BONITA SPRINGS, Fla.- The 1930s hotel room inside the historic Liles hotel on old 41 got the attention of the President and the First Lady.
    
Mayor Ben Nelson said, "It is one of our highlights of our community. It is a multi-purpose space and it is used a historical museum as well and i think that really helped us out."

It helped the city of Bonita Springs earn the prestigious title of a Preserve America Community. To date, there are nearly 900 communities across the country that have received this recognition for their work preserving historic places and telling the nation's story.
Mayor Nelson said the city applied for the designation to help get grant money.

"In order to make your chances off getting these grants and funds to do historic restorations, like the Liles hotel, you need to have the designation. It really helps so that was the main reason for it."

He also hopes the new title helps highlight the city's historical significance.
 
"I am proud of our historic preservation committee. This is a group of citizens that go all out and they're really good at it and we owe it all to them."