From larger bathroom countertops with illuminated mirrors to an additional vanity with plenty of outlets for styling tools, Hotel Effie Sandestin in Miramar Beach, Florida, was designed with the female traveler in mind.

Sara Becnel, vice president of development and general manager of the Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, a community Hotel Effie is located within, said in an email interview that the 250-room property, which opened on February 1, features "a feminine touch that reinforces attention to detail and quality that women strive for."

"With women being the predominant travel planners in the household, we created a hotel that would encourage guests to not only visit the first time, but become lifelong guests," she said.

All of the public spaces and guest rooms in the hotel have design features developed with women in mind, she said. In addition to unique bathroom amenities, rooms also have luxury bedding, overstuffed pillows and throw blankets.

Becnel said the hotel also offers up great amenities to female travelers and all guests, one of which is its rooftop pool and bar, which she said is the only hotel on the Emerald Coast with those features.

Given the hotel's unique location between the Gulf of Mexico and the Choctawhatchee Bay, Becnel said Hotel Effie was designed with a "soothing coastal color palette" and "draws from the textures and tones of the dunes and the movement of water."

"Sandy hues are prominent in the neutral envelope of the interior spaces while accents pull in the rich jewel tones," she said. "Our goal was to make Hotel Effie feel like it fit into the aesthetic of the destination ... and still be new and fresh. We wanted to have a little bit of a Southern nod with a coastal flair, but not overly so."

The plans for Hotel Effie called for large hallways, tall ceilings and lots of outdoor space, which mean few design changes were required due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Becnel said.

The hotel also features individual HVAC systems for each room, so air is not recirculated from room to room, she said.

"To ensure the safety of our staff and guests, we added dividers at the check-in desks and hostess stands, installed hand sanitizer stations throughout the hotel, and encouraged social distancing by placing signage in areas where guests gather," she added.

With the pool of vaccinated travelers growing, Becnel said Hotel Effie is seeing a strong influx of travelers this summer and is seeing record numbers even during non-peak times.

"We think that this is in part a result of our location, proximity to the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, and plenty of outdoor spaces for guests to spend time with their favorite people in fresh air," she said.

Given this bounce-back in demand, Becnel said the pandemic has taught her the destination is resilient.

"The area as a whole saw an increase of 20% for winter travel based on numbers from the Walton County Tourist Development Council, and that certainly helped us with an opening date of February 1, which is historically one of the slower months for visitors to the area," she said. "While it was never in the plan to open the hotel mid-pandemic, we also learned to prioritize the safety of our construction team, employees and guests. We were able to moving forward with precautions in place."