Scheduled to open in February 2005, the development project features a 300-room, full-service Hilton Hotel, an oceanfront community park, a 958-space public parking garage with an elevated walkway to the oceanfront and upscale ground-level retail space on 31st Street and Atlantic Avenue in Virginia Beach. 

With more than 12,000 square feet of banquet and conference facilities, the Hilton will fill a void in Virginia Beach and is anticipated to attract larger groups and convention business to the oceanfront destination. To date, 3,759 room nights have been booked. 
 

Left to right: Dana Baker, Hilton assistant sales manager, Larry Thurston, president of VAAO and Janice Hudgins, secretary of VAAO.

The Virginia Association of Assessing Officers (VAAO) was organized in 1949 to improve standards of assessment practices, educate the public in assessment matters, collect and disseminate information relevant to property assessment, cooperate with public and private agencies on assessment-related matters, and promote justice and equity in the distribution of the property tax burden.  Through its long history, the VAAO has also become the facilitator for networking and educational opportunities for Virginia's assessment officials.  The association currently has close to 1,000 regular and associate members.

Traditionally, the president of the VAAO chooses the location for the annual conference that takes place during his or her term. Larry Thurston, assistant real estate assessor for the City of Virginia Beach and VAAO president for 2005, selected Virginia Beach as the conference location with the unanimous approval of the VAAO Board.

"The Hilton was selected because it will provide our association with new, state-of-the industry meeting facilities and guest rooms," says Thurston. "My meetings with the Hilton sales staff have been very reassuring to the point that I am confident that all my expectations for the conference will be met. Having attended conferences at other Hilton Hotels, I am aware of the flag's impressive standards for quality.  I look forward to experiencing The Virginia Beach Hilton as it provides an exciting and new, first class venue for the VAAO Conference."

Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront is a public/private development project by Thirty First Street, LLC and the city of Virginia Beach. Professional Hospitality Resources, Inc. will manage the property and oversees sales and marketing efforts. PHR owns and manages hotels in Virginia and North Carolina and oversees approximately 1,000 hotel rooms in Virginia Beach. PHR has more than 800 employees, and this development project will create an additional 500 jobs in the city.