Tampa
Diversity Remains ‘No. 1’ For This ‘Electric’ City
By Christy Clark As home to the 2003 Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL), and the 2005 Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL), as well as the spring training home of MLB’s New York Yankees, Tampa is known for its champion spirit. And, according to destination officials, the city is a top locale for meetings. “Tampa Bay is a great place for a meeting because of the mixture of what we have here,” said Alex Kaptzan, director of convention sales for Tampa Bay and Company, formerly known as the Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau—a name change that occurred this year.
Kaptzan emphasized that from a state-of-the-art waterfront convention center and its surrounding downtown hotels to its quaint and cozy inns in Ybor City, Tampa has a diversity of meeting venues to cater to any budget. And, he continued, “We have great weather, history, culture, beaches, a great convention center and great restaurants. Tampa is friendly and an easy city to get to with our great airport.”
In fact, accessibility to the area continues to improve with several road construction projects currently under way, including improvements to Veterans Expressway, U.S. Interstate 275, and State Road 60 that will provide improved traffic flow in the areas closest to Tampa International Airport.
Kaptzan also pointed out additional around-town improvements. “One of the things we’re most proud of is our green space improvement,” he said. “Tampa’s Riverwalk will eventually connect Channelside (an entertainment district and cruise ship port) to our waterside convention center and our arts district.” Ground was broken for the riverwalk project earlier this year and is expected to be completed by 2010 with 2.4 miles of walkway from the North Boulevard Bridge in Tampa Heights to the Channelside District.
Downtown/Channelside/East Tampa
Downtown Tampa is said to pulse with electricity because of the entertainment opportunities surrounding the St. Petersburg Times Forum sports and entertainment center, which is home to the Tampa Bay Lightning and the five-time world champion Arena Football League team, the Tampa Bay Storm.
Modern yet quaint, metropolitan yet accessible, Tampa, Fla., is a diversified city that’s adding and improving on its meetings offerings, destination officials said. |
Downtown Tampa is also the location of the Tampa Bay Convention Center, which sits along the Hillsborough River. The convention center can accommodate the most intimate of meetings or the largest of trade shows, said Erica McClain, marketing and sales coordinator. “The Tampa Convention Center is a 600,000-square-foot building. We have a 200,000-square-foot exhibition hall, a 36,000-square-foot ballroom, 32 meeting rooms, as well as a large amount of outdoor function space along the waterfront.”
Located adjacent to the convention center, the 717-room Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina will be the headquarters hotel for NFL owners when the city hosts the Super Bowl in 2009, according to Mike Falconer, director of marketing. “We are the largest hotel in Tampa,” he said. “Our 50,000 square feet of meeting space was renovated this summer, and all of our guest rooms are scheduled for renovation during the summer of 2008. Our meeting space consists of 32 rooms and two ballrooms, and our Grand Ballroom is the largest ballroom in Tampa.”
In September, the 293-room Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk was purchased by Crescent Hotels and Resorts. According to Michael George, Crescent president/CEO, the property will undergo a $6 million renovation that will expand the existing meeting space by 4,500 square feet, bringing the total amount of available space to 11,300 square feet. In addition, the company will complete a renovation of the rooms and the lobby that was started several years ago. George said, “Our added meeting space makes the property an ideal destination for groups of up to 1,000 people.”
The 521-room Hyatt Regency Tampa is set to finish a multimillion-dollar renovation by the end of the year, according to David DiSalvo, director of sales and marketing. “All of our guest rooms underwent a complete transformation,” DiSalvo said. The hotel offers 30,000 square feet of meeting space, including 14,000 square feet of flexible ballroom space.
In 2006, the Westin Tampa Harbour Island opened after a brand conversion from a Wyndham, according to Sue Brush, senior vice president for Westin Hotels and Resorts. The property is located on a private island setting near downtown Tampa and offers 299 guest rooms and more than 17,000 square feet of meeting space, with 13 function rooms accommodating 10 to 800 guests.
The Florida Aquarium, located near the Channelside Entertainment district, puts a unique spin on meetings, according to Ralph Rodriguez, vice president of marketing, who said attendees can meet among marine life. “We have a total of 20,000 square feet of usable space, including a 2,000-square-foot room that is audio/visual equipped. And, we can provide animal encounters, dive programs and have a great educational staff that can prepare a program specific to the group.”
Tampa’s historic Ybor City is said to ooze ‘Old World’ charm and Hispanic culture within Centro Ybor, a shopping and entertainment district that is housed in converted cigar factories.
The Don Vicente de Ybor Historic Inn can accommodate smaller meetings that pack a big punch, according to Lovelynn Jenson, events sales manager. “We are perfect for a corporate retreat,” Jenson said “We have 16 guest rooms and enough function space to accommodate up to 300. We are on the street car tracks, and attendees can get to Channelside and downtown within minutes.”
On the east side of Tampa, groups will find the Florida State Fairgrounds, which offers several meeting and event spaces and is now home to the Florida Center and Botanical Gardens, according to Julie Deane, director of sales, who said the facility can accommodate 800-1,000 people.
The Amerisuites - Sabal Park is located near the fairgrounds. “We have 59 guest rooms and 2,000 square feet of meeting space,” explained Zulibeth Del Valle, director of sales. “We have audio/visual on site, as well as complimentary Internet access in both the guest rooms and meeting spaces. We are two miles from the fairgrounds and are easily accessible from I-75 and I-4.”
Westshore/Airport Area
Key Info · Sales Tax: 7 percent
· Hotel Tax: 5 percent
· Contact Update: In September, the CVB unveiled a new name, Tampa Bay & Company, a new slogan, “Economic Development Through Tourism,” and a new logo. |
Located near the Tampa International Airport, the Westshore Corridor is known as Tampa’s corporate and shopping district and is home to several full-service meeting hotels.
The Tampa Airport Marriott offers 20,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 6,000-square-foot oval ballroom, and 296 guest rooms. “Our meeting space has undergone a complete renovation within the last year and the guest rooms are scheduled for renovation during 2008,” said Scott Fink, assistant general manager. “We are the first green certified Marriott in Florida and the only hotel in Tampa that has received this designation.”
MHI Hospitality Corporation announced in October that the company has purchased the 250-room Clarion Hotel and is rebranding it as the Crowne Plaza Westshore Tampa. According to Andrew Sims, MHI president/CEO, the property is undergoing a $20 million renovation and will reopen January 2009. “Our planned repositioning and upbranding of the Crowne Plaza Tampa Westshore makes this asset an integral addition to our real estate platform,” Sims said. The hotel will offer 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
The 259-suite Sheraton Suites - Tampa Airport has 14,000 square feet of meeting space and, according to Anna Powers, sales manager, will undergo a renovation of its meeting space in 2008. Powers added, “We are an eight-story atrium hotel with an 8,000-square-foot ballroom. We offer complimentary transportation to the airport and to venues within a three-mile radius.”
The Doubletree Guest Suites on Tampa Bay has recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation of all of the property’s 203 guest rooms, according to Cheryl James, director of sales, who said the hotel will be adding 8,000 square feet to its existing meeting space as well as upgrading the fitness center.
Cyndi Layton, director of sales for the 445-room Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, said, “We have a total of 27,000 square feet of meeting space both indoors and out, and we have added a new outdoor pavilion. Our meeting space has been renovated this year, and we’re thrilled to announce that our signature restaurant, Oystercatchers, has been renovated and is now open.”
Busch Gardens/North Tampa
“We are seeing a lot of visitors combine business and pleasure, either coming in before the event, or staying through the event,” Kaptzan said, emphasizing the attractions available throughout the city and within the north Tampa area. “While we are known for our beaches, Tampa is also home to the Florida Aquarium, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Lowry Park Zoo, and the Museum of Science and Industry.” These three attractions are located in the north Tampa area.
In the way of accommodations, the Comfort Inn and Conference Center has 257 rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space and has undergone a complete renovation, according to Eldon Bond, senior sales manager. “We are an atrium hotel with both interior and exterior rooms as well as a four-story tower,” Bond said. “We have the distinction of having the largest meeting space in our area.”
“Saddlebrook Resort - Tampa was built for meetings,” said Alberto Martinez-Fonts Jr., vice president of marketing. “We have a specialized staff, including banquet and kitchen staff, so everything runs seamlessly. Saddlebrook has 95,000 square feet of flexible meeting and function space that includes 34 meeting rooms and several ballrooms, the largest of which is an 18,000-square-foot, column-free ballroom.” The 800-room resort recently opened a new function area called The Commons, which is a 13,000-square-foot space.
