Tampa Debuts New Hotels and Restaurants as Tourism Booms

Image: Tampa, Florida. (Photo Credit: SeanPavonePhoto / Adobe Stock)

by Sara Perez Webber
Last updated: 11:30 AM ET, Tue July 9, 2024

Tampa is on a roll.?

After breaking tourism records in 2023, the Florida destination is achieving similarly robust numbers in 2024.?

“Every month that has been a record for us either happened this year or last year,” says Santiago C. Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay.

Tourism Development Tax collection for Hillsborough County topped $7 million in March and April—the first time the destination collected more than $7 million in bed tax revenue in back-to-back months. And the trend is continuing, notes Corrada: “May was our record-setter of all Mays.”?

High Demand Driving Development

As tourism booms, so does the variety of hotels, restaurants, and attractions available for visitors. In fact, more than 2,500 new hotel rooms have been added to Tampa Bay in the past three years.?

“There’s been an evolution of the destination,” says Corrada, noting that high demand is driving more development. “Hotels are reinvesting, you’re seeing the attractions reinvesting, you’re seeing new restaurants opening up all the time.”?

The Florida Aquarium, for example, is undertaking its largest expansion ever, with a new penguin and sea lion exhibit expected to open in 2026. Last year, the Tampa Convention Center emerged from a $44.5 million expansion and renovation that includes 18 new waterfront meeting rooms overlooking the Hillsborough River. And Tampa’s culinary scene is hotter than ever, with 30 restaurants listed in the 2024 Michelin Guide—including five with Michelin stars.?

History on Display

New hotels and restaurants often incorporate the old, as the past is displayed more prominently in Tampa than in many Florida destinations.?

“I like to say that outside of St. Augustine, we have the most physical history that’s evident—the cigar factories, the brick-lined streets, the gas lamps, we have all of that,” says Corrada. “We’ve treasured the past here, and we’ve converted a lot of those old buildings into hotels and restaurants and food halls.”?

In November 2023, the former Floridan Palace Hotel became the Hotel Flor Tampa after a $30 million renovation. Now part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton, the 210-room, 19-story downtown property—the tallest building in town when it was built in 1926—retains such original features as soaring tiled ceilings, a refurbished 1920s letter holder on display behind the front desk and the landmark “Hotel Floridan” neon sign atop the roof. The hotel’s former Sapphire Lounge is now The Dan, a stylish speakeasy-inspired restaurant serving modern Gulf Coast cuisine and curated cocktails.?

In Ybor City, Tampa’s historic Latin quarter just two miles northeast of downtown, the 178-room?Hotel Haya?pays homage to Ignacio Haya, whose cigar factory rolled the first cigar in Tampa. The boutique hotel emphasizes the neighborhood’s heritage with décor inspired by mid-century Cuba, glass-blown globes resembling Ybor’s famous streetlights and a Cuban-style café. Flor Fina, the hotel’s restaurant, just unveiled a new brunch menu with dishes and cocktails infused with the flavors of Ybor City, and Haya’s fun monthly calendar of events includes a yoga class with the neighborhood’s resident chickens.?

New and Expanded Hotels

In another historic Tampa neighborhood, Hyde Park, the Epicurean Hotel opened a $21 million expansion in January. Across Howard Avenue from Epicurean’s 137-room main hotel, the addition includes 51 new guest rooms and suites, a private lobby, meeting space and a rooftop terrace.?

Part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, the Epicurean was developed by the legendary Bern’s Steak House, next door to the hotel, in collaboration with Mainsail Lodging & Development. It’s a foodie destination, with a state-of-the-art culinary classroom, the signature ?levage SoHo Kitchen & Bar restaurant, EDGE Rooftop Cocktail Lounge, and Bern’s Fine Wines & Spirits in the lobby, carrying more than 1,000 labels.

Also new to the South Tampa neighborhood is the Palihouse Hyde Park Village, a 36-room boutique hotel that opened in November 2023 with 36 oversized guestrooms and an intimate lobby lounge and cocktail bar. Calling it “remarkably stylish,” the Michelin Guide included the property in its inaugural list of outstanding U.S. hotels, awarding the Palihouse one Key in April.

More Luxury Options

One other Tampa hotel earned a Michelin Key—the Tampa EDITION, which opened in October 2022. The city’s first five-star hotel, the 172-room EDITION, is part of Water Street Tampa. This massive $3 billion waterfront development has transformed the area surrounding Amalie Arena, home of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. The EDITION features seven unique dining concepts, including Chef John Fraser’s Lilac, bestowed a Michelin star in 2023.

“Water Street is an incredible addition right next door to our traditional downtown,” says Corrada, noting the neighborhood is also home to Tampa’s first JW Marriott and ROOST Tampa, a luxury extended-stay hotel next to the EDITION. “Our luxury offerings really took a step up.” Two more hotels are expected to be part of Water Street’s next phase of development.

Riverfront Draw

Water Street also fronts one of downtown Tampa’s main draws—the 2.6-mile Riverwalk, a waterfront path along the Hillsborough River connecting hotels, museums, the convention center, parks, bars and restaurants.?

Now visitors can experience Tampa’s growing reputation as a foodie destination while they’re cruising down the river on Craft, the city's first dining river cruise. With a capacity of 150 passengers, the low-profile vessel resembles a European riverboat and offers two-hour dinner, brunch and lunch cruises. For each, Executive Chef Allison Beasman has created an elevated three-course menu that’s prepared in an open kitchen using gas cooking—a first for a U.S. river cruiser.?

What it all adds up to, says Corrada, is a city that continues to change and evolve, giving travel advisors more reasons than ever to book Tampa Bay vacations.

“Tampa is no longer a secret,” says Corrada. “When we started Visit Tampa Bay, we said, ‘Treasure awaits. Come and unlock Tampa Bay.’ I think everybody has a key now.”

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