Hilton Naples Announces a Commissioned Holiday Themed Sand Sculpture is Underway

Nov. 20, 2012 - PRLog -- Hilton Naples today announced they commissioned a holiday themed sand sculpture in their lobby for the holidays.

A story of a mythical holiday in Naples Florida will emerge in the lobby of Hilton Naples this week. Two master sculptors will spend the next three days turning piles of sand into a magnificent seven foot tall crowd-wowing statement of art. The sculpture, slated to be completed on Wednesday evening, will stand front and center in the lobby to greet guests of Hilton Naples and Shula’s Steak House.

“We wanted to show our appreciation to the entire community for their support of Hilton Naples and Shula’s Steak House so we commissioned a unique sculpture that will be created with a magical holiday theme,” Clark Hill, general manager said. “We invite everyone to stop by and enjoy the festivities surrounding the sculpture as we celebrate the season”.

Hilton Naples worked in conjunction with the Sand Lovers, a company specializing in Master/Professional Sand Sculpting and Event Management to handpick the award-winning champion artists, Bouke Atema from Germany and Joris Kivits from Portugal.  Both artists are currently competing in the 26th Annual American Sand Sculpting Championship in Fort Myers Beach.  

For onlookers, it’s a spectacle to watch Atema and Kivits work together to create the custom sand sculpture.  Over the next three days, guests who enter the lobby will be greeted by the artists while in their “sandbox” with their own version of sand tools including the ever present chisel, pointed trowel and corded blowtube.   The sand creation will feature a mythical version of Santa Claus, a replica of Hilton Naples and many of the sea life creatures found in the waters off the beaches in Naples.

“We were looking for a fun way to capture memories of Naples for our guests to reflect back on their time spent here during the holiday season,” said Niccole Neebling, director of sales, catering & marketing.  “Our hope is that both our hotel guests and our local community use our sand sculpture as a backdrop for their holiday photos and share the experience via facebook, twitter and other social media outlets.  ”

Hilton Naples Hotel invites the local community to stop by and witness the creation of the spectacular sculpture.  While taking in the show, enjoy the holiday signature libation, the Sand-tini.  One dollar from every Sand-tini sold through December 14, 2012 will be donated to the Marine Corps League of Naples Toys for Tots Campaign.