, we here at Sweetwater were THRILLED to participate in all of the fun! We kicked off the week on Monday by shuttling everyone down to Wayne’s Bedding to cheer on our housekeepers Angelica and Claudia as they participated in the 17th annual bed making contest. Although they did not finish first, their thoughtfully appointed corners and tucks did garner quite a few compliments. We were all so proud! Claudia even made the front page of the newspaper the next day! Taste a little of the chaos with this video:

On Wednesday, we attended the Hospitality Council Awards Luncheon in the absolutely gorgeous Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on campus. Even baby Grant came to the luncheon–who I must say is already exhibiting a VERY professional demeanor. After a delicious lunch and a recap of the week’s events, it came time for the awards. I’m going to go ahead and say this was MY favorite part, as I was both surprised and honored to be awarded the 2009 Hospitality Service award by the Alachua County Hospitality Council. How extremely touching it is to be recognized by both my amazing boss Cornelia Holbrook as well as the City of Gainesville! Truly a very proud moment!!!

After a long week of celebrating Alachua County’s prosperous hospitality industry, we were absolutely worn out! But not too tired to host and celebrate a beautiful wedding, which I’m sure you can check out soon on our sister-blog.

Don’t forget to visit the Hospitality Council’s website for great links to natural wonders and entertainment in Alachua County.

-Izzy